Howard Industries in Laurel on Fire

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

This was the view from our Hattiesburg Skycam about an hour ago.

 

[MagicDawg]

Oh no. That is tragic. I did some work for them last year.

 

[kired]

 

[RocketDawg]

Looks like there's no hope in extinguishing the fire. Just trying to keep the tanks or whatever they are to keep from igniting or exploding.

Only one fire truck on site?

 

[RocketDawg]

Looks like there's no hope in extinguishing the fire. Just trying to keep the tanks or whatever they are to keep from igniting or exploding.

Only one fire truck on site?

Maybe they're transformers since that's what they make, according to google.

 

[Pookieray]

Oh no. That is tragic. I did some work for them last year.

I hope your insurance is paid up!***

 

[dstatechamps]

We buy a lot of transformers from Howard. I texted my rep and he said nobody was hurt and that it was mainly in a scrap area where they had discarded some old units. Lots of oil there.

 

[patdog]

We buy a lot of transformers from Howard. I texted my rep and he said nobody was hurt and that it was mainly in a scrap area where they had discarded some old units. Lots of oil there.

Whew. That is very good news.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

MS businesses can’t catch a break

At least it didn’t hit that main building

 

[MaroonSadness99]

There goes the IPF money…

 

[dudehead]

So who’s gonna make payroll for State football now?

 

[jethreauxdawg]

So who’s gonna make payroll for State football now?

The insurance company

 

[leeinator]

Aren't transformers full of oil or some other type flammable material? If so......oh well.....bye bye Howard.

 

[ETK99]

It was extinguished and no major buildings destroyed

 

[Perd Hapley]

it was mainly in a scrap area where they had discarded some old units. Lots of oil there.

Interesting. I didn’t think we’d have any new posts about a dumpster fire on this board for at least 2 more weeks.

 

[Lowdog]

Interesting. I didn’t think we’d have any new posts about a dumpster fire on this board for at least 2 more weeks.

Pre-shatting!

 

[Slow Natives]

I welded transformers there 33 years ago. Worked the swing shift and I'm happy to say it got me serious about going back to college. Wearing leather near a paint dryer on an assembly welding line in a metal building without air condition and not a lot of circulation during the summer had this young man rethinking his life. God bless you Howard industries!

 

[mstateglfr]

I welded transformers there 33 years ago. Worked the swing shift and I'm happy to say it got me serious about going back to college. Wearing leather near a paint dryer on an assembly welding line in a metal building without air condition and not a lot of circulation during the summer had this young man rethinking his life. God bless you Howard industries!

This is the counter to the currently popular narrative that college needs to be de-emphasized(often said by college grads) and all those people need to go into 'trades' instead.

Hell yes, that can be a good decision for some and it should be an easily accessible pathway to respected work.
Hell no, it is not for everyone and a blanket policy or argument that X% in college should just go train in a trade is oblivious to the very real various drawbacks.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

This is the counter to the currently popular narrative that college needs to be de-emphasized(often said by college grads) and all those people need to go into 'trades' instead.

Hell yes, that can be a good decision for some and it should be an easily accessible pathway to respected work.
Hell no, it is not for everyone and a blanket policy or argument that X% in college should just go train in a trade is oblivious to the very real various drawbacks.

I think it shows the exact opposite of what you’re saying. By not being pushed into college right away, the trades made him appreciate the doors college can open and his time in college was probably more valuable.
Could be wrong though, he may have decided working is for losers and he’d rather go to college to get a film studies degree, party hard, and rack up lots of student loans.

 

[bddawg]

There goes the IPF money…

The ipf has been put on the backburner for now

 

[Car Ramrod.sixpack]

Aren't transformers full of oil or some other type flammable material? If so......oh well.....bye bye Howard.

They are typically full of mineral oil. When a transformer overheats pressure builds and they blow up like a roman candle. I've seen the aftermath when a large transformer blows at a power plant. They will split open like a banana throwing out a massive fireball.

Seems like they were probably scrapping old transformers for the copper windings and that can be a dangerous task. Along with the mineral oil and copper there is some type of cardboard inside the windings that can hold a spark when you cut the tank open. Once it starts burning it is nearly impossible to put out. Most of the time the only thing you can do is keep it contained and let it burn out.

