Siskin Steel & Supply history

The photograph shown above was taken around 1909 when Garrison (left) was 6 and Mose (right) was 9 years old.

1910: Robert Siskin buys out his partner.

The extra money was welcome, given that the 20-man scrap business operated out of a small dirt-floor shack and could not afford to buy any equipment until 1924, when Siskin bought the first company truck.

Just as the business was beginning to prosper, however, Siskin died in 1926, leaving the scrap metal operation in the hands of his now grown-up sons.

Reliance was 40 years younger than Siskin, founded in Los Angeles in 1939 by Thomas J. Neilan as Reliance Steel Products Co.

1949: A new steel distribution business is launched.

In 1950 the brothers founded the Siskin Memorial Foundation in memory of their parents.

The company adopted the Reliance Steel & Aluminum name in 1956 and launched an expansion program, relying primarily on acquisitions.

The downtown buildings eventually became the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Physical Therapy School, and in 1959 the foundation launched the 365 Club, which raised money to provide physical rehabilitation services to both children and adults.

The 1960's brought about continued growth.

The first satellite sales office was opened in Atlanta, Georgia in 1963.

The 1970's brought about the modernization and expansion of the Chattanooga warehouses increasing space to over 400,000 square feet.

Having outgrown its headquarters, the company in addition built a new office building, which opened in 1978.

By 1980 Siskin was generating about $50 million in annual revenues.

In 1985 Siskin bought Birmingham, Alabama-based Steel Supply Company, which subsequently took on the Siskin name and became the company's first branch operation.

In 1986 a separate nonprofit corporation was established by the foundation to develop a rehabilitation hospital.

Next, Siskin built a 100,000-square-foot steel service center from scratch in Nashville in 1989 to cut transportation costs and accommodate Nissan and Saturn auto plants in the area.

1990: The original scrap business is sold.

Although it was not certain which party first approached the other, Siskin and Southern Steel were a good fit, and a purchase price was agreed to in December 1991.

In 1994 the company went public, using the proceeds and its stock to fuel further acquisitions.

In fiscal 1995 Siskin posted sales of approximately $151 million.

In October 1996 Reliance agreed to buy Siskin for $71 million.

Siskin Steel completed the purchase of East Tennessee Steel Supply Co., in Morristown, Tennessee, in 2000.

In 2002 John Pregulman left Siskin, replaced as CEO by Jerry Pearson, leaving only one member of the founding family involved in the business: Assistant Vice-President in Accounting David Binder, grandson of Mose Siskin.