Even though they had been predominantly a Hide and Wool company, Jack and Sam had also often bought and sold scrap metals.  Jack had never been fond of the hide and wool business and knew that it wasn’t the future he wanted.  After Sam passed and Jack, as Jack put it, went from chief laborer to chief, Jack started charting the course for steel to become the core business.

In late 1954 he purchased a chunk of land near Kansas Hide and Wool and set to putting up an 8000 square foot warehouse to support the steel business.