GROUNDBREAKING – New ECF Office

Ellwood City, PA—Ellwood City Forge (ECF) is pleased to break ground today on a significant renovation and expansion of its office facilities.

The Forge has been in continuous operation on its Ellwood City site for 108 years, since its founding in 1910, and continues to invest for another 100 years and more of manufacturing in Ellwood City.

Having outgrown its vintage 1965 office building, which housed 18 offices, 14 workstations and one conference room, the company carefully considered its opportunities for expansion. With a site bounded by the Connoquenessing Creek to the North and constrained by the rail line to the South, the company faced limited options. “Despite the space restrictions, we were determined to keep our office facility adjacent to manufacturing operations, and decided to renovate and expand even if it meant going to three stories,” said ECF Vice President of Operations, Bill Nardone.

The project includes a full renovation of the existing 5,886 square foot, two-story office building and construction of a new, adjoining 9,235 square foot, three-story building. The complete complex will include 28 offices, 22 workstations, two private work rooms to give its employees quiet space for calls or small meetings, four mobile workstations for visiting employees from other Ellwood facilities, three meeting rooms, a large conference room, and a lunch room. Anna Barensfeld, corporate analyst and shareholder of Ellwood Group, ECF’s parent company, said that great care has been taken to include both shared work spaces to encourage community and collaboration and private spaces for improved concentration. “We are working hard to modernize the space to meet the needs of our employees in today’s working environment.”

The Ellwood office is home to Ellwood City Forge Group, which in addition to its Ellwood manufacturing complex includes bloom processing on Second Street, forging, heat treating and machining operations in New Castle and Corry, PA, and machining operations in Grove City, PA and Cleveland, OH. Ellwood City Forge Group is one of seven operating divisions of parent company Ellwood Group, Inc.

Photo submitted

Left to Right: Evan Fennell, Engineer and Project Manager, ECF; Ray Santillo, Executive Director, EC Chamber of Commerce; Steve Paxton, Architect, Franus Architectural Associates; Denny Boariu, Product Specialist, Ellwood City Forge/Chamber of Commerce Representative; Tony Court, Mayor, Ellwood City; Anna Barensfeld, Shareholder, Ellwood Group; Bill Nardone, VP of Operations, Ellwood City Forge; Dan Franus, Architect, Franus Architectural Associates; Phil DiMarco, Principal, DiMarco Construction