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I recently ordered a comforter that was to include one comforter and two pillow shams. I only received the comforter and no shams. They couldn't just send me the shams, because they were supposed to come in a set...clearly. I had to return the original comforter at my own expense and reorder. I ordered a t-shirt for my daughters cross country team. I received the shirt and the entire bottom hem was ripped and shredded. I took it to the vendor and they offered to cut off the loose strings for me and thought I was crazy for even asking for a new shirt that was actually sewn correctly. I ordered a headboard and was told it would be one week till delivery and I also asked them to email me a receipt. It took 3 weeks, 5 phone calls and not one return call to get the answer that they have no idea when the headboard will ship and that their system doesn't allow them to send receipts. All of these experiences in just one day left me questioning how our world even functions anymore? Have we just accepted that we don't get what we pay for, that below average quality is acceptable, and that customer service and on-time delivery just doesn't really matter? Well, it matters to me. Does it matter to you? Well, guess what? We are investing in you. When we make improvements to our business, we ask ourselves if it will add VALUE to our partners - YOU. Here are some examples of recent advances we have made to give you a fantastic ALBINA EXPERIENCE: Everyone says your call is important, so why do you always get VM? We value your initial phone call so much that last month we invested in and installed a new state of the art VOIP phone system to field your calls. This phone system allows us to redirect phone calls to our cell phones when necessary so calls are rarely missed. You need your quote WHEN? Our typical quote return is 48 hours. If you have a specific date that you need the response by, please list it on the request. We always strive to meet or beat the date requested, in some cases we have even returned the quote the day of the request - just let us know. Your peace of mind via Confirmation Every order that we enter to our system has a corresponding order confirmation that is emailed to you for your review and records. What's my status? With our state of the art scheduling software we are able to provide you real time status updates as requests are made. Show me... We have installed a new camera system in our shop with 2 Megapixel cameras. These cameras offer Albina management high quality images of our production process right from our desks. We both value efficiency and quality and these cameras will allow management to better service your needs by providing real time data on what phase your job is at in our shop. When will I get it? When an order is shipped, our shipping manager sends you tracking information of the shipment (when this information is available) so you know exactly where the order is once it leaves our facility. We want you TO BE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE that we provide at Albina Co., Inc. We want to be your "go to" steel bender. I guarantee you will not be disappointed and it will be AN EXPERIENCE worth having. [caption id="attachment_1337" align="aligncenter" width="3472"] Double Day Inn Gettysburg, PA.[/caption] Thought it would be fun to let you all be a part of OUR EXPERIENCE by sharing this picture and story. On our summer vacation, we returned to the exact spot on the battlefields of Gettysburg where we got engaged. Almost 20 years later, the porch remains unchanged and we were able to recreate that special event with our two kids, and our fabulous tour guide! What a cool experience! It felt so good to know that some things never change, and that what worked 20 years ago, still works today! Here's to another 20 years!

Albina has been involved with the Transbay Transit Center construction project since late 2014. Construction of the Transit Center, whick will connect eight Bay Area counties and the State of California through 11 transportation systems: AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, Greyhound, Muni, SamTrans, WestCAT Lynx, Amtrak, Paratransit and California’s future High Speed Rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim. is currently underway. Construction is expected to be complete in late 2017. For the most recent phase of the project, Albina provided 48,000# of 4" OD X .125" WALL A513 and TS 8" X 2" X .250" WALL A500 GR B all bent to various configurations. To perform to the highest quality standards we sand filled some of the materials prior to rolling, which helped hold the original shop during the bending process. For more information on the project, please visit TransbayCenter.org.

Albina Co., competes all over North America. This summer Albina finished processing some TS 18" X 6" X .500" WALL A500 GR B for Mills High School located in Arkansas. Albina spiral bent the rectangular tubing the easy-way to a 15 ft plan view radius and also bent the landing / flat sections the easy way to the same 15 ft radius. Everything on this project was to AESS standards. Albina is the national expert in HSS spiral stringer bending. Our quality standards are unmatched. Do not let distance be a deterrent, consider us your "local" bending partner and experience the unmatched quality and service we offer at Albina Co., Inc.

