Millcraft rebrands, Perryman expands operations
Photo courtesy of Southpointe Chamber of Commerce
Jack Piatt and his son, Lucas, in 2019 in Southpointe
Two highly visible Washington County businesses, five miles apart, made significant announcements recently. One is an identity change.
Millcraft Investments is marking its 65th anniversary in a most appropriate way – by celebrating the visionary who founded it. The Southpointe-based real estate company has been rechristened Piatt Companies, in honor of the late Jack Piatt, a major force behind development of the mixed-use park off Interstate 79.
One of his sons, Lucas Piatt, the company’s CEO, said in a prepared statement: “The rebrand to Piatt Companies is the next level and builds on the foundation which Millcraft has provided. The Millcraft name is industrial, and although we’re not an industrial company any longer, we are still industrious.”
In Houston to the south, word out of Perryman Co. headquarters is it will ramp up its titanium operations by installing “a highly automated 4,500-ton open die forge press and finishing facility” at its Coal Center melt campus in California Technology Park.
The press, according to the company, will enable Perryman “to internally support its existing product portfolio and be capable of producing all titanium products in house.” This new endeavor will support customers in the aerospace, medical, military and industrial markets.
Perryman said construction is scheduled to begin in July, with equipment targeted to be installed and fully operational by the second quarter of 2024.
Frank Perryman, company president and CEO, said in a statement: “The decision to invest at this time reflects the confidence we have in our markets. Demand for titanium aerospace turbine and structural materials is predicted to strengthen in the next two to four years, and we will be ready to support this growth.”
Jack Piatt, who died in September 2020 at age 92, launched Millcraft in 1957. It was a small machine shop that manufactured success, becoming a large-scale equipment repair business for the steel and mining industries.
Steel went under in the 1980s and Piatt and his company pivoted, focusing on providing high-quality places to work, live and play – while enhancing economic development throughout Western Pennsylvania.
Driving along I-79 in the late 1980s with harness racing legend Delvin Miller, the Piatt family patriarch envisioned construction of a quality golf course on a thickly forested tract in Cecil Township … and more. It took years, but land was cleared, the course was crafted and Southpointe opened in 1993, growing into what is now an 806-acre park.
The Piatt family business ultimately morphed into a group of companies that oversees development and construction; property management; commercial and residential leasing; Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty residential brokerage; hotels; interior design; insurance; settlement services; restaurants; and retail.
Their company has hotels and restaurants in four Southwestern Pennsylvania counties; has invested more than $500 million to revitalize spaces in downtown Pittsburgh; and spearheaded the $600 million Esplanade project on Pittsburgh’s North Side.