SteelMaster’s “Stories of Service” series continues to highlight members of our team who have either served in the U.S. military or are a part of a military family. Part 8 of SteelMaster’s 11-part series of American stories features Rich Merrill, construction consultant…

As far as mascots go, a bee brandishing a machine gun and tools  may be a bit confusing to some, but for Rich Merrill it epitomizes his 23 years of service with the SeaBees, which are the construction battalions of the U.S. Navy.

His retirement in 1996 as an Equipment Operator Chief, Surface Combat Warfare Specialist marked the end of a career which brought Rich to Orlando, Guam, the Philippines, Okinawa (before it became part of Japan), mainland Japan, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Hawaii and Norfolk. “I knew moving around a lot came with the job, but I did not realize its impact until my wife and I had twins. I was only able to spend 10 months with them during the first four years of their lives,” says Rich, a construction consultant who has been with SteelMaster Buildings since February 1998. “That was tough.”

But Rich is able to handle whatever comes his way, thanks in no small part to his upbringing. His father, who was an Army Paratrooper assigned to replenishing ammunition to soldiers in combat during the Korean War, was captured in the early 1950s after American forces lost position and he landed behind enemy lines. He remained a POW for almost three years before returning to the states, marrying and starting a family. “My father didn’t talk to me too much about what happened to him while he was in captivity until after I enlisted in the Navy,” says Rich. “But he always remained a very patriotic man. He raised us with the beliefs that when you make a decision, you stick by it, your word is your bond and your work ethic describes you to the world. I knew that I would enlist because of the sense of patriotic duty my father instilled in me. I chose the Navy because I always wanted to be in construction and the best place to do that was with the SeaBees.”

Once he retired from the Navy, Rich joined SteelMaster and traveled across the country constructing steel buildings until his health no longer permitted him to do so. “The folks at the company created a position for me where I could work as a construction consultant from our office in Virginia Beach, VA,” says Rich. “I worked with steel while with the SeaBees, and I chose to continue my career with SteelMaster because their products are top notch and the people and customers are great. It was tough transitioning to civilian life at first, but SteelMaster maintains the core values of the military and my upbringing, so joining their team made it a lot easier.”

Part 7: Michelle Wickum, director of marketing

Part 9: Diane Sharry: sales coordinator

 

 

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