Steel Warehouse marks 70 years in business

(left to right): Nathan Lerman, vice president government affairs and corporate development, Steel Warehouse; Gerry Lerman, general counsel, Steel Warehouse; Danny Lerman; Mike Lerman; Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski; Dave Lerman; Ted Lerman; Marc Lerman, CCO, Steel Warehouse; Bill Lerman, vice president of operations, Steel Warehouse.

South Bend, Ind.-based Steel Warehouse held an employee celebration Aug. 20, 2017, to mark its 70th anniversary. Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski presented company leaders with a congressional award, and the city of South Bend also presented a proclamation.

The family-operated steel service center was founded in 1947 by Nate Lerman. According to company leadership, its success is a result of good relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, the local community, and the steel industry; loyalty; investing profits back into the company; and innovation.

“We have had to challenge ourselves to look for niches and opportunities to do things that others don’t want to do or can’t do,” explained Dave Lerman, one of Nate’s 10 children. “This strategy has kept us competitive even in situations where we had things working against us. We could do things when other people couldn’t.”

Some of those innovations have led to early adoption of new processes, such as heavy-gauge slitting, temper pass leveling, and in-house pickling.

The service center currently employs 800 people in the South Bend area. It has 10 U.S. locations and two international facilities.