Two of Mississippi County’s largest employers, Big River Steel and Atlas Tube, have renewed their investments in a local worker housing program.
Big River Steel donated $500,000 to the “Work Here. Live Here.” program. Atlas Tube committed $300,000.
The program, launched in 2023, is overseen by the Grow Mississippi County Community Foundation. It offers employees at participating Mississippi County businesses up to $50,000 for the purchase of a new home or up to $25,000 for an existing home.
The initiative has supported the sale of more than 150 homes, adding $37.4 million in new home construction and value throughout the county, according to a news release announcing the latest contributions to the program.
Big River Steel initially invested $3 million in the program, helping generate $28.3 million in home value across 107 employee-purchased homes. According to the release, 63% of those were first-time homeowners, with an average participant age of 29.
Atlas Tube, a division of Zekelman Industries, originally invested $367,000, generating $3.9 million in new home value in Mississippi County, with 18 homes purchased by employees through the program. Of those homeowners, 67% were first-time buyers, and the average homeowner age was 38.
“This program works because companies like Big River Steel and Atlas Tube understand the value of investing in people,” Mississippi County Judge John Alan Nelson said in the release. “When our workforce lives here, learns here and grows here, the entire county benefits.”
Hybar joined the program in March with a $500,000 contribution.
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