Modern Steel recently interviewed our very own General Manager, Mark King, to help construct the recently published article "Above all, ART" that highlights the precise structural design and inspiring architecture of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis. As a bender/roller, we were involved early enough in the process that we were able to reduce complicated curves, simplify the steel bending and reduce significant costs. The canopy consisted of HSS 14" x 10" rectangular tubing bent in multiple planes (both the easy way and the hard way). An important highlight of the project was that some of the material that was bent in multiple planes was rotated off-axis by a slight amount, and the radius was large enough, that we were able to bend it cold, which is a faster process than hot bending. [caption id="attachment_1091" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] 50,000 Square Foot Permeable Roof[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1092" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Curved Steel Entry [/caption] [caption id="attachment_1093" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Overview of Curved Roof Structure[/caption]

Albina has recently started making bike racks for a new customer. No matter the size or shape this customers knows that Albina will perform as promised. Albina can make racks from pipe, tubing (square / rectangular) and flat bar. The most recent project required 446 racks made out of Flat Bar 5/8" X 2½" A36. Each rack needed to be cut, bent, trimmed to length and the ends required 1,784 pcs of welded rod to act as anchor pieces. This material needed to remain rust free to avoid the process of sandblasting after fabrication and before powder coating. Albina shipped all material to our shop tarped. All material was unloaded inside our facility with overhead cranes. Once unloaded, the raw material and finished product remained in our facility until it was time to ship to the powder coater (who is located across the street from our shop). Call us if you need a custom bike rack and need a dependable supplier that will meet your every need.

Picture this...the first night of our family trip to New York City. We were sitting in a packed Carmine's Italian Restaurant in the heart of Manhattan, enjoying the house red wine, the roar of the subway below us shaking our table every 2 minutes. All the great Italian meals you could think of and Jaime can't have any of them as she tries to avoid gluten! She thinks about it for a minute and says "I am going to have some spaghetti and meatballs! I WANT TO BE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE!" And it was worth it for her to take that chance and do something out of her normal comfort zone, because it was an experience that we will never forget. During dinner, we talked about this saying "I WANT TO BE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE" and realized that at Albina Co., Inc., WE PROVIDE AN EXPERIENCE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. We are a full-service steel bending establishment and have every detail covered from the time we take your initial call to the time your bent material arrives on your door step. This is the EXPERIENCE you get when you work with us: We reply to every RFQ (request for quote) received letting the customer know that we have the RFQ. If not already defined, we will ask when the bid is required. This will allow us to schedule our work flow to meet our customers needs. Formal quotes are always prepared with great detail describing what the customer can expect from Albina if we are given an order. We never want the customer left to guess what they are going to receive from us. Confirmations are always sent to the customer for their final review and records. Once a purchase order is issued to Albina your order is promptly entered so we can schedule your job and procure material timely. Every order is reviewed by 3 levels of management (Scheduling, processing and QC). During review the details on a PO are confirmed to what has been entered on an Albina work order. We ensure a promised due date is met by employing a full time scheduling manager. This scheduling manager assigns your project to a machine and to Albina workers. This is done very early in the flow of a project. A project manager is assigned to every job that we process. The project manager will act as the point of contact for the customer regarding a project in process. Proactive Communications. Project managers review the schedule daily and identify if a project is going to be completed after the promised due date. In the unlikely event a project is delayed for whatever reason, the customer is promptly notified. All jobs are checked by QC upon completion and before they are turned in for shipping. Savings via optimized shipping. The shipping manager schedules all of the daily trucks and ensures that projects are scheduled for trucks on or before the promised due date. Albina is frequently shipping all over the United States and Canada. The high volume of trucks allows our shipping manager to combine smaller orders onto a single truck saving our customers money. Electronic tracking. After shipment, our shipping manager will email tracking information to our customer and emails MTR's (if required) to our customer. A follow up. Our job is not complete until you have your product and are completely satisfied. We view our customers as partners, and want open communications long after this order is concluded. Next month in Part 2, we will share some of the ways we are investing to give you the ultimate ALBINA EXPERIENCE. [caption id="attachment_1313" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] We recently took a family vacation to New York City, Gettysburg and Washington DC. We like to cover a lot of ground on vacations and take in as many sights as possible because we want "To Be Part of the Experience." We walked almost 90 miles on this vacation to ensure that we saw everything! This particular day we started in Brooklyn, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, through Tribeca in search of Taylor Swift (Of course! We have a 14 year old daughter!), through Soho and the East Village, ate pizza at the famous Bleeker Street Pizza, and ended in Times Square! What a day! [/caption]

