PROGRESS: Sioux City Foundry 'steel' going strong after 145 years

For much of  the Foundry's storied history, it’s been owned by the Galinsky family.

Andy Galinsky represents the third generation to run the steel manufacturing firm, which was founded in 1871 by J. P. Dennis, A. W. Hubbard and E. H. Bucknam, according to historical records with the Sioux City Public Museum.

CEO since 1985, Andy Galinsky followed in the footsteps of his late father, Milton "Bud" Galinsky, and grandfather, Abraham Galinsky.

In the business’ early days, the foundry produced bronze and cast iron castings, boilers, saw mill machinery, architectural pieces, pipes and fittings, provided repairs to steamboat engines and other maintenance services from the southwest corner of Seventh and Main streets.

These days, Sioux City Foundry produces everything from epoxy-coated rebar rods used in road construction to stainless steel wine racks to a customer base that ranges from agri-businesses to the U.S. military across its 11-acre campus in Sioux City and metal casting plant in South Sioux City.

The Foundry relocated to its location on 801 Division St. in 1890 where about 200 people were employed at the time. This was also when the foundry started manufacturing various versions of the cast-iron Norfolk furnace until the household heating mechanism became obsolete by newer innovations.

In 1921, the foundry went into receivership and was purchased by a group of businessmen that included Jacob Kalin. Kalin lead the Norfolk furnace production division, and started the Norfolk Furnace Company, which sold the device.

In 1947, around the same time that Milton "Bud" Galinsky started working at the foundry, the company split into two entities as sales of the Norfolk Furnace cooled off. Kalin folded his interest in the foundry into his furnace business, which he rechristened Kalins Heating and Air Conditioning, which started selling Lennox light sheet metal furnaces. Today called Kalins Indoor Comfort Heating & Air Conditioning, Bruce Kalin, Jacob's grandson, is the third-generation owner of the 95-year-old company based in Sioux City.

The separation with the Kalins and dwindling value of the Norfolk Furnace prompted the Galinsky family to branch out the foundry's business interest.

“We saw the writing on the wall that, that was going to be replaced with what Kalins were using — that would be the Lennox furnaces — so my father, uncle and grandfather decided they would go into what they called a ‘jobbing foundry,’ ” Andy Galinsky said.

Galinsky noted his family took a major risk when they went into the jobbing business, meaning the foundry primarily fabricated castings for products that other companies made.

“They had no idea how to cost it, they had no idea how to sell it, they had no idea who was making things,” he said. “They just said, ‘We got this furnace, we got this business, let’s try and make a go of it.’ So they did and went into the jobbing foundry business and they became successful.”

Jobbing kicked off an unprecedented wave of success for the company.

A new steel fabrication shop was built in Sioux City in 1958, modernized five years later and multiple additions and renovations have taken place across the foundry’s property on Divisions Street, where there is additional space to grow.

The metal casting plant moved across the Missouri River in 1969 to a facility in South Sioux City, where the company operates a 125,000-square-foot production space.

Between both sites, Sioux City Foundry employs 250 people and operates five divisions: contract manufacturing, metal casting, reinforcing steel, structural fabrication and a steel service center.

Quality customer service, innovation and offering a diverse array of services and products are some reasons why Galinsky thinks Sioux City Foundry has been able to survive for what’s going 146 years.

“When you have customers in the foundry business, they’re lifelong customers — it’s a two-way commitment,” Galinsky said. “It’s an important part of our business.”