Moving Metal

spent eight hours in the conference room,” Koch recalled, and learned that “Chapel Steel was a lot like Reliance.” “We had so many similarities and we felt so comfortable.” On July 1, 2005, Reliance and Chapel Steel closed the deal. Hannah was happy with the acquisition, telling American Metal Market that Chapel Steel was a “well-run and growing company that adds to both our product offer- ings and our geographic coverage across the country.” Koch thought so too, later stating, “It was a great fit for all of us.” Koch turned out to be a good fit for Reliance as well. After serving as President of Chapel Steel for three years, in 2010 he succeeded the retiring Jim MacBeth as Reliance’s Senior Vice President, Operations.

him to Reliance. Late in the year, Koch met with the Sutows and told them, “I think it’s a great time for you to exit and take your chips off the table. If we sell to Reliance, you can still work, but they’ll give you all the money, and you have no risk. You can probably work as long as you want. We can all work.” In January 2005, the Sutows approached Reliance about a possible acquisition. Dave Hannah was then looking for an opening into the mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S. markets and seized the opportunity. He called Chapel back and the Sutows said, “We should meet each other to make sure that we agree with your values and you agree with ours.” In late February, Jim Sutow and Steve Koch flew to California and met with Gregg Mollins, Dave Hannah, and Karla Lewis. “We

Chapel Steel, acquired by Reliance in 2005, specializes in steel plate,

including armor and ballistic plate for the military.

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