EVERETT – Since 1927, north Everett’s Hill Avenue has been a hub for those in search of steel.
The street still is dominated by Everett Steel, which cuts, distributes and sells steel plates, beams and parts for tugboats, light poles and other structures.
As a middleman in the industry, rising steel prices have had a limited effect on the business, which employs about three dozen people. As the steel mills charge more, Everett Steel raises its prices, said Leonard Berman, company president.
Contractors have cited rising steel prices as a bane, and Berman said he understands their concern.
But, he points out, the increases have come only a few years after steel prices fell back to levels not seen since the 1970s. After a string of strong years, prices fell by up to 30 percent in 2002, Berman said.
“It’s at a healthier level now,” he said.
Demand is great, Berman said, adding that orders for some steel products are backed up through the start of 2007. And, as is the case with other building materials, one of the biggest factors is rapid development and booming economic times in China.
“China’s impact on our business is phenomenal,” Berman said.
Because of stronger overseas demand, as well as steep U.S. tariffs on foreign steel, most of the products Everett Steel buys come from Northwest mills. It then sells those products to steel fabricators and construction contractors in a territory that stretches from Olympia to Alaska.
Population growth and a renewed boom in commercial development in the Puget Sound area have helped to boost demand among some of those Everett Steel customers.
“The fabricators’ business has been strong’ over the past couple years, so that’s been a positive,” said Berman, who’s been involved in the family-owned business since the early 1970s.
For custom parts, the Everett operation has specialty steel-cutting tools, including a super-hot plasma cutter that was installed at the Everett site about a year ago.
The business also sells smaller quantities of steel and other metal products to retail customers in Everett, Woodinville and Ballard.
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