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Liberty Steel celebrates 50 years, invests in new line
By Kalea Hall
NORTH JACKSON
Fifty years ago, Jack Weller started a steel-processing company with his brother, James, in Sharpsville, Pa.
Liberty Steel Products started busy and remained busy by maintaining its customers, growing and having dedicated employees.
On Wednesday, about 150 customers, politicians and Liberty Steel employees gathered to celebrate 50 years in business and a new multimillion dollar leveling system at the North Jackson plant on Mahoning Avenue.
“In 50 years, it has been a good ride,” Weller said. “We have been very fortunate. We have had great employees through the years. A company is only as good as its employees. I think we have a good reputation in the industry.”
The Wellers started Liberty Steel in 1965 with a 4,000-square-foot location and one employee. In the 1980s, the business was relocated to North Jackson, and today it has 100 employees and hundreds of customers in the U.S. and abroad. Outside the North Jackson plant, Liberty Steel has a Hubbard location where workers just slit steel.
The growth at the North Jackson plant, where workers slit and blank steel, has remained consistent through the years. The company’s success has led it to repeatedly be ranked among the top 50 steel service centers in the nation by trade journal Metal Center News.
To be able to enter new markets and to stay competitive, the company decided to invest in a BuTech Bliss Synergy Leveling System. The new line will enhance the quality and increase the speed of production. The line will be at full production next week.
“We are continuing to look for ways to be successful,” said Jim Grasso, chief executive officer of the company. “We don’t want to expand for expansion’s sake.”
Although the steel industry has taken a hit recently, Liberty remains busy and the leaders of the company remain hopeful. Even though steel is a cyclical industry, the company has never had to lay off employees.
“It has been up and down for 50 years,” Weller said. “I think our future is bright.”