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In the year following the end of World War II, Frank Vidimos set up his sheet metal shop in East Chicago to supply furnace duct work in new homes being built for returning servicemen.

Eventually, Vidimos, Inc. gravitated to more industrial work for companies that stretched along Lake Michigan, said Scott Vidimos, grandson of the founder and current company president.

For more than 60 years, three generations of the Vidimos family have led this company that turns sheet metal and steel plate into duct work, stainless and carbon steel containers, bins, hoppers and tanks for large industrial clients, including steel manufacturers, oil and chemical plants and utility companies in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area. Vidimos also provides installation services including HVAC and other sheet metal related work.

"As the automotive industry recovers, we can also provide parts that go into cars, such as sound-proofing materials," Vidimos said. "We also process ventilation work at the car manufacturing plants."

Although most fabricated products are used locally, Vidimos, Inc. also ships orders to clients around the world. And a fourth generation of the Vidimos family, Scott's son Adam, is learning the business to continue providing professional services to local industry.

One of the latest projects for Vidimos has been overseeing fabrication of a 520-foot-long conveyor gallery to carry coal in NIPSCO's Michigan City plant.

A fire on Jan. 8 destroyed the gallery which transports the coal to the electrical generating portion of the plant. Damage from the fire resulted in approximately $7 million in overall repair work, but the costs have been offset by insurance, according to Nick Meyer, spokesperson for NIPSCO. The project still remains on schedule, and though the facility isn't operating during the repair work, customers have not been impacted, he said.

The conveyor gallery had to be manufactured in five sections, the longest of which was 130 feet long and weighed 92,000 pounds, or 46 tons, Vidimos said.

Vidimos employees from Local 20 Sheet Metal Workers put their craftsmanship to work fabricating the large trailer-like sections in record time. Then piping, pipe insulation, conduit and wiring and rebar were installed with the structure being finished-painted at Vidimos' shop to allow the gallery to be assembled in modular sections at the NIPSCO Michigan City plant.