A Steel Partner Your Team Can

Count On

We know a reliable steel supplier is vital for building projects—and partnerships—that last.

The wrong partner can cause costly delays, busted budgets, and damage your reputation.

You deserve a trusted partner who keeps your projects moving and brings the expertise, capacity, and forward-thinking solutions to meet deadlines, control costs, and deliver the highest quality steel products.

We believe innovation isn’t just about growing our business

It’s about finding better ways to support yours. We are driven by one goal: helping our partners take on bigger projects, meet tighter deadlines, and keep building.

With decades of experience, we’ve helped build what matters most in the community, from strip malls to stadiums, skyscrapers, and hospitals — on time and on budget.

Today, as an employee-owned company

We continue to build on that legacy—providing additional services, expanding into new markets, and growing our team. For us, it’s never just about steel. It’s about helping builders like you develop the communities we live and work in.

Leadership

Decades of Steel, Generations of Trust

For over 140 years, Drake-Williams Steel has been helping builders bring their projects to life—with a legacy rooted in hard work, innovation, and a commitment to doing what’s right for our partners.

What started in 1882 as a small boiler company in Omaha has grown through generations of forward-thinking leadership and a willingness to evolve. From fabricating steam boilers and smokestacks to producing dragline buckets, named “Omaha Buckets,” we’ve always adapted to meet the needs of the people we serve.

In the late 1950s

We shifted our focus to structural steel and rebar fabrication, positioning ourselves to support larger, more complex building projects across the Midwest. Under the leadership of the Williams family for four generations, we expanded our capabilities, invested in world-class facilities. We built a team of people committed to delivering quality and reliability.

Drake-Williams

History

  • In 1892,

    the company, originally called Wilson Steam Boiler, was founded by John Morris Wilson and located near 19th & Pierce streets in Omaha, NE. A boiler maker named George Drake bought into the company in 1893. Later in 1897, Hugh Williams also bought in, and the company name was changed to Drake-Wilson & Williams Company.

  • In 1901,

    George Drake died and another investor, Ernst O. Mount came into the company. The following year, the capital invested by Mount enabled the company to purchase the land at 23rd & Hickory Streets in Omaha, NE. This location is still home to our Rebar Division and our Corporate Offices. It was at this time that the company first incorporated under the new name of Drake-Williams-Mount Company.

  • In 1913, 

    Hugh Williams’ two sons, Arthur (Art) and Walter (Walt), became active in the business just prior to the start of World War I. In those days the company’s primary products were steam boilers, tanks, smokestacks and breechings.

  • In 1931,

    at the request of a customer, the company started making dragline buckets. This new product line, named “Omaha Buckets”, helped Drake-Williams-Mount survive The Great Depression as well as World War II. Hugh Williams died soonafter, leaving Art and Walt to run the business. In 1955 Walt was forced to retire due to health concerns and Art, nicknamed “Buckets”, became President.

  • In 1958,

    due to dwindling demand for their current products, the company’s focus shifted to the fabrication of structural steel and being a warehouse supplier of steel products. It was at this time the name was changed to Drake-Williams Steel. During this time, Art’s two sons Hugh (II) and Mike joined the business. Then in 1964, Art retired from active participation in the company and Hugh and Mike took over. They began building and equipping the company to be an accomplished fabricator of structural steel.

  • In the late 1970’s

    the fourth generation of Williams’ joined the company. Hugh’s sons John and Dave started to learn the business from the ground up. The focus of the company remained in structural steel and the warehousing of steel products, and at the same time they dabbled in the rebar business. It wasn’t until 1985 that they got serious about being a rebar fabricator.

  • In the early 1990’s,

    following the purchase of our facilities at 1602 North 11th Street, Hugh and Mike retired and sold the business to John and Dave. This new property required a tremendous amount of renovation, but provided the company with the necessary room to grow. Over the next few years, building renovations, additions and equipment purchases turned the 11th Street plant into a world-class fabrication facility.

  • In 2008

    Hugh W. Williams II published the book Steel Resolve – A Story of Endurance. The book details the dramatic history of the company now known as Drake-Williams Steel, Inc., and is currently available on Amazon.com.

  • Today,

    through the dedication and hard work of loyal employees, Drake-Williams Steel has grown dramatically in expertise, capability, and capacity. With continuous development of new products, Employee Owned Drake-Williams Steel, Inc. looks forward to continued success for many generations to come.