Louis Glick was born in Hungary in 1884. When he was only a year old, his family brought him to the United States. They were part of a wave of hundreds of thousands of European immigrants.

Louis Glick moved to Jackson, Michigan, to start a scrap iron business in 1916. He arrived in Jackson with a sledgehammer, chisel, $800 in his pocket and a mind for business. He started with four employees working for him in 1916. By 1959, Glick Iron & Metal employed 25 people.

Bob was the eldest son and nine years older than Al. Al looked up to his brother and thought of him as a second father. When Al decided to stop working for Glick Iron & Metal in 1946, Bob offered an idea that would trigger the beginning of Alro Steel. He suggested that Al match customers with their metal needs.

With Louis’ blessing and financial assistance from Bob, Al started a metals distribution company in a garage on Glick Iron & Metal property. Bob was successful in both his family and business life, becoming Chairman of the Board of Glick Iron & Metal and co-founder of Alro Steel.

Al has continued his father’s legacy of community involvement and giving. With the success at Alro, Al has supported Jackson-based nonprofit organizations, local businesses, youth education, youth sports, manufacturing job training, University of Michigan athletics, and Mott Children’s Hospital.

In 1946 Al quit Glick Iron & Metal, “It wasn’t an angry quit, I loved sports, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do.” For four years Al worked part time as a sports writer for the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

“I didn’t like the work at Glick Iron & Metal. After I left, Bob had an idea…and at that time there was a shortage of steel. I didn’t know the steel industry, but I made some calls. My father had given me $5,000 for college that I did not use, and I bought inventory with that money.”

Al Glick had a dream of becoming a sports writer. When he was offered a job on the crime beat instead, Al made the decision to leave the newspaper business. Soon after, Al’s brother Robert suggested Al try to match up people he knew that needed steel with those who had a surplus. From this idea, Alro Steel was founded on June 1, 1948, at 500 East Biddle Street. Al rented a garage from his father attached to Glick Iron & Metal.

The name “Alro” was chosen to signify the partnership between the two brothers Alvin and Robert Glick.

“Bob was nine years older than I was, so you can imagine how much I looked up to him. I used to watch him bowl and often caddy for him at golf tournaments. I’m sure he got tired of me hanging around, but I was his number one fan. I never would have started Alro without Bob’s input, in fact, it was his idea. You couldn’t have asked for a better brother.” - Al Glick

Alro purchased their first saw for $600.00 from Michigan manufacturer, Johnson Band Saw in Albion, Michigan. This gave Alro the ability to offer cut-to-size pieces of metal to customers.

Today, Alro utilizes a variety of equipment to cut all types and sizes, from plate and sheet, pipe and tube, as well as large diameter rod to customer specifications.

As the business begins to grow, so to, does the Alro sales team. Al lives and manages his team by the statement “Integrity, Above All.” With Al’s commitment to taking care of the customer, the outside sales team grew steadily and called on customers throughout the state of Michigan.

Having outgrown the 3,000 square-foot building on Biddle Street, Alro Steel builds their own 12,000 square-foot facility at 803 Belden Road in Jackson, Michigan.

Over the next 20 years Alro would expand 803 Belden Road five more times to a total of 60,000 square-feet.

One of the first Alro Steel Corporation delivery trucks being loaded for delivery run. The Alro service expectation of “Next Day Deliveries” was taking shape as each morning Alro would load up the trucks and make their deliveries to customers throughout Michigan.

Today, Alro employs over 300 drivers and provides next day delivery to over 25,000 locations across the United States.

Alro Steel put together an open house at 803 Belden Road for family, friends and customers in the Jackson, Michigan area. These get togethers were a great way to mingle with various members of the community and hopefully lead to new business for Alro.

Here is a glimpse inside the Alro Sales office on Belden Road back in the 1950’s. If you look closely you can see the inventory control card system in the background. Before computers kept track of the inventory it was done by hand on index cards.

Alro Steel expands the Belden Road location once again. Most of the new addition added warehouse space in order to bring all the materials indoor and out wet weather and snow which helped keep the stock from getting surface rust.

The new addition also improved the efficiency of the operations by creating a one-way flow through the building. Trucks would all enter at one end to be unloaded, and out the other end, reloaded and ready to be delivered to customers. Although this is now common, Alro was one of the very first to develop this method.

Alro Steel purchases their first burning machine and gets into the flame cutting business. This piece of processing equipment gave Alro the ability to flame cut custom shapes from metal plate and sheet.

Processing of metals and plastics continues to this day as a “value-added” service to all Alro customers.

Alro Steel completes a $45,000 expansion project with a 9,120 square-foot addition to 803 Belden Road. This would bring the Jackson, Michigan facility up to 34,000 square-feet total with improved customer pick-up and loading capabilities.

An early Alro Steel delivery truck built by International Harvester. These flatbed trucks allowed Alro to make daily deliveries to their customers.

