Grapeland and its surrounding area are blessed with the type of soil and climate that are ideal for growing agricultural products such as peanuts and watermelon. In the mid 1960s, little did they know that the area would also be conducive to “growing” open websteel joist and eventually steel decking and standing seam roof panels. Nucor Corp. (formerly called Nuclear Corporation of America) planted a seed here in the fall of 1967 that took root and grew into one of the largest manufacturing plants of steel joist and steel decking in the world. 

Nucor had two Vulcraft divisions at the time, one in Florence, South Carolina and one in Norfolk, Nebraska. They acquired M&S Steel Company located in Ft. Payne, Alabama in March of 1967. With that purchase, they not only created a third Vulcraft division, but also acquired a Joist Market and Potential Plantsite Survey conducted by M&S previously. That survey led the then Nucor President F. Kenneth Iverson (now chairman of the Board) and Vice President Hugh D. (Dave) Aycock (now President) to the Houston County Development Foundation in search of a new joist plant site. 

The Crockett, Latexo and Grapeland communities of Houston County were all interested in providing a location ideal for a manufacturing concern. Some characteristics the area had attracted Nucor were an abundance of cheap electricity, a central location to serve the southwest U.S. areas (in particular Houston and Dallas), access to a major highway and railway, a rural labor force with strong work ethic, and a non union environment. 

Eventually the persistence of Grapeland Mayor George Bartee, the Grapeland City Council, and the citizens of Grapeland along with their hospitality convinced Ken Iverson and Dave Aycock that Grapeland would be best suited for the plant. Approximately 75 acres of land on a hill located north of the city was purchased from Mr. John Lively. The land was bordered by a MoPac railroad line to the east and also had an easy access to US Highway 287. The City of Grapeland provided an eight inch water line to the plant, a sewage line away from the plant, and an agreement to allow the plant to remain outside the city limits. 

During the winter of 1967, construction was started. Dan Pennington General Construction was very instrumental in providing the dirtwork and roads necessary to enable construction to be completed by the spring of 1968. The first joists were produced in the T-shaped 134,000 square foot structure in mid March of that year. Davy Aycock had a dual role of General Manager at Vulcraft-Nebraska and the first General Manager at Vulcraft-Texas. His Plant Operations Manager in Grapeland was Ken Koehler. 

The plant originally employed around 110 people. It was hard, demanding work but the pay and benefits were the best in the area. The work force was highly motivated under an incentive pay system that enabled employees to earn more than twice their base pay with hard work. Over the years the plant continued to grow and add more employees. The production area grew from two production bays and one shift to four production bays and three shifts. In 1977, William J. (Bill) Kontor became Vulcraft-Texas’s second General Manager. 

A steel decking manufacturing plant was constructed in 1978. The steel deck product seemed to be a logical addition to Vulcraft’s product line since it is used with joist extensively in floor and roof systems. In 1982 Bill Kontor was transferred as a new General Manager to one of Nucor’s four mini-mill divisions in Jewett, Texas, (the others are located in Darlington, South Carolina; Norfolk, Nebraska; and Plymouth, Utah). Larry A. Roos became the new general manager in Grapeland. He came from the Vulcraft Division in Norfolk, Nebraska. That same year, Vulcraft-Texas added a third product line in the form of Standing Seam Roof Panels. (It is a moisture-proof, durable and economical roof system with extensive applications in conventional and pre-engineered buildings. The most recent expansion was completed during the summer of 1986. Two more production bays were added to the south of the existing plant. 

Currently Vulcraft-Texas employs approximately 470 people. Annual payroll exceeds $12 million, of which most goes back into Grapeland and the surrounding communities. Over 1.4 million tons of joist and 320,000 tons of decking have been produced since the plant began operations.