At less than 10 years old, Vested Metals International, a St. Augustine-based company focused on raw material specialty metals and steel distribution, value-add processing and metallurgical consulting, continues to grow year-after-year.
Poised for a record-breaking 2023, the company, which was founded by Viv Helwig, has more than quadrupled its warehouse and office spaces and brought on additional full-time staff, including creating new C-level positions, as well as doubling saw capacity and other equipment and increasing inventory to better support their customers.
“We expect to finish 2022 with a 100% growth over the previous year,” said Helwig. “That means that we needed to grow along with our numbers. We now have 25 full-time team members, many of whom are Flagler College graduates, and we went from a 4,000-square-foot space in an industrial park in St. Johns County to 19,000 square feet with renovated offices, a conference room and perks like a full kitchen and game area. This steady growth has allowed us to generate more local jobs and continue to create a positive economic impact on the First Coast.”
With a global presence, Vested Metals ships to customers all over the world, including Brazil, Switzerland, France, Canada and Turkey. They also continue to rack up awards and accolades here at home.
In 2022, Helwig was named North Florida Small Business Exporter of the Year and Florida Small Business Exporter of the Year by the Small Business Administration and St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year.
“With success like we’ve seen over the past eight years comes a responsibility to give back to the community,” said Helwig. “That’s why, over this past year, we’ve partnered with local organizations like The MLK Celebration Committee of St. Johns County, Tarek Odom West Augustine Foundation, St. Johns Housing Partnership, Flagler College and THE PLAYERS Championship Boys & Girls Club. We’ll also be hosting a charity golf tournament on Monday, March 13, at the St. Johns County Golf Course. We’re excited to see what 2023 will bring for Vested Metals while we continue our commitment to St. Johns County.”