Today Alro manages a fleet of 300+ trucks. Just like the early days, these trucks provide deliveries to customers every day

The Glick philosophy always involves listening to customers and knowing what will help them. Knowing his customers were having to source tools and supplies from multiple places, Al saw an opportunity to improve service. So, Alro Steel purchased a local industrial and hardware supply company, Smith-Winchester Company, and began Alro Industrial Supply. This expansion allows Alro Steel customers to also purchase their cutting tools, abrasives, coolants and MRO supplies all from the one place and have them delivered.

In the early days of data processing technology Alro utilized IBM computer punch card machines. Punch cards were pieces of stiff paper that could be used to contain digital data represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Alro has continued to move into new areas with a mobile sales app, scanning systems for materials, and online shopping for customers.

One year after opening an Industrial Supply division Alro Industrial Supply moves down the road to 903 Belden Road in a building of their own in Jackson, Michigan. This provided the team a building of their own to house inventory and the sales team.

In a couple of decades, Alro Industrial Supply would move again and make room for the new Alro Plastics division. The plastics division brought in yet another line of materials that Al realized his customers used right along with metals and industrial supplies.

A photograph of the Alro Steel accounting offices located on Belden Road. Desks included a spot for files, typewriters, adding machines, desk phones, rolodexes for contacts, and more. In most Alro offices today, motorized stand up desks provide employees with more options for their workday.

Twenty years after the founding of Alro Steel in Jackson, Michigan, a second location was built in Battle Creek. The expansion into the Battle Creek, Michigan area was the suggestion of then Outside Salesman, Al Binger who felt Alro could better serve the growing number of customers in the area if they had a local presence.

Surveying the outside of the new Battle Creek facility is Al Binger followed closely by a young Randy Glick.

Al Glick gives a tour of the Alro Steel warehouse in Jackson, Michigan. He is pointing up at the latest Demag Narrow Aisle Stacker just installed at 803 Belden Road. The stacker maximized the available square footage of the warehouse by stacking more material in less space. This essentially gave Alro another expansion in inventory without adding onto the building.

A snapshot of the Inside Sales offices at 803 Belden Road. Fluorescent lights, wood paneling and not a computer in sight.

Alro purchased Metals Service Center of Fort Lauderdale and St. Petersburg, Florida. Al incorporated the same service philosophy to Florida that had worked so well in Michigan: Exceptional customer service along with next day deliveries.

Over the years, the locations in Florida have expanded and people still know them as Alro Metals Service Centers. Alro would also add Alro Metals Outlets and Alro Plastics divisions in Florida.

The commitment to providing metals next day to customers has remained steady through the decades. So, in each decade you can see the latest in trucks for delivery. The look and style may have changed over time but not the job, Alro delivers... everyday!

Notice the old version of the Alro circle logo. That too, has received some updates over time.

To celebrate Alro’s 25th Anniversary, the team took out an ad in the local newspaper to congratulate brothers Al and Robert Glick on this accomplishment.

There are a few names you may recognize. Some, like Roy Sprague are in photos from the 1950’s. As you can see, Alro is a place where many people have built a life-long career.

In order to keep up with an expanding customer base, Alro Steel built a new Jackson facility at 3100 East High Street. This large building has supported several expansions and is the current headquarters for Alro.

Alro Steel’s success continued with an expansion at the High Street facility in 1976. This allowed for the addition of a “straight-through” material flow that put receiving at one end and outbound shipping at the other end.

Pictured is the Demag Narrow Aisle Stacker that allowed for more stock to be stored in less space than a traditional width aisle would allow.

An early 1980’s photo of the Alro Steel delivery fleet, parked outside the corporate headquarters at 3100 East High Street, Jackson, Michigan. Since the 70’s the fleet had shifted to white trucks with a navy blue and yellow logo and cab toppers.

No, it’s not a washer and dryer! This is an early computer system Alro purchased from IBM. This was one of the first Alro AS400 systems for data storage and inventory tracking. As large as it is, it replaced huge amounts of punch cards and the equipment needed to maintain those. It was also in 1984 that Apple introduced the Macintosh and Phillips introduced the first CD-ROM, and IBM introduced their personal computer.

A new Alro Metals Service Center facility was built in Boca Raton, Florida, embodying Alro’s commitment to expansion. Although many companies were going out of business during recessionary times, Alro pursued a flurry of acquisitions including Ziv Steel with locations in North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee.

Ziv Steel was not the only acquisition in 1986, Alro also acquired Western Steel (Flint, Michigan), Jacklin Steel (Lansing, Michigan), Roberts Alloy (Toledo, Ohio) and Watson Steel (Muncie, Indiana).

Al realized that, in addition to metals, many Alro customers were also using plastics in their operations. It became a natural progression to expand the Alro product line to include plastics. In 1987, Alro Plastics began at 903 Belden Road. Customers could now purchase all their metals, industrial supplies, as well as plastics all from one place and have them delivered next day.

