Derrick Weekly spent years managing structural steel projects, coordinating with detailers, and watching how the quality of a drawing could either keep a project on schedule or bring it to a halt. After years of working alongside detailers and explaining exactly what fabricators needed, he made a decision: he would start doing it himself.
In late 2025, Weekly launched 2820 Steel Detailing in Beaumont, Texas. The company produces the precise 3D models and shop drawings that bridge the gap between a structural engineer’s plans and what gets built in the field.
City
Beaumont
State
County
Jefferson
District
TX-14
Funding
Sachs Family Foundation
Department
Outcome
"I was just looking toward the future and wanting something that would make me feel more comfortable when retirement comes around. I wanted some cushion. I also knew I could do it, so that's what pushed me to get started."
— Derrick Weekly, 2820 Steel Detailing
Weekly had been working with the Lamar University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Beaumont to develop his business plan and get the operation off the ground. Needing capital for his start up, they connected him with the Lending Team at Communities Unlimited (CU).
With support from the Sachs Family Foundation, CU’s Lending Team closed a loan in December 2025 to cover office buildout, equipment, and the specialized software the work demands, including AutoCAD and Tekla Structures, an industry-standard building information modeling platform. CU Senior Economic Development Loan Officer Chris Ranniger handled the loan.
Weekly didn’t quit his day job as a project manager for a steel fabrication business. He runs 2820 Steel Detailing in the evenings and on weekends while continuing to work full time. His wife, Erin, manages the books. The fabrication company where Weekly works spends significantly on steel detailing each year, and his employer agreed to let him take on small projects in his spare time. He’s also drawing on a network of industry relationships built over years of coordinating bids, managing drawings, and troubleshooting field questions.
The early months were mostly training. Then the work started coming in.
“I’ve jumped right in and I’m actively doing work and making money on it,” Weekly said. “I’m all in now. I’m excited and looking forward to seeing where it goes.”
Weekly was direct about what the financing meant to getting started.
"It meant everything. I couldn't have done it without it. Communities Unlimited made the process super easy."
— Derrick Weekly
The payments are coming. The work is real. And the project manager who spent years telling detailers what fabricators needed is now the detailer, building something that’s his.
CU is proud to work alongside rural entrepreneurs like Derrick Weekly, people with the expertise, the plan, and the drive, who are ready to build something for themselves.
