Moving Metal

The domestic steel industry was shutting down in the 1970s, which compelled both the U.S. economy and Reliance to adapt.

This was, in some respects, Gimbel’s “mountaintop” speech, describing a world that he knew was coming, but one that he might not live to see. By then he had made Reliance a nation- ally recognized leader in the metals service center industry. He knew that his company could grow further and prosper in the coming years, but he also knew that it would be up to a new generation—guided and counseled, of course, by the old—to make it happen.

Then, drawing upon insights and experience developed in one of the most illustrious careers in the business, Gimbel projected where the industry might be going, emphasizing the need for multi-sourcing, more specialization, the “unbun- dling of manufacturing,” and, above all, ever-greater flexibility. “Obviously I’m bullish about the future of our industry,” he concluded. “It’s up to each of us in the industry to develop our strategic plan to capitalize on the growth opportunity.”

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