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Lapham-Hickey Steel Corporation has acquired the operating assets of Crystal Steel Corp., Middleton, Mass. Crystal Steel is a distributor of carbon steel coil products.

The company was founded in 1979 by John Diamont, who has grown Crystal Steel into a leading distributor of hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated slit coil in the New England market.

Over the next three months, Lapham-Hickey will be transitioning the Crystal equipment, inventory and customer service into the company’s Pawcatuck, Conn., location. Bob Edelstein, general manager of Crystal Steel, will join Lapham-Hickey as a territory manager.

“Crystal Steel is a great complement to our existing Connecticut business,” said Brian Hickey, president of Lapham-Hickey Steel. “The addition of two of their slitting lines to our Pawcatuck facility will nearly double our capacity as well as provide us with new and improved light gauge and narrow-width capabilities.

“Our first priority will be ensuring all of Crystal’s customers experience a seamless transition with Lapham-Hickey as their steel supplier. We are excited to have Bob Edelstein on the Lapham-Hickey team with his 34 years of experience and relationships. Our goal is to grow these long-standing customer partnerships for years to come as the premier value-added coil provider in the New England market," Hickey said.

Additionally, Lapham-Hickey will relocate one of Crystal’s slitting lines to its Madison, Ill., facility. This line will provide Madison team with new light gauge slitting capabilities to service the cold-rolled and coated markets.

“I would like to thank all my employees, customers and suppliers for giving me 45 great years as the founder and owner of Crystal Steel. Dealing with Brian Hickey was a pleasure for me and I am confident that my loyal customers will find Lapham-Hickey to be an excellent source of supply,” said Diamont.