Joe Broome

Joe Broome, Production Lead, Olympic Steel, Dover, OH

Positive, motivating leader. Exemplifies our Safety Core Value. Believes doing your best is always what’s best.

Before joining Olympic Steel in 2010, Joe Broome had never worked in the steel industry. But when a friend recommended him for a Shop Helper job at the Dover, OH division, Joe gave the steel business a chance.

“I immediately felt comfortable; I felt like I fit,” Joe says. “I began as a Shop Helper, then moved to Machine Operator; I was in Shipping/Receiving for a few years, then moved into my current role as Production Lead. I’ve never worked at a place where I feel as comfortable as I do here.”

Joe’s proud of his promotion to Production Lead and as the division’s Safety Representative, he’s even more proud of Dover’s Safety record (two straight years with zero OSHA recordable injury events) and the culture at the division. He says, “We’re complimented all the time. People are impressed by how we run our facility. It’s clean and organized; and that’s an important part of keeping everyone safe each day.”

In fact, Safety is the Core Value Joe feels he best represents because “we’re all connected to each other’s Safety – individually and as a team. When we accept accountability for making safety a priority, we’ll all do what’s necessary to keep each other safe.”

The programs that have helped Joe the most during his Olympic Steel career are two certification courses facilitated by our Human Resources team: Train-the-Trainer and Supervisor training. Joe says, “Each of these courses showed me a different perspective and helped me learn how to interact with employees.”

“Joe has empathy for his employees and strives to always do things correctly and with integrity. He is someone who motivates those around him every day through his actions and leadership,” says George Himler, Operations Manager for the Dover and Cleveland, OH divisions.

The small, but mighty crew at our Dover division is what makes Joe happy to come to work each day. “We all work together, through challenges and day-to-day interactions, to make something we’re proud to ship to our customers.”

Because Dover is a small division, the crew often works closely with the Cleveland, OH division. Joe says, “I get a lot of support from the Cleveland division when we need to work through issues. It’s important to know what resources you have available to you and who you can contact to help you work through challenges.”

Joe enjoys his job in Dover and tries every day to maintain a positive attitude. He’s looking forward to continuing to grow his career with Olympic Steel and offers this advice for others who want to build a great career, too: “Stand out! Do your job the best you can – bring it to the table and use it to your advantage. Go above and beyond – you will get noticed.”