---
title: "Business Next Door: Barone Steel's Multi-Generation Story"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/7a341c7f-3dc2-4cb2-a25c-acb89c3410f0
source_url: "https://bobbylawrence.substack.com/p/toplinebottomline-business-next-door-216"
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/business/stack/86d29f7c-0689-451c-bbf5-f933009279fb
summary: "Barone Steel is a family-owned steel fabrication company founded in 1954 by Sicilian immigrants that has grown into a 200+ person operation working on iconic NYC buildings like the Flatiron and Woolworth Building. The company's success is built on their guiding principle of reputation over price, and they are expanding with a new 80,000 square foot facility in Newark."
tags: "family-business, steel-fabrication, generational-company, new-york-city, blue-collar, reputation, industrial"
key_entities: "Ralph Barone (person), Bobby Lawrence (person), Barone Steel (organization), Matthews Real Estate Investment Services (organization), New York City (location), Brooklyn (location), Newark (location), Queens (location), Business Next Door (event), Reputation Is Everything (concept)"
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---

# Business Next Door: Barone Steel's Multi-Generation Story

Topline/Bottomline: Barone Steel's Multi Generation Story | Business Next Door Business Next Door is a monthly video series spotlighting family owned and blue collar businesses across New York City. Bobby Lawrence Mar 01, 2026 4 Share This month on Business Next Door, I sat down with Ralph Barone of Barone Steel, a family-owned steel fabrication company that has been helping build New York City since 1954. What started as a two-man blacksmith shop founded by Sicilian immigrants has grown into a 200 plus person operation working on some of the most iconic buildings in America, including the Flatiron and the Woolworth building. In this episode we talk about: What it’s like to run a business with your brother for 25 plus years. How they made the jump from ornamental work to structural installation. Why reputation matters more than price. Why Ralph was initially hesitant about his son joining the business. And why they are leaving Brooklyn for an 80,000 square foot facility in Newark. There is nothing flashy about this business. They do not even have a website. But through years of grit and discipline, and by living their guiding principle — Reputation Is Everything — Barone Steel has quietly built and scaled a generational company that continues to bet on growth. If you care about generational businesses, New York City real estate, or what it really takes to operate at scale, this one is worth watching! Bobby Lawrence is a Vice President at Matthews Real Estate Investment Services, where he helps clients buy and sell industrial buildings, land, and development sites in Brooklyn and Queens. The views here are his own and don’t reflect those of Matthews. Bobby Lawrence Bobby.lawrence@matthews.com (908) 616-5799 4 Share