Supporting American Manufacturing

HE&M recently became aware of the history of one of our customers and their story touched so close to home with the similarities to the origins here at HE&M Saw that we decided to do a short interview with the owners. What a fantastic story which parallels that of HE&M saw starting with humble beginnings and through hard work and perseverance, resulted in what is today a successful thriving American business.

Structural Steel Services located in El Paso Texas is owned by Maggie Chacon. Her husband, Roy, holds the General Manager position. The success story of Structural Steel Services is similar to the story and history of HE&M Saw.

“Things were pretty tough, the start-up was a rough time” Roy says. Having worked in the industry for 17 or 18 years, when the company he worked for started having business troubles, Maggie and Roy decided to go out on their own. Taking some used equipment in trade for his overdue pay and accrued vacation time, they started the business in a spare bedroom in July of 2003. Basically working day and night, Roy would take the mornings to deliver the fabricated components he had completed. By noon or 1:00pm he was back fabricating the next job until dark each day. Then at night, the estimating had to be done for any new jobs that they acquired. In 2004, they were able to rent a small facility and move the business out of the bedroom.

The first brand new pieces of equipment they were able to purchase were a forklift, and an HE&M Cyclone Band Saw. Roy says the Cyclone was instrumental in their success as they continued to gain a solid reputation for quality work and operating with high integrity and solid business ethics. Soon they also grew out of their rented space. Maggie and Roy were able to find 3½ acres of vacant land and after purchasing it began building the beautiful facility they now occupy, making the move into their new facility on October 31, 2008.

As jobs came in, were completed and delivered, larger opportunities presented themselves. When the University of Texas El Paso contracted them to build a pedestrian bridge that spanned a roadway, Roy knew they would need a larger saw and HE&M was happy to supply them with a much larger model, an H160XLM Dual Column. Roy says they can run it all day and all night if needed.

“HE&M Saw has been integral to our success”, Roy states, “and we appreciate the quality you build into the saws you manufacture because we depend on it every day for our own success”.

And successful they are. In 2007 Roy was named the U.S. Small Business Administration Minority Person of The Year and Maggie was awarded the 2012 Minority Manufacturer of The Year award. Structural Steel Services has grown and now proudly employs 25 people who are able to support their families thanks to their efforts and the “never give-up” attitudes of Maggie and Roy.

Structural Steel Services specializes in Structural Steel, Steel Joists, Steel Floor and Roof Decks, and Concrete Reinforcing Steel. They have successfully completed projects not only in Texas but also in Arizona, and New Mexico and are soon to expand with projects further away from their home base.

HE&M congratulates Maggie and Roy and their tireless efforts to build a successful company.

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