JT Steel Inc.

For more than 30 years, JT Steel Inc. has been shaping structures throughout the Salt Lake City area as a structural steel fabricator. Since Jerry Taylor and Michael Arnold founded the privately owned company in 1983, JT Steel has been building a reputation for high-quality products, versatility and most importantly, excellent customer service.

“When we win a contract, we don’t want it to be just one job,” explains Jerry Taylor, founder and president of JT Steel. “If they’re a good contractor, we want every job they’ll allow us to have and to do that you have to build a good relationship.”

Working to build longstanding relationships has allowed JT Steel to sustain its spot at the top as one of the largest structural steel fabricators in Utah. “We’ve been around for 31 years,” shares Taylor. “We now have about 60 employees and we do anything structural steel – beams, columns, stairs, rails, you name it – all over the western U.S.”

The best of the best

Taylor and Arnold essentially built JT Steel from the ground up based on hard work, intuitive thinking, quality performance and the timely completion of every job. It all began for the custom builder in 1983 with a $2,000 job and the belief that to be successful, a company must provide its customers with the best products and services.

“Our goal is to be simply the best,” says Taylor. “We pride ourselves in doing a good job for everybody and making sure we’re under budget and ahead of schedule. Everyone knows if they deal with JT Steel, they can call me directly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’ll take care of it.”

JT Steel started with this surefire philosophy and a single pick-up truck with a rack delivering columns and beams. “We went from a single truck to a Buffalo Ironworker and now we have a Peddinghaus drill line and saws – we’ve pretty much gone from the Stone Age to modern technology,” compares Taylor. “Our drills do all three sides at the same time and then drill all of the tooling.”

In an ever-changing construction market, Taylor says its either keep up, or fall behind. “Construction technology is moving so rapidly that you don’t have time to do it the way you used to and everything is automated,” he explains. “To step into this century you have to go with technology, if not, you’re left behind. We need essential equipment like Peddinghaus to stay on track and schedule.”

For the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) certified fabricator, precise, efficient equipment is essential in delivery for a range of large market general contractors. “JT Steel works with general contractors mainly serving the commercial and institutional market,” details Taylor.

Setting a new standard in Utah’s workplace

In recent years, JT Steel has been supporting one of the most innovative office park projects in Utah named Thanksgiving Park. Thoughtfully designed to provide a truly enhanced work environment, featuring Utah’s first spec Class-A office park incorporating green building design, detailed landscaping and panoramic views, Thanksgiving Park is setting a new workplace standard.

“In the last couple of years, JT Steel has provided structural steel beams and columns for several large office buildings in the Thanksgiving Park complex,” shares Taylor.

After finishing the first building, Taylor says the company was awarded several more. “The contract started with just one building and now we’ve completed five,” he says.

With more than 1.5 million square feet under development, ownership and management, there are plenty of opportunities for further Class A, high efficiency buildings at Thanksgiving Park. “There’s the possibility of one or two more coming down the line for JT Steel,” adds Taylor.

Take care

JT Steel’s work at Thanksgiving Park is just one example of how the company builds repeat relationships. “We’re not in business for a one and done kind of job,” adds Taylor

This culture resonates throughout the JT Steel management team, which believes good business is never too big to do the small jobs. “We’re there for big clients, but for the small walk-in customer, as well, who just want a couple angles with holes,” says Taylor. “It all comes back to our goal to be simply the best in our products and our services and taking care of the customer 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Taylor says the company expects the same from its employees and subcontractor base. “That’s our goal when picking subs,” he explains. “You really have to prove yourself to us, because we want to be the best of the best at what we do.”

Taylor says the company also looks for job opportunities that will benefit the community. “A facility is much more than the structure,” he asserts. From large projects, such as Jordan Commons in Sandy, Utah, to the seismic upgrade on the State Capitol Dome, BYU’s Baseball Stadium, the MegaPlex Theatres, Sandy Part II and most recently, Thanksgiving Park, JT Steel is an influential player in facilities that allow for work, play and a vibrant community.

Taylor says customers recognize JT Steel’s commitment to community and taking good care of people. Even through 2008 and the years following when new construction nearly disappeared, Taylor says it was loyal customers and longstanding relationships that kept the company standing tall.

“The downturn certainly hurt everyone and to top off the slow construction market and demand we had an erector that went bankrupt on us and we really took a hit,” recounts Taylor. “But at the end of the day, if you take care of your customers, they’re going to bring back work. That’s why you have to build those relationships.”

JT Steel Inc. has been doing this for the better part of 30 years and counting, delivering expert structural steel fabrication services to Utah and beyond.