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The Last Word
Portrait orientation photograph full-body shot of Rich Saginaw smiling and posing with short dark brown combed sided parted hair as he stands wearing a dark navy blue business plaid blazer suit, a light sky blue button-up dress shirt underneath, off-white business dress pants, and black dress work shoes with both of his hands resting inside their own respective pocket of his off-white dress business dress pants
Walking The Talk
By Rich Saginaw, CEO of SteelBlue Building Components
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hree years ago, when we first exhibited at ISS, we were unpacking product samples from cardboard boxes in a hallway. Fast forward to 2025, and we’ve just closed a record-breaking Q1 with our largest trade show presence ever. The question I’m asked most frequently isn’t about our manufacturing process or product specs—it’s about how we’ve achieved such rapid growth in what many consider a down market.

The answer is remarkably simple: We do what we say we’re going to do.

This shouldn’t be noteworthy. It shouldn’t be a competitive advantage. Yet time and again, customers express genuine surprise when we deliver exactly as promised. When we say your shipment will arrive Tuesday, it arrives Tuesday. When we commit to a timeline, we honor it. When challenges arise, and they inevitably do, we communicate transparently and resolve issues with urgency—our newest core value.

The storage industry deserves better than broken promises disguised as supply chain issues or ambiguous timelines. Too many suppliers have conditioned customers to expect delays, excuses, and frustration. We’ve rejected this model from day one.

Our approach is working. This growth hasn’t come from marketing gimmicks or price wars but from building trust through consistency and accountability.

Recently, during breakfast with a potential customer, they mentioned, “That’s what we hear about who you guys are.” Our reputation precedes us because reliable performance speaks volumes in an industry where missed deadlines cascade into costly project delays.

Our teams operate with what I call “PO to CO” urgency; from purchase order to certificate of occupancy, we’re focused on getting customers off their projects so they can start making money. This mindset permeates everything we do, whether we’re serving major developers or local owner-operators building their first facility.

As we expand our product lines to include commercial door series and boat/RV storage solutions, we remain anchored to this fundamental principle. The products may evolve, but our commitment to keeping our word remains constant.

In today’s market, a company that simply delivers what it promises shouldn’t stand out. But until that changes, we’ll continue to differentiate ourselves through reliability, transparency, and unwavering commitment to customer excellence.