BP Fabrication, LLC

Farmers Grain Terminal Greenville, MS May 2025

The humid air of a Greenville morning felt heavy from first light along the Mississippi River.  For Barrett Pugh and the team at BP Fabrication, their focus was on a very different weight: 75,000 pounds of steel that would rest 125 feet in the air by the end of the day.  Farmers Grain Terminal tasked BP to plan and implement improvements to their riverside facility to better meet their growing needs. Changes to such complex operations require careful consideration, planning, and execution to minimize hazards and disruption. As business has increased, upgrades were needed to move more grain. Like crops in the field, it was a process that started below the surface.

“In that process, we wound up redesigning the entire way of how they move grain back and forth between the two facilities.”

“A lot of people think what they see above ground is everything there is to it,” said Jeremy Penn of BP Fabrication. “But there’s more going on underground.” BP started the project in 2024 by replacing approximately 600 feet of an underground belt conveyor that runs between the two halves of the facility.  BP then led the teardown of the old high rise conveyor while Barrett, Jeremy, and the design team listened to their clients and adapted to their needs. “We’ve done all the design, fabrication, and installation,” said Jeremy. “In that process, we wound up redesigning the entire way of how they move grain back and forth between the two facilities.”   And now, the two stands of towering bins would soon be brought together again, high above the ground. After ensuring new foundations and supports were sound, the linchpin piece of the bridge was ready to be placed. 161 feet and over 73,000 pounds of steel would soon become a needle expertly threaded through the elevated structures by an experienced team, trusting in each other and their leader. “The most important job’s on the ground guys.” Barrett, harnessed and with a bird’s eye view, quarterbacked the team on the ground and in the cab of the crane as the bridge took flight.  With long guide ropes connecting the mass of steel to the people moving it, the ground crew’s rapid but purposeful movements seemed dramatic compared to the small changes in orientation high above them. Together they navigated the existing infrastructure to ensure proper alignment and gently guided the bridge into place atop its supports. With a few key welds, the key span was secured and ready to connect the pieces that will soon complete the conveyor bridge.  The BP team on the ground briefly enjoyed a job well done without incident before tackling crane disassembly. The Farmer’s Grain Terminal staff went back to moving food and fiber for the world with the knowledge they’ll be able to do so more efficiently in short order. Under the steel span, Roger Pearce, the on-site project manager for BP Fabrication, took a moment to recognize that their task was more than just a checkbox in a larger project. “It wasn’t the most complicated pick, but it certainly wasn’t the easiest pick…73,000 pounds of stress just got off my shoulders.”