About Us
Our History
Winchester Metals, a third-generation family-owned and operated business, has a long and proud tradition. Our origins reach back to 1917, when a young man named Louis Zuckerman fled religious persecution in Russia and sought refuge with his family in a small town in northwestern Virginia. He opened a scrap metal business, and against all the odds that faced immigrants at the time, he built up the fledgling operation to become a successful business.
The business passed to Louis’s son Charles who, in 1975, expanded the company profile with the introduction of Charles Zuckerman & Son, Inc., a new division which offered metal fabrication and distribution services. This new operation would be the seed that grew into Winchester Metals. Charles Zuckerman retired in 1989, passing control of the company to his son Steve, who also retired 12 years later in 2001. At that point, brothers Donald and Mark Phelps, took over ownership of the company, with Donald serving as President and Mark as Vice President. Mark Phelps has since retired and semi-retired Donald Phelps currently serves as CEO while his sons Josh and Ben are now President and Vice President respectively.
We are a family-owned, local company. The friendly and knowledgeable staff at Winchester Metals leverages our collective experience and expertise, helping clients achieve their goals, regardless of the scope of the particular project. It’s the people who make Winchester Metals the company that it is, and we continue to strive to recruit and retain the best people in the industry to join our team.
At Winchester Metals, we approach each project as an opportunity to build a long-lasting relationship. Our customers aren’t numbers; they’re real people with whom we build connections that are as strong as the metals we provide. It’s the way that we do things.
Just as building a long-term relationship takes time, so, too, does building a business that is designed to last. That’s why we’ve focused on expanding our operations one piece at a time over the last few decades. In 1999, we implemented a fully-integrated software system that handled all areas of business operations, ushering in a new era of improved efficiency and customer service. Following the addition of 12,500 square feet of manufacturing space in 2002, we further upgraded our software systems in 2013. Since we've added automatic saws, 2 lasers, precision brakes, plasma with bevel, PEM hardware machines and more!!!
Of course, adding new technology and equipment is only one part of the success equation. At Winchester Metals, we pride ourselves on delivering an unparalleled level of service everyday. Our customers run the gamut from major construction contractors overseeing large-scale projects to homeowners who have a weekend project that requires a sheet of metal. No matter who it is that walks through our door, we do everything in our power to cater to their needs. We never impose minimum requirements for shipments, and we always do what we say we’re going to do. Our words are our guarantee.
We’ve come a long way since Louis Zuckerman came to Winchester, and we’re positive that he’d be proud of our efforts. We’ve expanded our operations to cover five different states, with annual orders well over five thousand tons of metal. And while those numbers don’t put us at the top of any national list in terms of volume, we’re okay with that.
Winchester Metals was built on a foundation of hard work and dedication to making our customers happy. It’s a guiding principle that defines our success – past, present and future.