Douglas Reniger and Paul Gillett founded Douglas Steel Fabricating in 1952. The company started in an 11,000-square-foot plant in Lansing, Mich. Many of the earliest projects were designed and built by Douglas Steel using steel joist designs. The company specializes in pedestrian bridges, crane runways and truss-framed industrial building. Douglas Steel began expanding with the construction of a new fabrication facility on the west side of Lansing. Within seven years, the new plant was nearly doubled in size, creating more than 50,000 square feet of fabrication space under roof. The new plant was equipped with machinery for material handling, sawing, shearing, drilling, multiple punching, automated welding, burning, blasting and painting. Douglas Steel has completed many projects for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Through certification with the Michigan Department of Transportation, Douglas Steel became one of the premier Michigan suppliers of steel bridges for the expanding state highway network. Douglas Steel Fabricating has built civic arenas, schools, government buildings, shopping malls, factories, industrial tanks, vessels, conveying equipment, warehouses, hospitals, powerhouses and airport terminals.