This month, SteelBlue is celebrating its three-year anniversary as a business. With that, we reflect on the journey from being anew player in the market to becoming a rapidly growing mid-size company in the Self-Storage industry.

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How it Started

As it begun, a few aspiring entrepreneurs spent many hours in a small garage just west of Pittsburgh, PA, doing research and development prototyping an initial roll-up door, and landed on SteelBlue’s first iteration, the 7530 Series Roll-Up Door. With a viable product ready, SteelBlue was officially founded on October 21, 2021, raised its initial capital, and then, a few short months later, began with an official production launch of its new doors and hallways in April of 2022.  

The SteelBlue team is comprised of well-seasoned industry veterans that total over 100+ years of experience. With our headquarters solidified in Pittsburgh, PA, our manufacturing initially took place in a 20,000-square-foot building in Frankfort, KY, where approximately 25 manufacturing employees assembled our first roll-up doors. The 7530 Series Roll-Up Door was unique because of how the panels locked together with a distinctive shape that mechanically fastened from the inside, improving the overall strength of the door.

However, as time went on, the newly developed Leadership Team continued numerous market studies to help define and form the SteelBlue brand.  Further, it set its sights on loftier goals and objectives and took the foundational steps in developing its core values as it launched the startup company and products into the market.  The initial launch wasn’t easy; SteelBlue was late to the big dance, so to speak, and didn’t have the booth space secured in time to showcase its products at the iconic fall trade show. Therefore, the team got creative about how they would make an appearance, and so it began.  Initially, the market was very receptive to learning about SteelBlue; awareness, curiosity, and past relationships drove initial demand quickly, and a bigger manufacturing space became necessary.   

The Evolution

Today, and since its inception, SteelBlue has experienced significant growth, now employing a team of over 140 employees, which reflects its continued success. To accommodate this growth, operations were relocated to a 140,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Georgetown, KY. This move was not without its challenges, as it meant a 20-mile commute for some employees. Despite this, due to the strong leadership and company culture at SteelBlue, 99% of the workforce was retained.

Adapting to changing market needs and industry standards, the SteelBlue Research and Development Team developed the next generation storage door, the 9530 Series Roll-Up Door, tailored to be more compatible with the Self-Storage industry. Today, this new door features the industry-standard seamed panel profile. The strategic decision was made to better serve our customers and align with the evolving industry landscape, showcasing our unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. SteelBlue continues to strengthen its offerings each quarter, launching new products and services that continue to support our growth and desire to be your partner of choice.  Recently we launched our new 1270 Series Boat & RV Door at this year’s Fall trade show.  We continue to add additional equipment, capacity and automation to broaden our capabilities to better serve your project needs.

Starting and continuing to grow a company isn’t always easy, but everyone at SteelBlue presses forward with perseverance, dedication, and commitment as we achieve each milestone.  Regardless of the challenges, the SteelBlue Team, with their unwavering dedication and resilience, is committed to success. We are thankful to all our customers who believe in what we are doing and have shared their experiences with us and new customers alike.  No matter how large we become, we will remain steadfast in our communication, transparency, and partnerships that have made us what we are today.  While we are proud of our accomplishments to date, we look forward to Building Tomorrow, Today, as we build SteelBlue to new levels of excellence each day. We will continue to evolve. THANK YOU for your partnerships, relationships, and commitment to SteelBlue.  We are excited about what the next three years will bring!