Moving Metal

By the late 1950s Reliance had more floor space and new equipment, including this Ty-Sa-Man bridge saw.

their daughter Nancy was married to Rumer, an electri- cal engineer with a background in California’s aerospace industry. The Board voted, again unanimously, to make the requested changes and to make Rumer a Director of Reliance, a position he held until 2004. In the organizational elections that followed, attorney Bernard Hiemenz was elected Chairman and Comptroller, Bill Gimbel was elected President, Jack Roe was elected Senior Vice President, and Bettie Littell was re-elected as Secretary-Treasurer. Throughout the recent drama, Bill Gimbel had been powerless to intervene. But he had spent the past ten years

learning the business so that he could ultimately lead the company. And with Neilan gone and the deal left hanging, Gimbel saw his chance to take control. Once the reorganiza- tion and officer elections were out of the way, Gimbel asked the $64,000 question. “This is a growing company,” he said. “Do you think we should sell it?” Rumer was an electrical engineer with the RAND Corporation and was able to analyze the numbers. “I looked at it,” he later remembered and said, “Bill, it doesn’t look like we should sell this thing. At least let’s give it a shot.” The other Board members agreed and extended their full support to Gimbel.

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