Epic Steel: Design is the key
According to president Dan Fremont, Epic Steel is not just about columns
and beams. While it ffers the highest quality structural steel, it also
specializes in decorative work.
Stairs, canopies, handrails and balconies make up a sizeable portion
of Epic's work. Take, for instance, the monumental entrance canopy it is
doing for the Mirage Night Club, or challenging ornamental and steel projects
such as the grand three-floor staircase in GSI Architects' downtown HQ.
Other specialty work includes towers at Westgate Plaza, curved staircases
at Moxie's Restaurant and the Executive Caterers of Landerhaven and Hyland
Software, as well as an entrance canopy and railing at Yavne High School
in Beachwood.
Structural work includes the 14-story Crown Center in Independence and
the Akron-Canton Airport expansion, as well as structural work and specialty
work at the Headstart facility at the Windermere Rapid and St. Michael's
Parish in Canton. It also includes various components of the Eton Collection
(both old and new elements), including the posh wine and coffee bar Isola
Bella, with its many varying radiuses.
In the beginning, Epic was involved in apartment building projects designed
by Fremont-Mahler & Assoc. and fabricated and erected by Epic, such
as The Hamptons, Gates Mills Towers, and the Carlyle and Watergate apartments.
Current projects include Independence Technology Center, Discount Drug in
Westlake and Palm and Garfield elementary schools in Lorain. The firm has
also played a large role in fabricating many Walgreen's Drug Stores.
And while the name may say Epic Steel, work is also done with stainless
steel and aluminum, with a wide variety of specialty surface preparation
and finishes available to meet customer decor needs of any kind.
BXM
Epic Steel: Supporting excellence
The success of a project at Epic Steel is measured in its on-time delivery
and careful installation of correctly fabricated product. This success
is supported in several ways.
1. The first is Epic Steel's personnel. It has assembled a team of assertive,
self-motivated, cooperative and knowledgeable employees, many with management
or ownership experience in other steel fabrication companies. All division
and project managers have over 20 years experience, so they can make the
right decision. "With this scope of experience, our guys understand
the entire picture," says Dan Fremont, company president.
At Epic, estimator also act as project managers. They become so familiar
with design drawings and specs, they can help to expedite mill materials,
joists and decks in a timely fashion. Says Dan, "They get it headed
in the right direction, immediately," with accuracy and timeliness
leading to lower costs and shorter schedules. They've also got built-in
relationships established with GCs, and their attention to service leads
to success on the current job and getting a jump on future jobs.
"We feel confident in allowing these qualified estimator/project
managers to run the projects," says Fremont. "It is their integrity
and efforts which help establish their reputations and trust with their
customers."
But the rest of the Epic team is also a major asset, from the skilled
engineers and the efficient and timely purchasing department to the qualified
shop workers who perform to deliver the end product. Some key players:
- Alex Schachtel, with over 36 years experience in fitting and running
some of the region's best shops and owner of his own shop for 14 years.
His knowledge of miscellaneous fabrication is an asset for many of the
more complex stair and handrail projects Epic has produced.
- Ray Jaksa, a veteran of some of the city's largest fabrication companies,
who has mastered facets of the work from steel detailing and fabrication
techniques to erection, including being in charge of the Perry Nuclear
Power Plant.
- Tom Eirons, Epic's purchasing manager and quality control manager.
He has helped to run his own family's steel business and brings that sense
of ownership to the job: He understands the importance of advance planning
and open communication in working with estimator/project managers and shops
to purchase efficiently and in a timely manner based on given scheduled
needs.
2. A second is the close communication that Epic builds into each project:
Proper coordination with the GCs and other subcontractors is seen as key.
Meanwhile, problems can be identified and resolved quickly in-house due
to weekly Friday meetings among the president, shop foreman, production
manager and purchasing manager to address problems with equipment, materials
or scheduling. Weekend production meetings of Epic's estimator/project managers
with Neff and Dan Fremont address scheduling of detailing, production status,
availability of buyouts and other issues that can be solved with collective
brainstorming. With this staff, value engineering just goes with the territory.
3. A third is Epic's membership in the American Institute of Steel Construction
and annual audit and certification in its Quality Control Program. This
assures customers that Epic follows very specific standards in furnishing
the specified product properly and with minimal errors and tight tolerances.
Having a quality control manager and QC inspector helps Epic deliver a precision
product.
4. A fourth is the firm's emphasis on safety; a safe work environment
is a requirement here, with Epic participating in the Bureau of Workers
Compensation's Drug Free Workplace Program and annual safety education classes
led by safety management consultant CompSolve, Inc., which reviews various
issues involving workplace safety. BXM
The epic of Epic Steel
Epic Steel was founded in 1965 by Neff Fremont, PE, as a complement
to Fremont & Associates, the design and engineering firm he had founded
in 1963 when he determined that he wanted to begin building that which he
had been designing.
Neff, a Holocaust survivor, was born in Warsaw, Poland, escaping from
the infamous ghetto through the sewers with his father. In 1950, he made
his way to American alone and wend on to become a structural engineer.
He founded the steel fabrication company so he could produce the products
that he designed, and he literally saw his professional future "building"
itself. That first office housed a staff of three in a vacant garage, and
materials were delivered in a station wagon.
Later, as Epic grew, Neff moved his operation to the heart of Cleveland's
industrial valley, where it could be near rail and water transportationand
an outstanding workforce. The four-story building, built into the side
of the hill, overlooks the river valley and oversees the Lorain-Carnegie
Bridge; the Cleveland Press covered its unusually challenging construction.
In this complex now stand the offices, a fabricating plant and a 15,000-sf
warehouse that together house a workforce of 30. This warehouse lets Epic
stock and deliver a wide variety of productsincluding pre-galvanized
materialto meet tight schedules.
The workforce now includes Neff's son Dan, also a structural engineer;
he now serves as president, with Neff as vice president. With Epic Steel,
design/build is a special, added-on service to help meet customer needs,
a readily available asset that is attractive to customers.
The firm has the capacity for CAD engineering, using detailing software
that allows for specialty drawings in-house. Other in-shop equipment lets
Epic bend pipe, create stairs and utilize an automatic punchline, to maximize
design creativity, offer precision products and meet accelerated schedules
typical in today's construction world.
The name Epic is appropriate. Through perseverance and hard work, Neff
Fremont has overcome many obstacles to create a company which has succeeded
for over 40 years. Even the challenging location chosen for the building
he designed himself demonstrates the determination and focus he needs to
accomplish such an extraordinary feat. It is an example of the careful planning,
execution and attention to detail which are still the ingredients of Epic's
continued success. bxm