Edit - The fire started in a paint booth next to a tanker so not by the process of scrapping transformers.

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

Interesting. I didn’t think we’d have any new posts about a dumpster fire on this board for at least 2 more weeks.

Saturday 9/12 @ 2:30 - the implosion begins

 

[mstateglfr]

This was the view from our Hattiesburg Skycam about an hour ago.

View attachment 1414623

Thanks for posting this picture and topic.

I hadnt heard of Howard Industries before and it prompted me to look up the company.
Really interesting to see how diversified Howard Industries is. The company seems to be a sort of smaller version of companies like CDW(G), SHI, Sterling, Trafera, Staples Tech, etc- companies that resell hardware, SAAS, and offer 'value add' in house services too.

They have over 4000 employees and 14 manufacturing/facility locations in Mississippi.

- a Tech division that offers managed IT, SAAS products, cybersecurity services, hardware and computing, and more.
- a Medical division that offers imaging and x-ray equipment, point of care computing equipment, security and signage product, etc.
- a Transformer division that is growing, since a quarter billion investment for expansion was announced last summer.
- a flatbed asset fleet of 200 tractors and a brokerage too.

Pretty interesting company.

 

[mstateglfr]

I think it shows the exact opposite of what you’re saying. By not being pushed into college right away, the trades made him appreciate the doors college can open and his time in college was probably more valuable.
Could be wrong though, he may have decided working is for losers and he’d rather go to college to get a film studies degree, party hard, and rack up lots of student loans.

Sure, working a physically intensive job can help make college more valuable.
I was more-so referring to all those who already know they dont want to go that route, and how the blanket claim that college is a waste and trades are better just totally ignores the reality that many dont want a physically intensive job...at least not at current pay, benefits, flexibility and outlook.

 

[The Peeper]

I welded transformers there 33 years ago. Worked the swing shift and I'm happy to say it got me serious about going back to college. Wearing leather near a paint dryer on an assembly welding line in a metal building without air condition and not a lot of circulation during the summer had this young man rethinking his life. God bless you Howard industries!

Blowing cellulose insulation in attics did the same for me. I knew I wouldn't ever be a "rocket doctor or a brain scientist" but I found something I could relate to and do and got the piece of paper to prove it and haven't been in an attic in MS in August since................

 

[The Peeper]

The ipf has been put on the backburner for now

That's what I heard a month or so ago, Howard money is still pledged but the other money for it has been very slow to be found

 

[Darryl Steight]

The ipf has been put on the backburner for now

"backburner". Too soon bro.

 

[LOTRGOTDAWGFAN]

This was the view from our Hattiesburg Skycam about an hour ago.

View attachment 1414623

At first i thought the 40 year old grease used at Corn Dog 7 at the Sawmill Square had finally lit up!!

 

[The Peeper]

At first i thought the 40 year old grease used at Corn Dog 7 at the Sawmill Square had finally lit up!!

Because of proximity Charlie's Catfish would have been a solid choice too

 

[patdog]

At first i thought the 40 year old grease used at Corn Dog 7 at the Sawmill Square had finally lit up!!

Where do you think the flavor comes from? That's 40 (actually 45) years of flavor buddy.

 

[Shmuley]

Things in Laurel seem to catch fire

 

[vhdawg]

What does Howard Industries do other than employ lots and lots of illegals?

 

[LordMcBuckethead]

Oh no. That is tragic. I did some work for them last year.

Hopefully not electrical.

 

[Perd Hapley]

That's what I heard a month or so ago, Howard money is still pledged but the other money for it has been very slow to be found

So, you’re telling me that we now have $30 million that’s been locked into an infrastructure project for 1.5 years….to build something we already have (but hardly ever use). And now we’re going to have 2 of them.

But. we can’t even build this thing we don’t need because there’s not any other money available, so that 8-figure sum is just locked up indefinitely (not invested, not yielding any sort of return, etc.).

Do I have this right?

 

[The Peeper]

So, you’re telling me that we now have $30 million that’s been locked into an infrastructure project for 1.5 years….to build something we already have (but hardly ever use). And now we’re going to have 2 of them.

But. we can’t even build this thing we don’t need because there’s not any other money available, so that 8-figure sum is just locked up indefinitely (not invested, not yielding any sort of return, etc.).

Do I have this right?