Montavilla Sheet Metal & Stainless Steel Inc., a family-owned metal fabricator, relocated to the area after purchasing a three-building complex at 8101 NE Glisan Street. The Milwaukie, Oregon, founded company supports sheet metal needs ranging from small residential projects to large commercial customers. Although the ownership and company are different, this marks the return of a nearly 100-year-old business name to the area.
The original Montavilla Sheet Metal opened in 1927, offering metal roofing, gutter, and heating components alongside general sheet metal fabrication services. The owner moved the business from its 5736 NE Glisan Street building in 2010, relocating outside Portland. A July 16th, 2010, Oregonian/Oregonlive article detailed Laura Mixer’s move of her family’s company to Clackamas County. The article indicated the relocation was partially motivated by the City’s changing land use zoning and the company’s need for more space. The area around the former shop is now Commercial Mixed Use 2 (CM2) zoned, and those blocks have experienced significant housing creation via several multi-unit developments. However, the 1912-era former sheet metal shop space remains standing and now houses a physical therapy provider.
Laura Mixer’s Montavilla Sheet Metal ceased operation around 2021, and Ilya Zagaryuk, who owned an established sheet metal business, purchased most of the metalworking equipment from Montavilla Sheet Metal. Zagaryuk grew up in the neighborhood near NE Glisan and knew of the company’s history from working in construction with his father. Zagaryuk created a new business called Montavilla Sheet Metal & Stainless Steel out of respect for the former company and a wish for it to return to Montavilla. With his Milwaukie site’s lease ending in a year and business growing beyond that location’s capacity, he found a suitable facility at 8101 NE Glisan Street that offers 33,750 square feet of usable space, nearly double what he had.
The new property met all Zagaryuk’s needs. It is centrally located to the company’s existing client base and near major roads for easy freeway access. The property offers two metal-clad fabrication warehouses behind a single-story office building. The entire site is fenced, and Zagaryuk intends to extend the fence to the front property line. He will also install a covered roof between the two metal buildings to create a dry storage yard. Zagaryuk remarked that the property’s location in Montavilla and on NE Glisan Street was ideal for his plans, fulfilling his desire to return the name to his childhood community.
During March, Zagaryuk will relocate the Montavilla Sheet Metal & Stainless Steel offices to the new building. The NE Glisan building will also house his construction company, UKA Construction, which Zagaryuk inherited from his father. He explained that his family moved from Ukraine when he was four years old, and his father started the company several years later, in 1996. Zagaryuk UKA intended the abbreviation to stand for Ukraine Construction in America, but his father’s burgeoning knowledge of English caused him to make a “k” versus “c” spelling error. Zagaryuk said keeping the business name as his father first registered it was important because it was an endearing part of his family’s American story.
Zagaryuk’s expansion from construction into sheet metal work arose from a practical need. He found excessive delivery times for flashing and chimney caps were holding construction timelines back. With an investment in equipment, he could make most of the metal needed to complete his buildings and deliver his projects on time. After years of doing his in-house metal work, friends in the industry began to request that he do the same for their projects. He started ProFlashCo to take on the outside projects and grew the business to include railings and other custom metal work. Years later, the company expanded to include the Montavilla Sheet Metal & Stainless Steel brand and now employs around ten people.
The extra business required that they find new space beyond its location in Milwaukie. They will operate two shops for now, shifting all the administrative and railing work to NE Glisan. As the lease for the old location ends later this year, Zagaryuk will decide if all activity will move to the Montavilla property. The company hopes to have a grand opening celebration for its customers later this summer and will commence with property upgrades as soon as Portland approves its permit applications. People should expect more activity at the site over the coming months as the staff ramps up production work, creating essential building components.
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