Nightingale expands in Lincoln, saves jobs from Quincy firm

The reality had been clear to Donald McClean of McClean Steel in Quincy,
Mass. for some time: His business of 37 years was in trouble. And so
were his workers.
The stainless steel product distributing business which served him,
his father before him, and dozens of McClean workers over many years was
faltering. He knew he needed a buyer. But he wanted someone who wouldn’t
dump his employees.
Nightingale Metals Inc. in Lincoln was that company.
Nightingale, which provides metal products for the construction,
automotive, food service, and other industries, acquired the company
Dec. 1, 1998. All of its workers were offered jobs. Now, 11 McClean
workers will move to Lincoln to join Nightingale. The few who decided
not to move were young workers, said Marc McClean, Donald’s son and the
product manager for the company.
Before it acquired McClean, Nightingale was deficient in the
stainless steel end of its business, said President David Slaven.
“They offered a product line that we were very weak in,” Slaven said.
“This is a great way to plug the gap.”
Nightingale, which was formed in Providence in 1820 as Dyer & Brown
Co. and maintains that it is the oldest continuously operated metal
service center in the country, has 24 employees now and will hire
another five in addition to the transfers from Massachusetts, Slaven
said. The workers will range from professional sales, accounting, truck
drivers and blue collar employees, he added.
McClean for the last few years had subtracted, rather than added,
employees. It repeatedly cut costs as its market dived, the victim of
what Marc McClean called “Asian dumping,” the flooding of the U.S.
market with cheap goods. With prices down and the market overall
languishing, McClean said his company needed to diversify. Merging with
Nightingale will provide that stability, he indicated.
“(We) put the company up for sale to have someone come in and give us
a boost of energy,” McClean said. “It was a perfect fit.”
Now, McClean brings its customers to Nightingale, which started in
Providence as a blacksmith shop, and over its 179 years has manufactured
cannonballs (during the Civil War) before becoming a forging shop,
foundry, and full-line metal service center. It has also manufactured
harpoon tips.
The company has operated at 3 Crownmark Drive in Lincoln since 1992.
For the 30 years prior to that it was located in East Providence.
Half of the McClean workers making the move are already working in
Lincoln. The rest will be there by mid January, Slaven said.
McClean said his father, 72, held onto the business until he could
find a buyer who would be a good match for his company and who could
keep his workers employed after the acquisition. Nightingale’s Slaven
fit those criteria.
“He didn’t want to sell the company and take the money and run,”
McClean said. “My father held out for someone like Dave Slaven to come
along.”