4 | Super Steel
D
irk Smith has no fear of high ex-
pectations.
And considering the depths
from which the company he runs – Milwau-
kee-based Super Steel – has emerged over the
last several years, the lofty future goals are a
suitable second chapter to what’s already
been a quite compelling rags-to-riches busi-
ness tale.
“In 2010, we did about $27 million (in
revenue). This year, we’ll probably do about
$68million,” he says. “We turned the compa-
ny around. We got it back on stable ground.
I would say the turnaround is behind us and
we’re back into rebuilding foundation, gain-
ing market share, gaining brand awareness
and creating a culture of winners and folks
here that want to be part of a greater solu-
tion.
“We really have a solid strategy to get the
company back to $100 million by 2017.”
Not all that long ago, such a target would
have been more ludicrous than lofty.
The company was created in the 1920s
as a small contract manufacturer whose
products included metal sills and frames for
basement windows. It was purchased in the
mid-1960s by a small group that included
Fred Luber and, as Smith says, “really took
off ” from that point – ultimately growing to
