Amfabsteel wins 3rd place for top midsize workplaces

Jun. 24—Amfabsteel, a steel design and fabrication company founded in 1983, employs over 176 New Mexicans and ranked No. 3 in the Top Workplaces awards for midsize companies in New Mexico in 2024. The company builds structural steel that is then used for buildings like hospitals, casinos, and commercial office spaces.

Amfabsteel prides itself on its employees being a core value in the company, said Michelle Bunyard, the human resources manager.

"Our employees have always been our No. 1. So it's really great to see that what we do is effective and that our employees really do see the impact of our efforts," Bunyard said.

Shawn Martinson, production manager at Amfabsteel, said company leaders understand employees have lives outside of work and many have a family and other responsibilities.

"We've had instances where people had to leave due to family passing or stuff in their family, and you can't necessarily always afford to be off, and the company has helped them out, whether giving (paid time off) or paid for their time off and send stuff to their family," Martinson said. "The employees see it, and they come in and do extra work or work harder because they care about their own life."

Bunyard said the employees come together to support each other. That can mean things like company care packages or sending meals to employees. Other times, employees will bring their cars to get fixed at no charge except for the cost of parts. Sometimes, the departments of the steel company will have cookouts to build team morale and better relationships.

"Overall, I feel like we have some fantastic employees, and it does make it easier to come to work, especially on a Monday, when you know that everyone's gonna do their best to get the job done," Bunyard said. "But you can also be silly with your coworkers and laugh, and it's not so serious, you can make jokes and hang out a little bit."

Besides a positive work environment, many employees said that their benefits are a huge factor to their satisfaction. Employees at Amfabsteel are offered a paid health insurance option. The company offers a 401(k) package, dental and vision plans, and short- and long-term disability, which some employees said is the first time they have had that. The company recently hit 501 days with no accidents in the shop, and employees were rewarded with an additional eight hours of PTO.

Dartelli Kight, angle line manager at Amfabsteel, doesn't mind waking up in the morning to go to work.

"I always think a great team starts from the top down, and the owner kind of sets the pace. It's a great culture here," he said. "They're family oriented, they're very loyal. They keep you with work. They treat you good. And our HR department is phenomenal."