Valmont

In 1981, Valmont entered the steel service center business through a 50 percent ownership in Gate City Steel. In 1985, the Company acquired the remaining 50 percent interest in the steel service center business of Gate City Steel Corporation. Following this, Gate City Steel acquired five reinforcing bar fabrication plants in 1986. In 1989, Valmont divested the steel service portion of this operation.

The creation of Valmont Electric, brought the Company into the lamp ballast business in 1987. Valmont acquired ballast facilities in Danville, Illinois and Juarez, Mexico in late 1988.

In 1989, Valmont expanded into the French steel and aluminum lighting standard market with the acquisition of a majority interest in Sermeto. During 1991, Valmont purchased Valmont Nederland (formerly Nolte Mastenfabriek B.V.), a Dutch manufacturer of steel light poles; and, the Company acquired an 80 percent interest in the Canadian company, Lampadaires Feralux, Inc. which produces aluminum light poles. In 1992, Valmont increased its ownership in Sermeto to 99.5 percent. The Company acquired the assets of Energy Steel Corporation of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a manufacturer of utility poles, in 1994.

In 2000, Valmont entered into a joint venture with a large industrial company in Mexico to manufacture steel poles in Monterrey. Valmont also built a new pole plant in Jasper, Tennessee, to broaden its geographic distribution of pole plants and improve service levels to its East Coast customers. In 2000, Valmont also acquired the business of Lexington Standard, a manufacturer of aluminum poles for the lighting markets. In 2001, the Company purchased a pole plant in Morocco. This further enhanced Valmont's ability to serve southern Europe and Africa.