MASURY Ivor J. Lee closes its doors

MASURY -- Ivor J. Lee Inc., in business in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio since 1923, closed its doors Friday citing the decline of the steel industry and the industrial gas industry.
Company officials could not be reached, and a news release announcing the closing did not state how many jobs will be lost with the closing.
Headquartered in Masury, the company was founded by Ivor J. Lee as a plumbing company specializing in steam heating and light commercial and residential plumbing systems.
Its business expanded to include steel mill construction and renovation in the 1960s and later, installation of space simulators and cryogenic oxygen plants in steel mills. The company also produced bells, hoppers, ladles and other equipment for the heavy steel industry.
Rough three years: A release signed by company president Ivor H. Lee said the last three years have been "very lean" for the company because the decline in the domestic steel industry has reduced the need for large fabricators. "For the last three years, the company has been operating at a loss with a minimal staff," Lee wrote.
The company had hoped for growth in the power industry to offset its steel-related losses, the release stated, but the fall of Enron caused many power-related projects to be placed on hold. "By the end of 2001 the company was out of capital and, with no new work on the horizon, forced to close its doors," Lee wrote.