By Robin GOLDSWORTHY

Alpha Structural has moved west – and the community of Sunland-Tujunga welcomed the company’s arrival with open arms.

Alpha Structural, which has been based out of Eagle Rock for the majority of its 25 years, looked west to Sunland-Tujunga when deciding to expand its facilities.

“We were pretty tight at the other facility,” Ben Reinhart, VP of Marketing, said at the company’s ribbon cutting and grand opening held on Saturday at its new facilities at 8334 Foothill Blvd.

According to Reinhart, company founder David Tourjé knew that many of the company’s 130 employees lived in the foothills and surrounding areas and kept that in mind when searching to expand his business. When he drove by the long-closed Security Pacific bank building, he knew he found the business’ new home.

In addition to building a thriving engineering contracting firm, Tourjé is also an artist and, according to Reinhart, brought that passion to the new building. During a tour of the new facilities, Reinhart pointed to several art pieces that Tourjé created.

“Art is his passion,” he said, “and he transferred that passion to the business.” Not only is the new building structurally sound, it is also aesthetically pleasing.

Several local residents checking out the new home for Alpha Structural voiced their pleasure at the revamped facility.

“This looks like an awesome place to work,” said Vick Madenian of Sunland. “It looks like a very trendy place.”

Madenian added that the care and respect that Alpha Structural has for the community was apparent in the way that the remodel was handled.

“David tried to honor the community by restoring many aspects of the building,” he said pointing to a vintage Security Pacific sign that he refurbished and installed on an interior wall near the entrance to the building.

In addition to the many office spaces, Alpha Structural now boasts a full kitchen and game room open to staff members and their family. A throwback to an early project – the building of a bridge in Malibu in the late ’90s – is found in the installation of a beam from the bridge in one of the common areas. Photos from that massive installation can also be found displayed on the company walls.

The transformation from an abandoned bank building to a state-of-the-art structural engineering contractor firm took about six months and Tourjé oversaw the entire job, according to Reinhart.

While that level of attention might be surprising to some, Reinhart said that is the foundation that Alpha Structural is built on, whether tackling commercial or residential projects.

“We make sure to deliver what the homeowner or business owner wants and needs,” he said.

To learn more about Alpha Structural, Inc. visit www.alphastructural.com.

  robin goldsworthy