GalvSource is a project first imagined about in 2018. It sat on the back burner for years, and work actually started on this project about a year ago. Finally, here at the end of September 2026, it is up and available, in Beta form.
In between other projects (and life), I started compiling data in 2025 into a spreadsheet, and compiling other data including pictures and ideas sorted and stored in directories by location.
The Techstack
Galvsource is built on WordPress, utulizing WP GeoDirectory as the backend for the GalvSource directory. To achieve my desired goals, GeoDirectory had to be modified, some custom templates built, and a few custom PHP Modules for WordPress written. The provided functions to display data as desired required specific retrieval.
GeoDirectory is an excellent software suite full of hundreds of features – but like any software tool suite, customization is just part of the scope of work.
GalvSource runs on Linux Mint, server edition, on a VPS, which I built and administer.
The website is offloaded to a caching server to minimize resources, but gets synced very frequently.
Email is handled by third parties, depending on if sending or receiving, for reliability.
Future Features
A few features that are in the timeline:
- Search by kettle sizes – Search all plants for minimum size kettle specific to a single state.
- Search by max handling WEIGHT.
- Search by max length that can be galvanized by utilizing double dipping.
- Strong focus on providing information to truckers about ingress and egress into plant. This is both comprehensive directions, contacts and pictures.
- A few other tendrils of ideas…
The Author, the Developer, The Project Owner
I’m John Chapman.
I started out my working life in Construction, then made the switch into I.T. Tech a few decades ago. I even worked in I.T. for a galvanizing company for a couple years. I’m still involved in both I.T., and interestingly enough – Construction, and facilities maintenance along with other interesting projects over the years.
You can find me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/followjohnc/ Feel free to look me up and connect. I’m almost at my connection limit, but I still have room!
Ideas, SEND ME YOUR IDEAS!
Bounce your ideas or thoughts. Send me an email using the contact form. It can be something for this site, something on your site, or something completely different still utilizing tech.
The Future
…..isn’t written. We make our own future(s).