From a welding class taken to build a trailer hitch to forging Idaho’s future, Rob Roberts founded R&M Steel Company in 1969 after relocating from Pennsylvania, transforming a simple passion into a globally recognized enterprise. The company relocated to an 80-acre Caldwell site in 2000 and employs 62 people, manufacturing custom pre-engineered metal building systems shipped worldwide.
Roberts’ wife Nancy describes him as a perfectionist who manufactures the highest quality buildings, earning customer loyalty through products that never fail. Operating debt-free since inception, the company has never borrowed a single dollar, demonstrating Roberts’ conservative business principles.
Beyond commercial success, Roberts has earned recognition as Idaho’s “Friend of Education.” Together with Nancy, he has designed and donated 33 steel structures to schools throughout Idaho and eastern Oregon, specializing in career-technical education facilities.
As the company marks 50 years in business, agriculture and aviation remain leading revenue contributors, with Roberts continuing to guide the enterprise he built from the ground up.


