Delta Star’s Latest Expansion Fuels Increased Investment in National Energy Efficiency and Regional Economy
By Emily Mook | Photos Courtesy: Delta Star
For more than a century, Delta Star has embodied the idiom “the best of both worlds” in several key ways: it boasts both a rich history and a steadfast dedication to innovation, its two United States branches are optimally located on opposite coasts to best serve customers across the country, and it makes beneficial energy and economic impacts both nationally and regionally.
Another remarkable twofold boon of the industry-leading manufacturer of power transformers, mobile substations, and portable skid units is its investment in its employees through utilization of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP): as an employee invests their time and labor into their Delta Star career, Delta Star gives that employee an ownership stake in the company by allocating shares of its stock into a trust. As such, Delta Star employees invest in both the company (and thus its customers) and themselves in highly tangible ways through their efforts.
Considering these and other positive facets of the company, it is no wonder that Delta Star keeps growing. Its latest expansion, an 80,000-square-foot metal fabrication facility called Delta Iron Works, is a landmark addition that is set to create hundreds of jobs in the Central Virginia region within the next few years and to increase production and distribution of reliable energy solutions to customers near and far.
Although it is the site of Delta Star’s corporate headquarters and the largest of the company’s three branches (sized at a staggering 308,000 square feet), Delta Star East is not the company’s point of origin; Delta Star was originally founded in Chicago as the Delta-Star Electric Company in 1908. Between its founding and 1950, the company made major technological advances and patented more than 87 inventions. 1935 proved to be a banner year, as the company was enlisted by the U.S. government to produce what were, at that time, the largest disconnecting switches ever built and by Hoover Dam contractors to help produce a disconnecting switch able to withstand 286,000 volts. Delta Star East’s story began in 1962, shortly after H.K. Porter Company acquired Delta-Star Electric in 1950.
“After H.K. Porter Company acquired Delta-Star Electric, the company added locations in Belmont, California, and Lynchburg, Virginia, as part of an East/West growth strategy,” said Asa Keimig, Delta Star’s Director of Corporate Communications & Marketing. “Lynchburg offered a central East Coast location with excellent highway/rail access for shipping heavy equipment and a deep manufacturing workforce. Those advantages still matter today.”
In fact, the importance of those assets was apparent early on and led to Delta Star East becoming the company’s headquarters shortly after 1962.
“Lynchburg provides Delta Star with a strong foundation to lead as a corporate headquarters,” Keimig elaborated. “Its central East Coast location allows us to serve customers across North America with efficiency and agility, while proximity to key transportation corridors supports reliable supply chain and logistics operations. Equally important, the region offers a highly skilled and dedicated workforce that aligns with our employee-owned culture. This combination of strategic location, talent, and infrastructure makes Lynchburg the right place for Delta Star to drive long-term growth, innovation, and leadership in the energy sector.”
Like the top-notch transformers it produces, Delta Star strikes an ideal balance between staying grounded and adapting to the current.
“For more than a century, Delta Star has built its reputation on reliability, craftsmanship, and strong customer partnerships,” stated Keimig.
“Those foundations have never changed. What has evolved is how we deliver on that promise. At Delta Star, we’ve advanced from traditional manufacturing methods to state-of-the-art facilities. We continue to pioneer mobile substations while also investing in vertical integration to strengthen supply chains and accelerate delivery. In short, our heritage keeps us grounded in quality and trust, while our innovation ensures we meet the rising energy demands of today and tomorrow.”
Delta Iron Works is a prime example of this investment in vertical integration. The facility’s addition extended from an expansion that took place in 2023.
“Delta Iron Works was born out of Delta Star’s comprehensive 2023 expansion, which included both our corporate headquarters and the new production facility,” Keimig remarked. “As part of that investment, we recognized the growing industry demand for reliable power. Establishing DIW was a natural extension, allowing us to align under one integrated vision for growth.”
The 2023 expansion entailed an investment of around $30 million and the creation of 149 new jobs, while the 2025 expansion entails an investment of $35 million, the planned creation of 300 new jobs, and the construction of the Delta Iron Works facility, which was debuted with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 11.
“The addition of Delta Iron Works significantly expands our ability to serve a growing energy market,” said Keimig.
“An 80,000-square-foot tank fabrication facility allows us to reduce dependency on outside suppliers, improve schedule certainty, and gain greater control over quality and cost. This vertical integration strengthens our entire supply chain, ensuring customers receive reliable products on faster timelines. The facility also enhances overall production throughput, giving Delta Star the flexibility to meet both steady utility demand and surges tied to grid modernization and resiliency programs. Equally importantly, the expansion created a wide range of skilled jobs from welders, machinists, and painters to quality specialists, engineers, and supply chain professionals. These roles not only support Delta Star’s growth, but also provide meaningful, long-term career opportunities for the Lynchburg community.”
As Keimig puts it, “a career at Delta Star offers more than just a job” for a plethora of reasons.
“[Delta Star facilitates] an employee-owned culture where every teammate is invested in delivering quality, safety, and customer trust,” he noted.
“That shared ownership fuels accountability and agility, ensuring that Delta Star can anticipate industry needs and respond quickly, making us a trusted partner in powering communities today and for the future. A career at Delta Star provides the opportunity to directly shape the reliability of our nation’s power grid. We also offer competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and meaningful career development opportunities across engineering, manufacturing, field service, supply chain, and leadership. Many of our leaders and skilled employees have advanced their careers here, reflecting our commitment to promoting from within and investing in our people.”
As Delta Iron Works amplifies Delta Star’s ability to take on such dual missions as honoring the past while innovating for the future, effecting positive change on both regional and national levels, and investing in both its customers and its employees, another classic idiom comes to mind: with regard to Delta Star, there are never “too many irons in the fire.”
