SPFA honors water storage tanks of the year and fabricated product of year

LAKE ZURICH, Aug. 19, 2004 -- The Steel Plate Fabricators Association, Division
of STI/SPFA has announced the winners of its "Tank of the Year" and "Fabricated Product of the Year" Awards for 2004. The Awards are presented annually by STI/SPFA, and recognize the highest standards of excellence and innovation in the design of steel water storage tanks, and steel fabricated products.

Tank Builders Inc. of Euless, TX, earned the award for a Reservoir Tank built on behalf of the City of Highland Village, TX. "The unique design of this 1.9 million gallon tank required partial burial to properly accommodate restrictions and topography changes on the site, and steel is the perfect material to meet this challenge," said Bruce Krommer, P.E., President of Tank Builders, Inc. "The structural integrity and long life of a steel tank provides an economical solution for municipalities, and we congratulate the City of Highland Village on this award."

CB&I earned three Awards, winning Tank of the Year honors for the Standpipe, Special Storage and Elevated Water Storage Tank categories. CB&I Constructors, Inc., of Clive, IA, built the Standpipe award winner on behalf of the City of Becker, MN. This unique 1.1 million gallon water storage tank included a separate compartment for an additional 620,000 gallons of elevated water storage.

CBI Services, Inc., of Plainfield, IL, built the Special Storage award winner on behalf of District Cooling of St. Paul, MN. The steel tank's exterior is covered with polyisocyanurate insulated panels incorporating a clear coating with a simulated brick-layered effect. The project included steel pilasters and a modified lighting system.

CB&I Constructors, Inc., of Birmingham, AL, built the Elevated Water Storage Tank award winner on behalf of the Jefferson County Commission's Environmental Services Department in Birmingham. This unique 3 million gallon design featured 1,128 tons of steel, a concrete elevator shaft in the 12 foot diameter center dry-riser support column, a 120 foot diameter full-roof logo, and second and third floor offices, labs, and a training facility with locker room and showers.

"The CB&I tanks honored by SPFA with these awards exemplify the versatility and structural strength of steel for any type of water storage application," said Mike Braden,
President of CB&I Water. "We are proud to design unique and aesthetically pleasing water storage tank solutions that meet the needs of our customers."

Chattanooga Boiler & Tank Company of Chattanooga, Tennessee earned the Fabricated Product of the Year award, for a clay storage system at Granitifiandre USA in Crossville, TN. The winning design incorporated 74 polished stainless steel silos for different colors of clay used in the manufacture of granite and marble. "The constructability and compatibility of steel makes it the perfect choice for applications where durability is a concern" said Jerry Stetzler, president of Chattanooga Boiler. "Our customers count on the strength of steel to deliver longevity and performance, and we whole-heartedly support the efforts of the Steel Plate Fabricators Association to honor the capabilities of steel."

"We are pleased to honor the achievements of our members, promoting the longevity and suitability of steel as the material of choice in water storage and many other applications," said executive vice president Wayne Geyer. "We hope these Tanks of the Year will someday join the SPFA Century Club, a group of steel tanks more than 100 years old and still in active service."

The Steel Tank Institute and the Steel Plate Fabrications Association are Divisions of STI/SPFA, an association serving companies in the business of fabricating steel tanks, piping and pressure vessels for use in the petroleum, food, water and chemical processing industries. STI/SPFA provides certification and training courses for steel tank and piping, performs quality assurance inspections, develops industry standards and specifications, produces safety manuals, and serves as a liaison to regulatory and code authorities. The organizations' websites are www.steeltank.com and www.spfa.org.

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