Behlen to Close Sarasota Metal Building Plant, Cutting 55 Jobs

Behlen Mfg. Co. will close its Behlen Building Systems manufacturing plant in Sarasota by mid December, eliminating 55 jobs and moving production of pre-engineered metal buildings to its headquarters operations in Columbus, Nebraska, according to reports published Monday. This is a developing story.

What Happened

The Nebraska steel fabricator plans to shut the Sarasota facility at 2812 Tallevast Road on or before Dec. 18, 2026, and lay off 55 workers, Patch reported, citing a company news release and the state's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) list. The WARN notice was filed with the state on Oct. 15, according to Patch.

Florida Trend, summarizing reporting by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, said the company will close the plant by the end of the year and shift that work to its manufacturing facility at its Nebraska headquarters. The Sarasota site produced pre-engineered metal buildings under the Behlen Building Systems name, according to Florida Trend.

The company pointed to high production costs in the Southeast, rising material and freight expenses, and a push to improve efficiency and stay competitive, Patch reported. Chief Executive Tom Boal described the move as a difficult decision because of its effect on Sarasota employees, according to the same report. The company said affected employees will be offered retention incentives, career counseling and job placement assistance, Patch reported.

Background on the Plant

The Sarasota operation has a long local history. It was founded in 1986 as Trident Building Systems and was acquired by Behlen in 2020, according to a Behlen Mfg. Co. news release. In May 2024 the company rebranded Trident and folded it into its Behlen Building Systems business unit, citing expanded capabilities that included structural designed buildings and metal building systems of varying complexity, according to the Behlen Mfg. Co. release.

Behlen, headquartered in Columbus, Nebraska, also makes farm and ranch equipment and grain storage systems in addition to metal buildings, Patch reported.

What Is Confirmed and What Is Not

• Confirmed: the Sarasota plant will close on or before Dec. 18, 2026; 55 jobs are affected; production moves to Columbus, Nebraska; a WARN notice was filed Oct. 15; the company cited Southeast production costs and higher material and freight costs.
• Not yet known: how open orders and projects now scheduled for fabrication in Sarasota will be handled, whether delivery lead times or pricing for Florida customers will change, and what will become of the Tallevast Road property. None of the published reports addressed those points.

What It Means for Owners and Contractors

The closure removes a Florida based source of pre-engineered metal buildings from the Gulf Coast market at a time when material costs are already climbing. Construction input prices rose 11.2% in September from a year earlier, the largest increase in nearly four years, as WCG reported last week in Construction Input Prices Up 11.2% in September. The company's own explanation, higher material and freight expenses, points to the same pressures that are showing up in bids across the region.

For owners and builders with metal building packages on order, the practical steps are straightforward:

• Confirm with the supplier where your building will now be fabricated and whether the delivery date in your schedule still holds.
• Ask whether freight from Nebraska changes the delivered price, and check how your purchase order and contract allocate that risk.
• Confirm who will handle engineering questions, submittals, shop drawings and warranty support once the Sarasota plant closes.
• Verify that any Florida specific engineering and product documentation your project depends on remains in place under the new production arrangement.
• For projects still in design, consider pricing more than one metal building supplier before locking in a system.

The job losses also land in a regional labor market where skilled fabrication and construction workers remain in demand. Tampa added construction jobs in August, according to metro employment data, as covered in Only Half of U.S. Metros Added Construction Jobs; Rochester and Tampa Post Gains, so experienced steel workers leaving the plant may find openings with other fabricators, erectors and contractors in the area.

What to Watch

• Any statement from Behlen to customers about open orders, lead times and support after Dec. 18.
• Plans for the Tallevast Road facility, including a possible sale or reuse.
• Whether other metal building and steel fabrication suppliers in the Southeast cite the same freight and material cost pressures in pricing or capacity decisions.

WCG will update this story as more details become available.

Related Coverage

• Update: Construction Input Prices Up 11.2% in September, Most in Nearly 4 Years
• Diesel Up 73.8%, Copper Up 21%, Steel Up 15%: The Construction Input Cost Crisis About to Hit Owners
• Only Half of U.S. Metros Added Construction Jobs; Rochester and Tampa Post Gains

Image credit: D R on Unsplash. Free license photo used because the source articles did not offer an eligible image.

Sources

• Patch, "Steel Manufacturing Facility Closing In Sarasota, 55 Jobs Affected," https://patch.com/florida/sarasota/steel-manufacturing-facility-closing-sarasota-55-jobs-affected
• Florida Trend, "Monday's Afternoon Update," https://www.floridatrend.com/news/2026/10/19/mondays-afternoon-update/
• Behlen Mfg. Co., "Behlen Mfg. Co. Announces Rebranding of Trident Building Systems to Behlen Building Systems," https://www.behlenmfg.com/news/behlen-mfg-co-announces-rebranding-of-trident-building-systems-to-behlen-building-systems