History

In 1968 Tom Brannon left a job with Dominion Bridge, sold his house and started T.A BRANNON STEEL with partner George Fuller and six employees.

“My dad was in steel all his life. He left a job, sold his house and moved the family into an apartment so he could set up a 2,000 square foot shop in Etobicoke in 1968, providing oxy-fuel cutting services,” says Al Brannon, Chairman of the privately-held company.

Al was in Grade 13 at the time, and helped out working nights. He planned to attend Waterloo University but joined the company fulltime instead. He took night courses to complete his education.

A few years later BRANNON STEEL expanded to 8,000 square foot facilities in Mississauga, adding structural rolling. And by 1972, Tom Brannon bought out his partner and pursued further expansion, relocating the company to a 20,000 square feet facility on Tilbury Court in Brampton in 1973, where they added plate rolling.

“The first year we lost money.” says Al, “which was great motivation to succeed.”

And succeed they did, adding an additional 10,000 square feet in 1979. By 1980 Al was appointed President of the company. They built a second plant in Cambridge that year, adding another 12,000 sq ft of production. They sold that facility three years later.

Tom Brannon died in 1989, but the company bearing his name continued to expand, adding more production space and services, specializing in original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) throughout the 1980s and 1990s.