Dave Lucas bought Schererville Steel Co. in July 2003, just about the time the market for steel began climbing because of high demand from China.

But it wasn't the steel market that has pumped the almost 40-year-old structural steel fabricating business to record sales in 2004. Lucas credits the company's success to his staff, its new philosophy and the relationship and reputation it has build with general contractors as well as the general state of the economy.

Lucas, a Schererville native who resides in Hobart, had been a sales representative and estimator at Schererville Steel Corp. for about a year before he approached the company's owner about buying it.

"I approached them to sell in April or May," he said. "I knew they were having a bad time."

After the purchase was complete and Schererville Steel Corp. became Schererville Steel Co., Lucas brought in new, experienced staff and changed the company's focus from doing industrial work in the mills to providing structural steel for commercial projects.

"We started to build relationships with a few general contractors," he said. "We built a good reputation and from there we were able to go after some decent size jobs."

During 2004, the company provided the steel for the Purdue Technology Center in Merrillville, both the Halsted and the Sheffield buildings at AmeriPlex at the Port in Portage, and an 850,000-square-foot warehouse in Bolingbrook. It currently is supplying the structural steel for the Indiana University Northwest Medical Education Center and a new parking garage at Purdue University Calumet.

"We're real busy," Lucas said. "I think a lot of it is because of the low interest rates. There's a perception things are slow in this region, but there's a lot of building going on. ... Owners are releasing job after job after job."

The company's 2004 sales total just above $6 million, considerably higher than its previous record of $3.4 million set in 2000. Although the price of steel soared in 2004 and its availability declined, Schererville Steel also had record margins.

"Business is very good," Lucas said. "(Steel) prices are up, but business is up even more."

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