2023 Hall of Fame
In baseball, a hall of fame career is marked by consistent excellence across the years. Ted Williams’s career batting average of .344. Hank Aaron’s 755 home runs. Greg Maddux’s 17 seasons in a row with 15 wins or more.
In the metal construction industry, that kind of consistency is considered doing a good job. To earn hall of fame honors, an inductee needs to have changed the industry. Introduce an innovative new product, establish baselines of excellence, have a larger impact.
George King changed the industry at two inflection points. The first was saving and growingKirby Building Systems and the second was by leading development of the Metal Building Manufacturers Association’s (MBMA) accreditation program. Make no mistake, King’s career was remarkable for its consistent excellence, it’s string of successes, but those two successes helped change the industry.
George was constantly on a path to improve product quality and productivity throughout methodology and safety protocols, including plant operations and builder job-site material handling and building erection procedures.
Roy H. Price, former senior vice president, Kirby Building Systems
King began his career in the steel construction industry with Inland Steel in the early 1960s, and in 1974, he moved to Chicago and took the position of general manager of the post tensioning division. During that time, he earned his MBA from the University of Chicago, then accepted the role of president and COO of Campo Distributors, before coming to Kirby Building Systems Inc. in early 1983. He was named CEO in January 1984.
The Rescue Operation
At the time, Kirby was owned by Alghanim Industries, which was looking to divest its U.S. metal building operations. In 1984, King, along with other investors, acquired the medium-sized metal building company. Kirby had annual revenues between $30 and $40 million, according to King. Over the next several years, he led the company as it grew through mergers and organic growth and achieved revenues of about $100 million.
King led the company through a merger with Gulf States Manufacturing, then an acquisition in 1995 by Associated Building Systems (ABS). King took on the president’s role of the conglomerate that included Kirby, Gulf States Manufacturers and CBC Steel Buildings (acquired in 1996), while retaining the CEO position at Kirby.
The high-risk rescue of Kirby Building Systems saved a venerable brand, and King led its resurrection. The culmination came in 1998 when ABS was purchased by Canada-based Jannock Ltd., and he became president of their U.S. operations, which included VicWest. In 2000, Magnatrax acquired Jannock, and King retired a few months later after shepherding the company through the new phase.
The foundation for that success rests on a devotion to customer service and quality. “George learned early on his career that his success and that of Inland depended on the Inland team,” says Roy H. Price, former senior vice president at Kirby. “Inland was very customer-oriented company, and George was a great student of that philosophy.”
“I think we were unique in the industry,” says King, “and our approach to the market was to stress service and relationships with our building organization. We weren’t trying to be the biggest; we were trying to be the best. And by being the best we could, we became profitable. We liked the fact that our customers recognized that we brought them a quality product.”
Quality Across the Industry
King carried that quest for quality to the MBMA, where he spearheaded the effort to create an accreditation program for manufacturers. King became active in MBMA when he arrived at Kirby, and during his 16-year tenure, he held multiple position in the association, including twice serving as chairman in 1990 and again in 1997. His involvement in strategic planning and revenue review initiatives helped the association stand on firm ground.
But it was his effort to develop an accreditation program that had the longest lasting impact on the industry. To this day, members of MBMA are required to be accredited. It’s been a driving force by the industry becoming synonymous with high quality, resiliency, efficiency and sustainability. The certification program assured member companies complied with best practices around engineering and fabrication that ultimately helped the industry improve market share.
“I felt certification was going to be critical to the growth of the industry,” says King.
