(KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 9, 2008) - A pair of 500,000 gallon water tanks in Anderson, S.C., which mimic two hot air balloons complete with gondola and passengers, have been chosen 2007 Tanks of the Year by the Tnemec Company, Inc., according to Doug Hansen, director of sales, Water Tank Market. Tnemec has been a leading manufacturer of protective coatings for water tanks for more than 30 years.
“The City of Anderson,
which hosts an annual hot air balloon festival, decided to honor the event by
using two new water tanks as landmarks,” Hansen noted. “The Anderson
tanks were chosen from numerous nominations submitted by Tnemec representatives
from across the United
States. The colorful designs are a creative
way to call attention to the Great Southeast
BalloonFest, which is held in Anderson
over the Labor Day weekend.”
“The winning entry impressed the judges with its visual impact and imaginative design, reflecting the community’s support of its annual BalloonFest,” Hansen shared. “The bright, lively color pallet and enduring performance of Tnemec’s protective coatings ensure that these award-winning tanks will be enjoyed for many years to come.”
The water tanks were nominated by Tnemec coating consultant Dan Anderson of TSE Inc. in Columbia, S.C. “People and communities are taking pride in the designs and logos that appear on their tanks.” Anderson noted. “We’re seeing more and more creativity being used on the exterior graphics of municipal water tanks as their owners realize the value of their image.”
Public reaction has been very positive, reported
Jeffrey Caldwell, P.E., director of the city’s utility company, which owns the
tanks. “The citizens I’ve heard from like the designs,” he acknowledged. “We’re
very happy with the way the tanks turned out and it’s an honor to receive the
award. I’m glad we had a project that allowed us to use this type of design.
The pedestal tanks are
located on two main corridors in high-growth commercial areas of Anderson. “One of the
tanks is behind the Anderson Mall, which is a high traffic area, and the other
is in one of the fastest growing areas in the county on a site donated by AnMed
Health, a regional health care system,” Caldwell
shared. “The new water tanks were needed to keep up with the growth of the
community. We have five other tanks that were recently painted with Tnemec
coatings that have the Anderson City logo and All-America City
logo that we 
received in 2000.”
The All-America City Award is the oldest community recognition program in the nation. Presented by the National Civic League, the award annually recognizes 10 communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results.
The balloon designs and logos created by artist Deborah Bzdyl, president of Impact Graphics Inc., feature more than 10 colors arranged in vertical striping that is typical of many hot air balloons. On the stem of each tank is painted a basket and passengers that appear suspended from the balloon.
Both tanks were fabricated by CB&I Constructors in Alpharetta, Ga., where a protective two-component, zinc-rich primer was spray applied on interior and exterior steel. The interior of the tank received two additional coats of a polyamide epoxy, which were spray applied in the field by contractor Utility Service Company Inc. in Madison, Wis.
A combination of exterior polyurethane coatings was selected for their resistance to weathering and aesthetics. “We believe the longevity of Tnemec coatings are superior, which is important given the high visibility of these tanks,” stated project engineer Ben Wofford, P.E., representing Design South Professionals Inc. “The artwork is fantastic and we couldn’t be happier for the City of Anderson to have this recognition bestowed on them.”
“The novelty of the designs and their significance to the community show what can result from a little imagination and creativity,” Anderson added. “City officials, the engineer and the applicators are especially deserving of this prestigious recognition from Tnemec.”
The Great Southeast BalloonFest, which attracts dozens of competitive ballooners from across the country, is a sanctioned ballooning competition, with the winner of the event named BalloonFest Champion. In 2008, the winner will also be designated as South Carolina’s southeast region champion.
In
addition to being 2007 Tnemec Tank of the Year, the Anderson tanks appear on Tnemec’s 2008 water
tank wall calendar. Last year’s Tank of the Year in Rosemont, Ill.,
was featured in a national trade magazine and on the NBC Today Show.
Established in 1921, Tnemec is one of the largest privately
held companies in the U.S.,
specializing in industrial coatings for steel, concrete and other
substrates for
new construction and maintenance. More than 120 architectural and
industrial
coating products are manufactured at facilities in Kansas City and
Baltimore.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Tnemec operates
distribution facilities in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Houston,
Indianapolis, New Orleans, Seattle and Compton, Calif.
In addition to the company’s national network of technical
representatives,
Tnemec has technical representatives in Canada, the Dominican Republic,
England,
Puerto Rico and Trinidad. For more information
on Tnemec Company Inc. or any of its products, call 800-863-6321; write
to 6800 Corporate Drive, Kansas City, Mo. 64120-1372; or visit www.tnemec.com.