It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Ronald P. Sandmeyer, Sr., Chairman of the Board and our past President & CEO for 28 years from 1969 until his retirement from full-time service in 1997.  He was 95 years old.

Ron’s career with Sandmeyer Steel Company started in 1954 when he and his wife Elaine temporarily relocated from Western Pennsylvania to Philadelphia for what was supposed to be a summer job in between college semesters at the fledging Sandmeyer Steel Company, which had been founded in 1952 by Ron’s father, Paul C. Sandmeyer.

With his charismatic personality and profound communication skills, Ron quickly found a niche at the Company in sales.  What started as a temporary summer job turned into a full-time sales position, ultimately leading to Vice President of Sales and eventually Executive Vice President.

In 1969 Ron was named President and CEO at the age of 39 when Paul C. Sandmeyer unexpectedly passed away.  He led the young Company through a difficult transition period as there was no succession plan in place.  Over the next 28 years under his leadership, the Company grew to be recognized as one of the country’s leading producers of stainless steel plate products.

Ron believed in building a business that prioritized people – customers, employees, and suppliers alike. To Ron, every employee was part of his “extended Sandmeyer family,” and he made it his mission to lead with purpose, integrity, and optimism.

Even after retiring from day-to-day leadership in 1997, Ron remained a vital part of our company as Chairman of the Board. He took tremendous pride in successfully transitioning the business to the next generation, his sons Ron and Rod, and later, to his grandson Paul. Few things meant more to him than knowing Sandmeyer Steel Company would remain a family-led company, committed to the same values he spent a lifetime instilling.

Ron never missed an opportunity to offer encouragement, share wisdom, or lend his voice (often in the form of a heartfelt, and famously long, speech). He brought joy, formality, and genuine care into every room he entered. Always impeccably dressed, and always ready to talk steel, business, politics, and life.

His legacy is more than our name or our history, it’s the culture of excellence that he nurtured here every single day.

We will miss his leadership, his charisma, and his unwavering belief in what this company could achieve. But his spirit lives on in all of us at Sandmeyer Steel Company.

A copy of his obituary can be found here: Ronald P. Sandmeyer – Kain-Murphy Funeral Services