Meet the SteelMaster Team: Andrea "Drea" Nance

If you have questions about Quonset huts, National Sales Manager Andrea “Drea” Nance has the answers.

Andrea has worked with customers across the country, something she says is one of her favorite parts of her job.

“The job and expectations are the same for me every day, but the people we talk to are different every day,” she said. “It’s interesting. You can be working on several projects at a time and they’re all in different locations.”

During her time at SteelMaster, Andrea has won the Residential Managers’ Choice Award and has been named Salesperson of the Month multiple times.

See the list below for some of the projects she’s worked on during her time at SteelMaster.

Frank & Crystal C. – Canon City, Colorado

XS-Model, 30’W X 15’H X 49’L

SteelMaster customer Frank C. knew what he was looking for in a steel building and heavily researched the type of building he wanted.

“He was super detailed and very particular,” Andrea said. “He wanted to get the property first and figure out the building code requirements.”

Frank was living in New York at the time but looking for property in Colorado, so his building needed to be designed for heavy snow loads.

“He had a pretty high snow load, so we had to increase the gauge of the building,“ Andrea said. “The cool thing about this project is used a large arch, so we could meet the snow load requirements better.”

Andrea isn’t intimidated when a customer is extremely particular about their project and appreciates when customers do their research. 

“The detailed people like me because I know how to answer their questions,” she said. “I’ll get you a quote on exactly what you want and if I see something that’s going to help you still meet your needs but be better on price, I’m gonna let you know about it,” she said.

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Lawrence M. – Spring Hill, Florida

A-Model, 30’W X 14’H X 72’L

Lawrence was looking for a steel building for years and finally purchased a building from SteelMaster in 2017. 

“He purchased two buildings on sale and put them together to make one large building,” Andrea said. 

Lawrence purchased an industrial base connector from SteelMaster to secure his building to the concrete foundation. 

“Using the SteelMaster industrial anchor plates was a big plus in construction,” Lawrence said. “I am quite satisfied with the construction; I do not have any leaks in the building structure and it is impressive to see.” 

Lawrence needed a building that meets Florida’s strict building codes. SteelMaster’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone Certified buildings are able to withstand the strongest winds and have gained Florida product approval.

Lawrence was so happy with his building that he left a positive review for SteelMaster. 

“With the building made to stand up to high winds, we also have it designated as our storm shelter if a hurricane comes our way,” Lawrence said. “I am well satisfied with this building and look forward to many years of use.”

James H. – Haines, Alaska

A-Model, 17’W X 12’H X 24’L

Like many customers in Alaska, James H. has an extremely high snow load. Because of this, it was important for him to have a strong building he knew could survive Alaska’s tough winters. 

Additionally, concrete can be expensive or sometimes impossible to get to certain remote locations in the state, so James opted for a nonstandard foundation. 

“We talked him through how he could do nonstandard foundation, we sent him information on what previous customers have done,” Andrea said. “He purchased our base plates to help him out and have something to attach the building to.”

Since Alaska is not part of the continental United States, shipping can sometimes be difficult. That’s where SteelMaster’s experts like Andrea step in to help.

“You’re going over water, so people are concerned about damage. We have a good track record of not having shipping issues,” Andrea said. “We can offer delivery to their door if they want it or they can pick it up at a port.”

Plus, the way SteelMaster’s metal buildings are palletized, which makes it easy and convenient to ship to Alaska. 

“A lot of people don’t realize how much room the panels take up, James’ building was on one pallet, which is the size of a couch. So they’re easy to take to remote areas if needed,” Andrea said.

Cheryl & Todd E. – Grove, Oklahoma

XS-Model, 50’W X 19’H 57’L

As residents of Oklahoma, a state located in “Tornado Alley,” Cheryl and Todd E. wanted an incredibly strong home that would keep them safe.

“Winds, tornadoes, and hail were big concerns for them. I believe they went with an even thicker gauge than they needed,” Andrea said. “They ended up building a concrete room that they could run to in case of a tornado.”

Andrea helped design a slightly custom building for them to get the specific building height they desired. 

“People are really interested in homes. We’re the manufacturer, so one of the benefits is that we can custom make our buildings instead of it being a cookie-cutter design. Whatever you need, we can make it happen,” Andrea said. 

Quonset hut homes are becoming more and more popular, but the projects are still complex. There are several factors building specialists like Andrea have to take into account when designing a home. 

“There are different code requirements, so the wind and snow can be different for different areas,” she said. “Even if you’re not in a snowy area, all the collateral loads if you’re attaching drywall, insulation and furring strips, we have to account for all that when designing a home.”

Christopher L. – Sun Tan Valley, Arizona

A-Model, 30’W X 16’H X 52’L

“I loved working with Christopher and his wife,” Andrea said. “Christopher needed a door for a couple of cars and was adamant about having a 20 foot door but didn’t really mention why.”

It turns out Christopher is a collector of military memorabilia and collects military vehicles.

“He sent me a picture and there were tanks in there!” Andrea said. “It was super cool. I assume that’s the reason why he wanted this type of building.”

Andrea says Christopher and his wife were a vital part of putting up their building. 

“They’re in their sixties but they were on ladders doing the nuts and bolts,” Andrea said.

Because Christopher and his wife live in such a hot area, it made construction take a little bit longer than usual.

“With places like Arizona, you have to think of the seasonality of when they want to build. For them, they’re not going to want to build in 110 plus degree weather,” Andrea said. “So they’ve got to base their plans around that for sure.”

Larry D. – Seabeck, Washington

S-Model, 30’W X 15’H X 40’L

Larry D. had 25 acres of land and was looking for a building that could be assembled quickly with minimal maintenance. 

“When I first started talking to Larry, he had no real knowledge about this type of building,” Andrea said.

A big part of Andrea’s job is educating customers on the many benefits of a Quonset hut.  

“First I make sure that they’re okay with the look of the building,” she said. “Then, I usually go over the benefits either on the phone with them or send them a quick list of advantages depending on what they’re using it for.” 

Drea explained to Larry that a Quonset hut fit all of his needs: the building is incredibly durable and low maintenance, so he won’t have to worry about it the upkeep whenever he’s away. 
Larry also purchased steel endwalls and a sliding door from SteelMaster. 

“He was actually one of the first slider doors I did too, they’re not super popular,” Andrea said. “Overall I think his building turned out nicely.”

Garrett G. – Crestview, Florida

A-Model, 30’W X 19’H X 50’L

Living in Florida, customer Garret G. needed a building that would meet the state’s strict building codes that protect residents from powerful hurricanes and severe weather.

SteelMaster’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone Certified buildings are engineered to the highest standards and are able to withstand the strongest winds. Our building was tested and gained Florida product approval.

Several Florida customers say they have survived some of the strongest storms inside of their trusted SteelMaster buildings.

“The wind was definitely a concern for him, and it’s a pretty big building because he bought it for RV storage,” Andrea said. “He wanted to build the front endwalls and I think he did an awesome job.”

Ben F. – Barrow, Alaska

XA-Model, 40’W X 20’H X 59’L

Ben F. lives in the most northernmost city in Alaska, over 3,000 miles away from our factory. 

“They only have one time a year that they can get anything delivered to them,” Andrea said. “He bought months in advance to make sure the blueprints were going to be right before he took delivery in spring 2020.”

Ben plans to retire this year and wants to use his building as a workshop. Andrea is excited for Ben to complete his project and looks forward to seeing more pictures. 

“This will be a cool one to see when it gets set up. He was really excited to get all of his ‘toys’ together,” she said.