Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
Twenty years ago SME Steel of Utah opened shop with 200 employees and about $20 million in top-line revenue. Last April, SME Steel celebrated their 20th anniversary with over 1,000 employees and about $250 million in revenue, growing into one of the largest structural steel fabricators in the United States.
In meeting with CEO Wayne Searle, he estimates SME Steel has exported around $3 billion of steel since they opened for business. Founders Craig and Jerry Moyes have worked on some of the most impressive and high-profile projects including the newly opened City Creek Center in Salt Lake City and CityCenter in Las Vegas. SME Steel installed the beautiful 320,000 pound sky bridge that was put in place with intense accuracy and has been highlighted on National Geographic's program "World's Toughest Fixes."
When you ask Wayne about his staff he talks about the low turnover and the engaged and talented people at SME Steel. Their reputation is built on the innovative, skilled and creative team.
In this specialized form of construction you can't make mistakes, which is why safety is critical and is a major focus for the management team of SME Steel. They want the job done right; however, they want their employees to lead by example with no shortcuts, which is why SME Steel just got awarded the new San Francisco 49ers stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. They'll provide all the steel for the project.
SME Steel has heart as well as steel, and they give back to the community. When co-founder Craig Moyes found out our veterans' cemetery in Salt Lake City was deteriorating, he didn't hesitate to donate the materials and labor to restore it.
At the end of projects SME Steel has the historic "topping out" ceremony where they paint the last steel beam white for the whole team to sign and hoist it in the air with a tree and American flag on the beam. The significance is to our country and to thank Mother Nature for the elements she provided.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
SME Steel 5801 W. Wells Park Rd. West Jordan, UT 84081 801-280-0711 www.smesteel.com
