Moving Metal

As Crider assumed leadership of Reliance, he was assisted by the longtime directors, including Bill Rumer, center, and Bob Henigson, right. Note the trademark cigars in Rumer’s pocket.

COMPLETING THE TEAM While putting Hannah through his paces at Vernon, Gimbel and Crider were also looking for a candidate for the Chief Oper- ating Officer position. The best one was an ambitious young man at Crider’s old plant in Santa Clara who seemed to be doing everything right. Gregg J. Mollins was born in 1954, grew up in the Oakland area, and went to work after high school for Earle M. Jorgensen. He started in shipping and receiving but worked his way up to manage purchasing, credit and claims, buyouts, and inside sales. Mollins left EMJ after four years and, follow- ing a brief stint in construction, went to work for Ducommun in outside sales. In 1981, another company named Lusk Metals

During Hannah’s stint managing the Vernon plant in 1989, there was a sharp downturn in the economy, causing prices and profit margins to drop. “That was an education—a whole other world,” he said, “trying to manage margins and inven- tories in a down cycle.” Gimbel and Crider let him take his lumps, but Hannah thought that it was a “very good experi- ence” since “Joe and Bill allowed me to take chances, make some mistakes, and learn from them.” Hannah returned to the corporate office in 1990 and resumed his CFO duties. But he was now a wiser and more experienced manager and better understood the challenges and nuances associated with metals service center operations.

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