Visionary Ventures & Verdant Vows Vindicated by Velocity

When Hybar Steel was founded on August 1, 2023, it had just three employees: CEO Dave Stickler, CFO Ari Levy and a small core team, but carried $1 billion in financing and an ambitious vision. “We immediately bought 1,300 acres of farmland in northeast Arkansas and told the world we’d do three things: build the world’s most sustainable steel production facility, power it mostly through our own solar field, and build a working port on the Mississippi River,” Stickler recounted. Known by some as the “Steve Jobs of American Steel,” Stickler’s record at Big River Steel gave investors confidence to back another game-changing project.

The 22-month construction goal was formidable, yet the team moved fast. “Being able to build three projects in 22 months using our $1 billion, including contingency, is a testament to the great team assembled at Hybar and our partnership with Lexicon, the construction manager for all three projects,” CFO Ari Levy emphasized.

Solar Symphony & Storage Synergy Sustain Steelmaking

Central to Hybar’s sustainability promise is a massive behind-the-meter solar facility with 186,000 panels spanning roughly 400 acres, delivering direct current power straight into the plant. Stickler explained, “Behind the meter means I don’t have to feed my solar power onto the grid to get it into my plant operation. I can literally show customers the sunshine, my own solar panels and my transmission line.” Other plants might claim renewable power through grid credits, but can’t trace the electrons from panel to plant.

This direct approach, paired with a 160-megawatt battery storage system, allows Hybar to run even at night or on cloudy days. “There’s no way to say with certainty that solar power fed to the grid is actually powering your plant,” Stickler noted. “That’s why it was critical for us to be behind the meter.”

Designed & built by Depcom Power Inc. of Scottsdale, Arizona, the solar system is a 105-megawatt direct current installation, one of the largest of its kind in the United States steel industry.

Financial Fortitude & Funding Finesse Fuel Foundations

Hybar’s financing combined institutional muscle & private equity vision. Key backers included Koch Minerals & Trading of Kansas, Stickler’s Global Principal Partners of Miami, and TPG Rise Climate, a dedicated sustainability fund from TPG, one of the world’s largest private equity firms. “Anytime I put a project together, we like to put in 20% to 30% of the equity ownership,” Stickler shared. This alignment of interests, along with a focus on measurable environmental impact, helped secure the remaining financing.

Construction and equipment costs totaled about $700 million. Additional costs covered the port on the Mississippi River, solar and battery infrastructure, and on-site power distribution installed by Primetals Technologies USA LLC of Alpharetta, Georgia.

Port Prowess & Product Pathways Propel Potential

Hybar’s dock on the Mississippi River has been operating since January 2025, months ahead of the mill’s start. “We told the world we were going to build our own port, and we’ve done that as well,” Stickler declared proudly. This port, paired with BNSF Railway and trucking routes on Interstate 55, will carry rebar across the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Arkansas rivers.

Hybar plans to produce about 700,000 metric tons of rebar annually, from standard sizes for highways and bridges to large-diameter bars for undersea and infrastructure projects. With only 154 employees, Hybar’s output sets new global efficiency standards.

Production Precision & Process Prowess Perfected

At the heart of the plant is a 105-ton electric arc furnace, the largest in the United States dedicated to rebar, provided by SMS group GmbH of Germany. The process starts with scrap metal: “Old cars, shredded refrigerators, air conditioners, anything steel,” Stickler described. “Imagine it as a big pot of soup, 40% broth, then you add in ingredients, that’s the scrap.”

The molten steel exits vertically but must turn horizontally for rolling. “The caster sprays water to create a crust, like pizza crust: too much water, it solidifies; too little, and molten steel breaks through,” Stickler explained. The rebar is spooled into coils as large as 8 metric tons.

Primetals handled the substation & power distribution; SMS also supplied the rolling mill and water treatment plant. Stickler said, “We will have the largest electric arc furnace to produce rebar in the country, and it has very, very limited carbon emissions when run to Hybar’s standards.”

Efficiency Ethos & Employment Economy Exemplified

Despite high output, Hybar employs just 154 people, each producing about 4,545 metric tons of rebar per year. “That’s more than double what some competitors achieve,” Stickler noted. The key: modern automation and a flat management structure. “We have two or three layers, whereas others might have eight or nine,” he added.

Stickler’s prior team at Big River achieved 5,000 tons per worker annually, while older mills built 80 to 100 years ago average far less. “The automation is amazing,” he said, highlighting equipment advantages at brand-new plants.

Future Foundations & Foresight Foster Further Growth

Hybar’s vision doesn’t end here. Plans for a second mill, Hybar 2, are already advanced, with design proposals from two groups. “We built Hybar 1 to allow optionality for Hybar 2, much like we did at Big River,” Stickler revealed. If plans proceed, groundbreaking could come by late 2025 or early 2026, with an investment around $800 million.

“Arkansas is a great place to do business,” Stickler emphasized, citing skilled labor, partners like Lexicon Inc., Systems Group of El Dorado, and Stracener Brothers Construction of Blytheville, many of whom also built Big River. “We built Hybar in 22 months; Big River took 27. It shows what’s possible with the right team.”

Green Growth & Global Goals Galvanize Industry

Hybar’s model could redefine American steel: clean energy, minimal bureaucracy & cutting-edge automation, rather than outdated mills and coal-heavy grids. Investors see proof that sustainable steel can be profitable at scale, and customers value transparent green sourcing. As Stickler concluded, “We’re not just making rebar, we’re showing what American manufacturing can be when it embraces innovation and responsibility.”

Key Takeaways

• Hybar Steel launched a solar-powered mill producing 700,000 metric tons of rebar yearly.

• Advanced automation enables only 154 employees to set global productivity records.

• Plans for Hybar 2 aim to double impact, with another $800 million investment.