History of Morse Steel
In 1884, Robert I Morse left everything he knew in San Francisco and moved his wife and infant son to the town that would become Bellingham, Washington. With the proceeds from their property back in San Francisco, R.I. Morse purchased inventory of hardware and supplies for $3000, and opened up his own hardware store. It was this hardware store that supported the early agricultural, logging, and mining industries with hardware, materials, and supplies. Robert’s son, Cecil Morse, ran the business when his father passed away in 1920. David Morse, the youngest son of R.I. Morse, took over the helm of the company when Cecil died in 1958. David expanded the business to supply hardware to the new industries in the area and ultimately to other small hardware stores all over the NW and in Alaska. In 1959 David invested Morse Hardware in the Steel Distribution business with the opening of small steel service center warehouse in Bellingham.
Ten years later in 1969, Morse built a larger building where Morse Steel Service’s operates today. Bob Morse took over in 1975 and led the company through many changes, including the expansion of the Steel Service Center warehouse in Bellingham and the shift into Rebar Fabrication. During the tenure of Bob Morse, the company divested and sold all of its hardware and industrial supply operation, in order to focus on the Steel Service Center and Rebar Fabrication business.
Today, Mike Morse, the fourth generation of Morse Family and fifth family member to run the business, leads Morse Steel Service. Mike is joined in leadership by Rich Olson – VP and CFO, Gord Nonhoff – General Manager, and Scott McCornack – Business Development Manager. Morse Steel Service grew from that early hardware store, into a steel service center that supplies steel and rebar to a variety of industries. Manufacturing, Fabrication, Commercial and Industrial Construction Contractors, and Industrial Maintenance Departments and many other industries represent the customers of Morse Steel. Today Morse Steel service operates a 52,000 square foot facility on 9 acres in Bellingham, Washington and delivers all over the state of Washington with a fleet of flatbed trucks.
We have a great story in our history; however, we recognize that each new day brings an opportunity to improve the service and value we create in our business. Our organization is rich with long-time co-workers who think creatively about how to best serve our customers, who have instincts for quality, and who work together to find solutions for our customers in the distribution and manufacturing services that we provide.