Some time ago, I came across a substantial pile of expense reports from the assistant division manager. These were notable as they included hotel and restaurant bills and detailed explanations for some expenses. I have yet to add the scans to the document archive because after long thought, I feel that it is somehow too personal to share publicly. I am no accountant, but as someone who himself has been filling these out for about 15 years, I can attest that I see no impropriety. That being said, it just didn’t feel right to share them.
But I would like to share portions, specifically the aforementioned explanations regarding business travel. Seems to me that a big part of this position was being the ‘boots on the ground’ at other places, often far away, as it makes no sense to have the division manager do so. Acme did not offer a company vehicle so these trips were done in a personal car.
I see a number of trips per reporting period to the furnace plant and the mill in Riverdale. But it was the other trips that really caught my eye.
Allied Signal one of the last in a long line of Allied companies that that owned Wilputte and Semet-Solvay.
AISI=American Iron and Steel Institute, still exists today at steel.org
AISE=American Iron and Steel Engineers. Does not exist anymore, I only know of it’s existence from the old furnace plant’s website links page. At this point I think perhaps AISI absorbed the other.
- The Kopper’s Woodward plant was in Dolemite Alabama and I believe closed around 1998.
- Reilly Tar closed in 2000 and is now an EPA Superfund site.
- 7-7 Inc was at 607 Freedlander Road. According to some legal documents regarding a merger in 1996, they were “engaged in the business of environmental site remediation, hazardous waste transportation, removal and disposal and liquefication of coal tars”
- In the 1990s, Kipin was a contractor at coke plants (including Acme), running portions of their coal handling department. They also developed a method to encapsulate waste and transform it into fuel. They still exist today but as there are only 14 coke plants left in the USA they have moved onto the more lucrative business model of demolishing coke plants.
LTV Hazelwood shut down in 1997.
Erie Coke in just shut down in 2019.
Yet another branch from the Allied tree and yet another visit to figure out what the hell to do with all this tar.
Only three and a half miles as the crow flies from Acme, keep your eyes peeled as you head east on the Indiana toll road and you can’t miss it.
Another 1000 mile journey – all in the interest in good ole’ tar – to a couple of now closed plants we know well.
The plant worked with and/or purchased coal from Fording for many years, as far back as at least 1994. I guess Calgary was a bit too far to drive to!
Weirton Steel had a furnace plant but it looks like they were without a coke plant. No matter now – the furnaces shut down in 2005.
Carb-Rite is still in business today. According to Manta “Categorized under Industrial Inorganic Chmcls (Unclassified) Manufacturers. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $2.5 to 5 million and employs a staff of approximately 10 to 19.” Citizens Gas is the public utility in Indianapolis, which once upon a time supplied coke oven gas to homes for cooking and heating, then sold the resulting coke to foundries. They stopped supplying COG as an energy source sometime ago but kept the batteries alive for many years after as a revenue stream. The company still exists, but shut down the batteries in 2008.
No name is mentioned but this was likely the Republic Steel coke plant (now Arcelor Mittal) which is still open today.
Apparently Kendalville was once in a boom town for foundries. As of today there is still one in operation, but the namesake was torn down in 2014 after being closed for some time.
The Birmingport plant was Alabama Synfuel #1 Ltd.
What they did however is very interesting. Synfuel is created by low temperature coking called the Karrick Process. I don’t believe synfuel can be made in a traditional battery but perhaps this trip was to look at the possibility of finding a new product to make at Acme?
2 replies on “Business Travel”
I respect your choice to leave the majority of the travel expenses out. Even if they don’t identify someone specifically. Great finds though.
I don’t think I’d care that much if I didn’t also do expenses myself for so long. I don’t have a good reason not to post them but I haven’t. I’ve been sitting on these for months and just realized tonight I had an interesting angle to research and share. Thanks for reading.