Customer Profiles

The Cobra Kai Hangar (above) was a referral from another satisfied Armstrong customer.

Moore: I'm Glad I Chose Armstrong Steel

"I'm in the aviation industry and my dad's worked with metal buildings for over twenty years. We love our Armstrong Steel Building. Armstrong wasn't the cheapest but, bottom line, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Going with the cheapest always winds up costing more in the long run. I'm glad I chose Armstrong Steel and that's why I insisted my friend Martin, who owns a flight academy [Cobra Kai], call them for his hangar too," says Brian Moore of Moore Aviation.

Brian's friend, Martin, wanted an airport hangar to house the flight academy’s fleet of small planes. Like many customers, Martin was referred to Armstrong Steel by a previous customer who was satisfied with the service and product he received from the Armstrong team. He didn’t waste time shopping around on the internet. Martin knows the internet can be deceiving and his project wasn’t something he wanted to risk in the hands of an unknown source.

Customer referrals are a big deal to us. We certainly make it a policy to put in 100% for every project, but when we get a referral we understand it isn’t only our reputation on the line, but the reputation and good word of the customer who referred us. We value that and take great care to live up to our name.

Martin had specific requirements that needed to be met. First, like everyone, Martin had a budget. Most small businesses trying to make it in today’s economy take cash flow into consideration and although expansion is a necessary expense, limited resources sometimes require special attention.

Cost was an issue, but the cheapest hangar is never the best choice

Armstrong Steel was quick to provide Martin with a proposal on precisely what he requested. Initially, the price was more than he preferred to spend. Rather than resort to shopping for the cheapest quote possible, Martin wisely decided to make a few small tweaks to the design for the sake of his budget. Martin, like so many other smart consumers, realized that ignoring the many technological pre-engineered metal building design breakthroughs that have been made over just the past ten years would be a terrible mistake because those advances are what many online metal building marts are least concerned about. Decade old design techniques, dated manufacturing equipment, offshore detailers & draftsmen, and old technologies are inherently cheaper. We often hear back from customers who thought, their first time around, that shopping for the “cheapest” was the smart buy, only to discover that it led to missing parts, holes not lining up; on site delays and blown budgets. It can add up quick!

This required special framing which could support the weight of the door as well as the mechanical components which operated it.

There are plenty of other aspects of a building project where money can be saved without having to sacrifice quality such as overall design, size, and labor. Armstrong’s in-house design and detailing department allows for a client’s plans to be adjusted with incredible efficiency. Cut rate brokers are just a website, a fax machine and a telephone. When you want to make a change on that cheap building you bought, they need to phone China to speak to your detailer. Are you really willing to risk your dreams getting lost in translation? Not Martin.

Minor compromises were made to the design that ultimately didn’t affect the functionality of his hangar. An upper enclosed office, for instance, might become a functional mezzanine, instead. Because of Armstrong’s practice of engineering to maximum standards, we were able to reduce some of the load requirements while still exceeding the industry standard, which would require less steel.

The promise from Martin of a case of fine German beer sweetened the deal. Hey, we’re all for going the extra mile on a daily basis, but when a customer becomes a partner as well, German beer is a fine way to motivate the team to find solutions.

It took time and effort, but eventually, in a nearly symphonic collaboration between the customer, the building expert, the project management team and Armstrong’s in-house engineering department, Armstrong Steel was able to meet Martin’s firm cost requirements.

Modifications to the original plan weren’t the only way Martin was able to cut costs. Martin took ownership of his project and managed most of the details on his own. He selected additional components himself at direct pricing; he secured the foundation contractor and managed the flooring. Martin also coordinated and pre-planned the erection process by himself with instruction and tips from the Armstrong Steel project manager.

Securing permits can be a challenge for any building project, but because the Cobra Kai Academy’s hangar was to be erected on an airfield, there was a laundry list of additional requirements. Compliance with height, function, even color was necessary. Again, Armstrong Steel’s detailing department didn’t disappoint.

In-house Detailers Make Last Minute Modifications Easy

The detailers and engineers who, by now, had become intimately familiar with the mechanical workings and load requirements of the hangar door opening were now charged with keeping the building as close to the original design, meeting strict airfield specifications, and staying within budget.

In a few short weeks, after modifications to the height of the building and pitch of the roof Martin got the go ahead on his hangar, which was shortened on the exterior without compromising the mandatory interior height specifications.

Because of Martin’s excellent foresight in choosing Armstrong Steel, we stood by his side from concept to completion and the delivery and erection was completed with few issues.

Today in rural Texas, new classes of would-be pilots learn of the great joy of flying from Cobra Kai. Those freshmen pilots may not know the planes they are taking up into the skies are maintained and protected in a hangar which was crafted with as much hard work and effort on paper, as it was on site.

That’s the beauty of an Armstrong Steel building. It doesn’t need attention for functioning the way it was intended. But the customer who referred Martin to Armstrong Steel knows… and Martin knows. And the team at Armstrong Steel who enjoyed a few refreshing German beers knows. And that’s good enough for us.

The Stories Behind the Stories

Read more about some of the buildings that we've delivered.