Albina Co., Inc. was the bender/roller for the Amazon Curved Steel Bio-Sphere buildings in Seattle, WA. Albina bent 750,000# and 1,050 pieces rectangular tube steel bent the easy way and a portion bent off-axis. Almost 8 miles of welding work and grinding was avoided because of Albina’s ability to bend a portion of the project. Almost NO correction was needed during fabrication or erection as the bends fit to the fixtures within 1/32nd of an inch! See the most recent article published in the Seattle Times.

On a recent trip to Washington DC, we had the pleasure of touring the Capitol Building and we were able to capture some pictures of The Capital Visitors Center spiral staircase we bent years ago. The project consisted of flat and spiral bending of angle, channel, flat bar, solid square, wide flange (up to W18 x 76#) and square tubing (up to 10" x 10" x .500" wall spiral bent). [caption id="attachment_1302" align="aligncenter" width="3264"] Main Landing View of Capitol Visitors Center Spiral Staircase[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1300" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Capitol Visitors Center Spiral Staircase[/caption]

We are currently seeking an experienced Yard Manager/Lead to oversee our Shipping Department. Job duties include supervision & coordination of yard workers, organization of yard & storage areas to maximize efficiency & flow, the safe loading & unloading of flatbeds & LTL trucks. Qualified candidates will have 3+ years’ experience as a Yard Manger or Lead Material Handler. At Albina Co. we have mastered the art of steel bending, steel rolling and steel fabrication. We curve structural steel members, various sizes of round pipe and HSS material, and plate. We are a small family owned business servicing the steel industry since 1939 and we provide quality products and services that stand out from the competition. We are located in Tualatin and are able to service the entire United States and Canada from our single location! Job Description Responsible for coordination of shipping and receiving matters. Supervise loading crew and drivers. Determine work procedures, prepare work schedules and expedite material & traffic flow to optimize production efficiency. Perform inventory counts on raw material & component parts. Load, unload & check-in material and supplies with use of industrial equipment following company policies & procedures. Skill Requirements Working knowledge of Microsoft suite software products Ability to follow written and oral instructions regarding daily functions Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees. Expert knowledge of material flow & effective material management Ability to drive a forklift. Both standard & extended reach Ability to handle & stack material in a safe manner Familiar with crane & sling capacity Experienced using proper lifting techniques using slings, clamps & other lifting devices Extensive knowledge of pipe, tube, structural steel & component part Physical Requirements Must be able to lift 50 lbs. occasionally & 35 lbs. repeatedly Must be able to stand/walk 8-10 hours a day May be exposed to excessive noise, welding gases and fumes, and inclement weather conditions. This is a Union position. Successful applicants must be able to pass a drug test Compensation: Wage: DOE Pension Plan & 401k Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance Vacation & PTO Favorable work schedule

I would like to share a recent email that I received from a customer in response to my recent blog post titled "If You Are Persistent, You May Get It. If You Are Consistent, You Will Keep It." "Good morning. First I’d like to thank you for your recent support. I know a company’s attitude comes from the top. You have a great group of “how can we make it work” people. It’s unfortunate that there is so much road between our office and yours. I’d be glad to share a glass of wine with you. The point of your news letter is well taken. The only things I’d add is that your steel bending estimators are always available to help and frankly guide fabricators as to the best wall thickness, etc, to meet the challenges and provide the best curved steel finished product. This gives us the opportunity to include the cost of forming and shipping in the bid at the start. The other thing is pretty simple. It’s not a question of can I afford Albina Co., it’s can I afford not to?"