In this same year, Alro acquired TSI Inc., Orlando, Florida, Time Steel locations in Nashville, Tennessee and Charlotte, South Carolina. They also added Steel Supplies, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky to the Alro Steel family.

Late in the 1980’s, Alro would complete the acquisition of Peninsular Steel. This large acquisition included multiple locations across the United States including: Buffalo, New York, Akron, Cleveland, and Dayton, Ohio, Grand Rapids and Warren, Michigan, and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Other acquisitions completed that year included Columbia Tool Steel in Cincinnati, Ohio and Miami Dickerson in Dayton, Ohio.

Alro continues to grow, but the computers continue to get smaller in size. In 1990 IBM installed a new computer system to house the Alro AS400 system. With the onset of the personal computer the sales team and warehouse employees were now all able to enter orders and track inventory more efficiently than ever. The technology used by Alro now puts information at the tips of sales people through iPads and smartphones.

In preparation of the 50th Anniversary brochure the Alro Board of Directors poses for a group photo.

Standing from left to right: Carl Glick, Brian Bell, Mark Alyea and Randy Glick. Seated from left to right: Bob Glick, Al Glick and Barry Glick.

To commemorate their 50 year anniversary Alro Steel put out a printed brochure highlighting events from their first 50 years in business.

Alro Steel also acquired the J.C. Neil Company out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Alro Steel takes on the construction of a new 240,000 squarefoot facility in Potterville, Michigan. This large facility was designed to be a distribution center that would service other Alro locations. The addition of Potterville allowed Alro to expand its overall product offering. It also allowed smaller Alro locations to make more room in their locations for higher demand items thereby increasing efficiency for everyone.

Al Glick would grace the cover of the Metal Center News magazine while being honored with the “Service Center Executive of the Year.” In his photo, Al sports his personal winged helmet Hard Hat, customized with the colors of the University of Michigan. Through the years Al gained inspiration through sports and he put his passion for football and U of M into many philanthropic efforts in support of local high school kids, U of M football and the Mott Children’s hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Alro Steel would also acquire three more companies at the beginning of this decade. Engineering Metals Co. with locations in Carnegie and Emporium, Pennsylvania along with Kurtz Steel in Detroit, Michigan and Sun State Metals in West Palm Beach, Florida.

November 8, 2001, Al’s brother Robert (The “Ro” in Alro) passed away at the age of 84. Bob was the co-founder of Alro Steel and the person Al Glick said brought him the idea to start Alro Steel by putting people with extra steel in touch with people who needed steel.

Bob was also the Chairman of the Board for Glick Iron & Metal, a company founded by their father Louis Glick.

Alro Plastics’ corporate offices in Jackson, Michigan would make the move from 903 Belden Road over to 2218 Enterprise into a much larger 60,000 square-foot facility.

This move allowed Alro Plastics to invest in more processing equipment and expand their capabilities. New CNC Saws and Routers were added along with moving to a second shift to better service Alro customers.

With the growth of the company going strong, it would once again be time to add onto the Corporate office in Jackson, Michigan. The addition would add more office space to the headquarters putting corporate, purchasing, accounting, administration and other departments all under one roof.

A dream come true as the completion and dedication of the Al Glick Fieldhouse, located on the campus of the University of Michigan takes place.

Pictured from left to right: Bill Martin, Brian Glick, Randy Glick, Barry Glick, Carl Glick, Lloyd Carr, Al Glick, Rick Rodriguez, and Mary Sue Coleman.

Michigan Manufacturing Magazine featured Al Glick on their cover. Al is pictured in front of the new Alro Steel Headquarters in Jackson, Michigan. In 2018, the Michigan Manufacturing Association bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Award to Al Glick for his work in the metals industry and his philanthropic efforts.

Alro Steel would celebrate 70 years in business. What began as a small steel business that helped those who had a surplus of steel get matched up with those in need of steel had become a metals supermarket and single source for metals, industrial supplies and engineering plastics. The company now included over 70 locations and covered 12 states.

Alro expansion continued in 2018 with the addition of Sedalia Steel in Sedalia, Missouri and Camdenton Steel in Camdenton, Missouri.

In November 2018, the Michigan Manufacturers Association hosted their Annual Awards Gala. During the event, Al Glick was presented with the MFG Lifetime Achievement Award. The MMA explains, “this honor is given to an individual who has excelled in the industry and inspires their peers, emerging leaders, lawmakers and educators to strive to make significant contributions to their company, industry and community.”

Upon the announcement, MMA President and CEO Chuck Hadden stated, “Those who work for Al Glick can point to his leadership as a reason why they are not just better workers, but better people. His peers would do well to copy his passion and tomorrow’s leaders should follow his example. He is well deserving of this honor.”