Joseph Dave Biography

Just prior to graduation, the head of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Cincinnati contacted Mr. Dave and advised that a man in Asheville, North Carolina was looking for a graduate engineer as sales manager in his building material business and preferred to have someone freom the South. Mr. Dave was the only engineering graduate at the University of Cincinnati from the South. He joined Southern Steel & Cement Company in Asheville in 1923. He found out later that Mr. Elias, President of Southern Steel & Cement Company, graduated from Trinity College in 1907 and was on the Board of Trustees, and this connection easily landed Mr. Dave the job. The job was accepted on the basis of only six (6) months because he was not certain he would enjoy living in Asheville after living in Cincinnati. He also did not want to be tied down to any long term employment until he had an opportunity to learn more about the job.

In late 1923, Mr. Dave was approached by Mr. S. Sternberg who dealt primarily in hides and scrap metal, and wanted someone to build up a small steel business into a larger operation. Originally, he turned down Mr. Sternberg's request to join him as he had promised Mr. Elias that he would remain with him for at least six (6) months before making a definite decision. In the meantime, Mr. Sternberg and Mr. Elias had discussed the situation. Mr. Elias suggested that as long as Mr. Dave promised to stay in Asheville that he should take the offer and make this career change. Later Mr. Sternberg purchased the steel division of Southern Steel &. Cement Company which Mr. Dave managed.

Mr. Dave wanted to continue to enlarge the steel division and Mr. Sternberg suggested: "Go across the street and start your own company." Dave Steel Company was formed January, 1929 on the original property owned by Southern Steel & Cement Company at the corner of Roberts Street and Clingman Avenue, which is today an integral part of the company's operations.

Dave Steel Company became a structural Steel fabricator for the construction industry and distributed service center materials for the Western North Carolina area.

In 1933, Joseph Dave's brother, Hyman Dave, joined the company. The company's first major project came with the construction of the American Enka Plant (BASF( in 1932. After this, an increasing number of large and small contractors began to rely on Dave Steel Company to furnish their steel requirements. With the onset of WWII, Dave Steel Company took part in the armament of the nation. The plant re-tooled for construction of LSM's (landing ship medium). It was on one of these LSM's that General Douglas MacArthur [1880-1964] landed at Luzon in the Philippines. The parts of these ships were fabricated at the Roberts Street plant and sent to the Charleston, South Carolina Navy yard for assembly. For its work during the war years the company received the Army-Navy "E" Award in both 1944 and 1945. During the years following the war, Dave Steel Company set its sites on industrial and commercial work in the private sector. While centering its major efforts along the Eastern seaboard, the company generated sales across the nation as well as for export.

In the late 1940's, the company opened a sales office in southern Florida and acquired many contracts with Wometco (parent company of WLOS), and Food Fair grocery chain. The sales office in Florida was closed a couple of years after it opened and the Dave family concentrated their efforts in southern Ohio.

In 1950, Dave Steel Company acquired the Oregonia Bridge Company in Lebanon, Ohio, (halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton), a company founded in 1874 as a blacksmith shop. (The company was known for fabricating county bridges and some fabrication of structural steel.) Oregonia Bridge Company was operated as a subsidiary of Dave Steel Company in Asheville until 1958 when the two companies began independent operation.

During the last 40 years Dave Steel Company has continued to build its industrial customer base and has also been involved with all types of commercial and institutional project.

In the early 1980's it was decided to consolidate the Ohio operation with the Asheville plant. In order for growth to continue, the need to obtain additional facilities was a necessity as the Roberts Street plant had many disadvantages for a complete all-purpose structural fabricating facility. In late 1986 Dave Steel Company purchased the property and facilities of Asheville Steel Company on Meadow Road. In the early 1990's it was decided that the plants had to be modernized. The latest  state of the art equipment and processes were added to enable the company to be more efficient, offer faster service, and process larger jobs. At the present the facilities have in excess of 200,000 square feet and have furnished approximately 32,000 tons of steel in the last 3 years.

Hyman Dave retired as President in 1976 and was succeeded by Jerry Dave. In 1985, Jeff Dave, after graduating N.C. State in Civil Engineering and four years of practical experience, returned to Asheville full time, and is currently Executive Vice President in charge of daily operations." [Jeffrey Dave is today the President of the company, having assumed that responsibility at his father's retirement in 2004.]