McDonald Steel buyer plans to dismantle the plant soon

MCDONALD, Ohio (WKBN) — Several months after McDonald Steel closed its 14-inch hot rolled steel mill, it has been purchased by a company that acquires decommissioned industrial properties.

McDonald Steel at 100 Ohio Avenue was purchased by Applied Partners LLC Corporation for $3.2 million, according to the Trumbull County Auditor. The deal included three parcels, which contains the 650,000-square-foot facility.

As one of the last remaining mills in the Valley, McDonald Steel filled its last customer order in November 2023. The steel facility was permanently closed earlier this year due to age-related reliability issues and increasing operating costs, according to spokesperson Jim Grasso.

Built in 1918, at its peak, around 3,000 people worked at the mill. It became McDonald Steel in 1981 after U.S. Steel pulled its operations from the Mahoning Valley.

Grasso said the McDonald Steel Corporation (MSC) continues to operate as a subsidiary of McDonald Steel Plate, which processes steel plate products in Cleveland.

Applied Partners LLC said it buys industrial properties with “little or no economic value and monetizes the residual assets to redevelop the property for future use,” according to a news release issued Tuesday. It plans to begin dismantling the structure and begin work with local and state leaders on redevelopment plans.

“We’re pleased that this sale has taken place not only because it provides significant financial flexibility to McDonald Steel Corporation, but also because it means that rather than becoming another deteriorating industrial facility, the site will become a vibrant center of economic growth in our community,” said MSC President James M. Grasso. “AP has successfully redeveloped decommissioned industrial properties across the country, and we’re confident that success will be repeated in McDonald.”

Applied Partners has purchased sites in the past from  Dana, Chrysler, NAPCO, Eaton, General Motors, North American Rockwell, Delphi, Century Aluminum, and Sypris.

Stan Boney and Nadine Grimley contributed to this report.

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