Blog: Steel Valley Community
Steel history: Remembering yesterday. Rebuilding today.
We want to encourage everyone to check out our shop to buy themselves, their parents or their favorite professor a coffee mug. While you are there, buy a t-shirt as well!
A portion of the money is contributed to help the economic redevelopment of the Youngstown area. In the coming years our goal is to open our own local factory making lunch boxes, tools, and so much more.
Youngstown, OH continues to see a resurgence. We have all noticed the progress downtown, even if it is only because of the scaffolding and construction!
However the rest of the country is taking notice as well. Here is a short list of some stories we have been tracking this summer:
- New York Times: Youngstown, OH Reinvents its Downtown
- Forbes: Youngstown, OH is 4th Best Place in the US to Raise a Family
- Forbes (again): Youngstown State University is one of "America's Best"
These are all positive stories and we have no doubt the positivity will continue. We are happy to be part of this community and have plans to grow substantially in the second half of the year.
JDB
Founded in 1900 by visionaries who demanded that manufacturing stay local, The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company pooled together community resources and grit to grow into one of the nation's largest steel producers.
In 1955, the first ever Fortune 500 list was compiled and Sheet and Tube ranked 70 on the list. Right behind Dow Chemical and larger than companies such as Coca-Cola, Heinz, Johnson & Johnson, Anheuser-Busch, and Marathon Oil, the company had revenue over $600 million and over 30,000 employees.
Yet by the late 70s, all was lost. Black Monday in 1977 saw the closing of the Briar Hill Works. Thousands lost their jobs. A community was shattered, but we persevered.
What have we learned over the past decades? Economics can crush a town, but can't kill the spirit of its people. Youngstown survived. Hardened, wizened, smaller, but the blue collar grit and determination, the hometown pride and humbleness could not be quieted. In this spirit, we bring back The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. While we are a different company than what once was, today Youngstown Sheet and Tube's mission is to serve the community and diaspora of the Mahoning Valley by reimagining Youngstown manufacturing and constructing rugged hometown pride worldwide.
Through our sub-brands (and with a few surprises up our sleeves) our long-term vision is to construct Youngstown pride and improve sense of community through locally manufactured quality metal products and branded apparel respected for their strength and durability, and through innovative marketing and community outreach. We can't do it all at once, and will make some compromises as we start, but all of our efforts are devoted to these goals.
So, enough. Youngstown has been through enough. Stop the presses. Start the blast furnace. Steel is back.
The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, headquartered in Youngstown, OH, supports the local economy through its community of affiliated websites. We celebrate the history of hard work and ingenuity, and look forward to a bright future here. A share of any products we sell goes directly to reinvestment in economic development of the Youngstown community.
The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company | , Youngstown, OH, USA