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Nufab Rebar has announced its hurricane-damaged plant in Slidell, Louisiana is back in operation this week. Joe Tynan of Nufab Rebar, the newly formed rebar fabrication joint venture between Nucor and Ambassador Steel, told SteelOrbis about the damage the plant sustained from Katrina. “We had wind damage to the exterior shell of our steel fabrication center, the sides were ripped off, the overhead doors were bent. It was all surface damage though, nothing consequential to the structure of the building.” Most importantly, the company had made contact with all of its 35 employees who lived or worked in the affected region, and has continued to pay them. Nufab Rebar has also established the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund through the DeKalb County Community Foundation. When asked about the demand for fabricated rebar in the region, Mr. Tynan told us, “We expect it to be strong. It’s slow right now with all the hurricane weather, but it will increase when the reconstruction efforts get started.” Nufab employs 85, mostly in the southern United States. Auburn-based Ambassador Steel Corp. and Nucor Corp. formed the joint venture in January to fabricate steel rebar for the concrete construction industry. Nufab took over the Slidell, Louisana plant in late April when it acquired Lulich Steel.