Founded in 1992 by Tim Puetz, the current president, Reliable Steel, Inc. began its work in the Las Vegas market with impressive clients: MGM Theme Park and Luxor Hotel and Casino are only two among other jobs on the world-famous Las Vegas strip.

Puetz moved to Las Vegas in 1972 and held a variety of jobs that led him to the position he is in today. He worked as a Schwinn mechanic, as a union iron worker for his step father, a company that was eventually sold to Quick Erectors, a steel erector that works throughout the United States. When his step father retired, it allowed Puetz to become the regional vice president of the company. Puetz’s experience eventually allowed him to found Reliable Steel, bringing impressive and famous projects throughout the state of Nevada.

With 79 employees and an annual revenue of $23 million, they hold steel, construction, and iron workers in house, relying on subcontractors for fabrication. Concentrating most of their efforts on the commercial sector with some projects also in the industrial sector, Reliable Steel, as their name may betray, specializes in miscellaneous steel projects.

Projects

One of Reliable Steel’s most interesting projects is their work for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute on the Gehry-Ruvo Building, designed by world-famous architect Frank Gehry. Fabricated in China, the materials were then shipped to Las Vegas, unloaded and erected by Reliable Steel. With a $3 million budget for the erection process, it is planned to be completed early next year and is located on 1.9 acres of land on the corner of the 61-acre Union Park redevelopment project. All of this is in proximity to downtown Las Vegas.

Though the building is comprised of approximately 67,000 square feet of space it only has a footprint 30,000 square feet, with 31,000 square feet being dedicated to Clinical Care, diagnostic, neuro-imaging, and clinical research. Approximately 10,000 square feet will house the Activities Center that has a capacity of 500 for special events, public education, fundraising events, think tanks, lectures, conferences, and community learning. An additional 5,100 square feet of space will contain a Wolfgang Puck designed and operated catering kitchen and restaurant.

The Museum of the Mind, one of the world’s first interactive museums of the mind and brain, is another innovative part of this project comprising 7,000 square feet. Other resources include a library, conference room, public café, and offices for Keep Memory Alive, Alzheimer’s Association, Huntington’s Association, ALS Foundation, and the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.

You may have heard of the New York New York Roller Coaster that provides some of the best views of the Las Vegas strip. Towering to 203 feet and stretching 4,777 feet, the roller coaster’s biggest drop is 144 feet and screams to a maximum speed of 67 miles per hour. The 16-passenger cars carry 1,000 riders each hour, providing a twisting and turning ride right in the center of Vegas. Yes, this is thanks to the steel work of Reliable Steel.

“The combinations of corkscrews, hills and the exhilarating, 180-degree heart line spiral will keep you gripping your harnesses,” boasts their Web site.

Reliable Steel can also proudly put their name on the most expensive privately funded construction project in United States history. Also remarkable, this is currently the largest private construction project in the world. MGM’s CityCenter is an $11 billion, 68-acre project on the strip in Las Vegas between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo hotels, eventually stretching space behind the Monte Carlo and New York New York.

This ultra modern development will be a “mini-city” with its own fire station, an on-site power plant, and vast amounts of space for pedestrians and visitors. CityCenter aims to achieve its LEED certification, keeping with Vegas’ trend of being a leader in green building.

These are only some of the features of this impressive project: 165,000 square feet of casino space, 225,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, 500,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, 2,000-seat theater, a 70,000 square-foot spa, and a 1,543-unit Vdara Condo and Hotel Tower, are among its other impressive feats.

Reliable Steel is currently involved in two additional LEED projects, one being Fontiane Bleau. This extravagant 3,812-room, 725-foot project has 63 stories and contains a hotel, condos, and a casino. The $2.9 billion development sits on 24.5 acres and also features a pool and 27 different restaurants and lounges.

Scaling Down to Scale Up

Reliable Steel is realistic about the economic slump the world is currently facing. “We have no new projects coming now. We are going to be the size we were in 2006 and probably stay there comfortably for at least a year. We hope by 2009 to begin growing again,” said Puetz.

The next six months will bring a 50 percent decline in Reliable Steel’s workforce that will eventually allow the company to restructure and begin growth, ideally, within the next year.

Attaining loans for projects is a challenge for all markets and one that Reliable Steel has seen impact their sector of the industry, despite their somewhat insulated market in the prosperous Vegas landscape.

“[The mortgage crisis] started in the residential market, then filtered down into the retail, condo, and hotel markets. Some projects have been canceled and some have been put on hold,” added Puetz.

Relying on suppliers in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, California, and Utah, the company values these important relationships, especially in today’s current market, and looks to their subcontractor’s past history, quality, speed, and availability when deciding on who to use.

“I live my business. It is always a concern and never goes away,” said Puetz. The care he puts into his company can be seen in the quality of clients and projects Reliable Steel completes. Acknowledging the economic challenges that lie ahead does not mean the company is not planning for when they have mounted this challenge. In the next five years, they plan to “keep [our] thumbs on everything in Las Vegas and Nevada,” Puetz predicted. Regardless of the economic landscape, Reliable Steel is sure to develop theirs.