Kyle Couture
STI/SPFA recently spoke with Kyle Couture, Marketing Manager for AMERICAN SpiralWeld Pipe Co., about his career in the steel fabrication industry.
STI/SPFA: Tell us about the history of your company.
Kyle Couture: Founded more than two decades ago in Columbia, South Carolina, AMERICAN SpiralWeld Pipe Company traces its roots to the strong legacy of its parent company, AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO). Built on ACIPCO’s more than a century of innovation, quality, and integrity in the waterworks industry, AMERICAN SpiralWeld has grown into a leading manufacturer of spiral-welded steel pipe.
With three modern manufacturing facilities across the United States, we serve both the waterworks and structural markets. Our product offerings include spiral-welded steel pipe, steel casing, and steel piling, all produced with the same commitment to excellence that defines the AMERICAN name.
STI/SPFA: How did you get your start in the industry?
Couture: I was very fortunate to find our parent company, AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company at a career fair during my last year of engineering school. My first position was in pipe sales as a Sales Engineer covering the greater Pittsburgh area. For the past 29 years, I have held various positions with an emphasis on our spiral-weld pipe subsidiary that includes sales, project management and marketing.
STI/SPFA: What do you like best about working in the industry?
Couture: I enjoy working in the water infrastructure industry because it serves such a vital and noble purpose—delivering one of life’s most essential resources. Knowing that our work helps provide safe, reliable water to communities is deeply rewarding.
This shared sense of purpose attracts exceptional people who are passionate, collaborative, and committed to doing meaningful work, and I’ve been fortunate to build lasting relationships with many of them along the way.
STI/SPFA: What has been the greatest challenge in your career?
Couture: During our first expansion of AMERICAN SpiralWeld where we built a new plant on a brownfield site in Flint, Mich., I served as a Project Manager. The challenge was the timeline and sourcing the unique equipment we use to manufacture spiral-welded pipe.
With project demands approaching quickly, we were able to build a new manufacturing facility, from start to finish in about 10 months. Through this effort I was able to learn the true value of collaboration and resourcefulness.
There were many challenges along the way, as one might imagine, however, having a focus on meeting customer needs and conducting business in line with our company culture, per The Golden Rule, we finished on time and met the project needs that were sourced from this new facility.
STI/SPFA: What advice would you give someone who is interested in working in the industry?
Couture: I would first reference the culture and industry we service. As I mentioned previously, it’s a very noble cause, working on products that serve one of the primary human needs; access to drinking water. I would argue it is hard to find another industry that parallels the culture found in this one.
There are many career paths out there and finding one that aligns with your personality is important if you have the desire to have a stable, fulfilling and long-lasting career. The advice I have is to dig deep into the company’s culture and even deeper into the industry it serves.
STI/SPFA: What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing the industry in the next three to five years?
Couture: One of the biggest challenges to the drinking water industry is maintaining a source that is safe and reliable. Safe drinking water is arguably the most significant development in human history and yet it’s a finite resource. The demand for clean water is very high and not just for human consumption but for other industries.
Most recently, the rapid growth of data centers across the US has created a significant amount of competition for the need of clean drinking water. Data centers use a tremendous amount of water and they have a rapid growth as an industry. Existing drinking water systems can, very quickly, provide this necessity to data centers. This, however, creates a demand that challenges the needs for human consumption.
While the winner of this is obvious, data center growth is one of the primary sources of economic development in the US. The challenge therefore is finding an appropriate balance.
STI/SPFA: How has STI/SPFA Membership helped you and your company succeed and grow in today’s marketplace?
Couture: STI/SPFA has been a true champion for the steel water pipe industry, advocating for the value and longevity of steel as a superior material for water infrastructure.
Through its leadership, technical resources, and industry outreach, STI/SPFA continues to strengthen and protect the steel pipe market. The organization’s resources have been instrumental in helping us communicate the proven benefits of steel to our customers and stakeholders.
On a personal level, I’ve gained tremendous value from the networking opportunities within STI/SPFA—connecting with peers, sharing best practices, and collaborating to advance our shared mission of building resilient water infrastructure for generations to come.
