Pacific Steel
The Pacific Steel Casting Company (PSC) is a steel foundry located at 1333 Second Street in West Berkeley, California. At one point it was the third largest steel foundry in the United States, employing 350 people.[1]
The company was founded in 1934 by Douglas Genger and Ivan Johnson, who had lost their jobs at General Metals in nearby Oakland as a result of the Great Depression.[citation needed] They bought a steel foundry in West Berkeley that had been repossessed by Wells Fargo Bank, re-opening it as the Pacific Steel Casting Company. PSC's business took off with the advent of World War II. The company added another plant in 1974, and a third in 1981.[2]
Pacific Steel lost a third of its workforce in 2011 after a U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement audit.[3][4]
In Early 2014, the company filed for bankruptcy protection[5]
August 25, 2014 Speyside Equity acquires Pacific Steel Castings, now called Pacific Steel Castings LLC.
The company announced plans to close as early as December 2017, after having laid off most of the employees and selling much of their inventory.[6]
References
- ^ "Community Issues – Pacific Steel Casting", Berkeley City Council website
- ^ Neighborhood News, Pacific Steel Casting newsletter, Issue 4, February 2009
- ^ Quintana, Sergio (December 18, 2011). "Pacific Steel forced to lay off 200 workers". ABC 7 News. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ Pacific Steel to Undergo Employment Eligibility Audits
- ^ .West Berkeley’s Pacific Steel files for bankruptcy, Berkeleyside, March 13, 2014
- ^ [1]