Deals done on a firm handshake, first-class customer service and competitive prices have underpinned the success of Rural Steel Supplies (RSS) since 2010.
For 45 years, owner/operator Cec Fox was chief executive officer of Metalcorp Steel, previously known as Ashley and Moore and M.I. Steel.
He retired in 2009 but, after six months, decided to pour his industry experience into a new family venture, a steel business servicing rural clients.
“The aim then and now is to supply products to the rural sector while sharing my knowledge of the industry to help farmers choose supplies they need to help reduce on-farm costs,” Cec said.
“In conjunction with our staff, I have developed many steel products for rural markets including portable cattle and sheep panels, as well as cattle rails, yards and grids.”
Now 74, Cec operates the business with his wife Debbie from the family home in Moorooka, Brisbane, while his son Ben works from an office in Salisbury, Brisbane.
The family also leases a warehouse in a transport yard in Rocklea.
“Operating under this low-cost strategy allows us to pass on these savings to our customers,” he said.
RSS has established a supply chain that caters for all rural steel needs, including the organisation of a transport network that is able to cart the business’s steel products anywhere.
“We aim to make dealing with RSS as easy as possible,“ Cec said.
“We offer steel products to customers throughout rural Queensland and have supplied substantial quantities as far south as Orange in New South Wales up to Katherine in the Northern Territory.”
Cec said Ben joined the business seven years ago when the demand for RSS products was becoming too high for him to handle.
“He got into the steel industry at 18 and he is now 42 so he has brought an additional 24 years of knowledge in the steel distribution industry to the table.
“He has been a great asset for our expansion.
“In fact, Ben was so enthusiastic about learning more about the rural sector that he produced a 100-page easy reference booklet that includes steel specifications, sizes and dimensions that a farmer can have on his desk and refer to for any jobs that come up on-property.”
Cec said he had always been a firm believer in giving back to the communities that support RSS.
“Wherever RSS makes profits we put money back into the community to show our support for the rural sector.
“We would spend in excess of $30,000 annually on sponsoring the Alpha Race Club, the Pittsworth, Stanthorpe and Toogoolawah Show Societies and many more rural clubs.”
Cec said he loved what he was doing.
“I’m proud that RSS can supply material at extremely competitive prices.
“I’m proud that we have established a business for the Fox family and that Ben will eventually take it over.
“And, I’m so thankful to the rural sector for its massive and ongoing support.”
