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Nucor tells Arizona transportation committee Kingman mill investment supports local jobs and Buy America goals
Summary
Nucor Corporation told the House Transportation Committee that its Kingman steel bar mill's $150 million reinvestment and its electric-arc furnace recycling model support hundreds of local jobs, and urged lawmakers to favor Arizona suppliers on state infrastructure projects.
Chad Eaton, director of government affairs for Nucor Corporation, told the Arizona House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Jan. 26 that Nucor's Kingman facility is a locally significant producer and urged legislators to consider the company when state infrastructure projects seek steel.
"Nucor Corporation is North America's largest recycler and largest steel producer," Eaton said in opening his presentation, describing how the firm makes steel from recycled scrap using electric-arc-furnace technology. Eaton said Nucor recently invested about $150,000,000 to restore the Kingman melt shop and that the Kingman site now employs more than 220 full-time teammates.
Eaton framed the firm's presence in Arizona as both an economic and a workforce development asset: Nucor's mills and downstream fabricators supply material for bridges, data centers, and industrial projects that often stay in-state. He emphasized safety investments, saying mills reduced injury rates through automation and culture changes and cited companywide average pay figures for shop workers.
Eaton asked lawmakers to "think about the great resource that you have right here in the state" when planning transportation projects, arguing that using locally produced steel keeps tax dollars and jobs in Arizona. Committee members asked about scrap sources, pay averages and safety investments; Eaton said Nucor contracts with regional scrap suppliers and cited a company-wide three-year rolling average pay for mill workers of roughly $115,000 to $118,000 and an estimated 20,000,000 tons of scrap recycled companywide in a year.
Why it matters: State procurement and Buy America preferences shape whether major infrastructure projects buy materials domestically or import them. Eaton positioned Nucor's Kingman investment as both a local jobs magnet and an argument for routing state-funded steel purchases through in-state suppliers when feasible.
What's next: Eaton invited committee members to tour Kingman and offered follow-up on workforce partnerships and the company's safety and procurement practices.
