Charles Schwab, one of the greatest industrial and business minds of the 19th and 20th Centuries, was the first steel baron to produce the Grey beam, a continuously rolled steel beam that revolutionized the production of structural steel. Known for his breathtakingly risky investing habits, Schwab invested heavily in the manufacturing of steel armor plating prior to the Great War. As a result, Bethlehem Steel capitalized on the international arms race and became the second largest producer of steel in the world.
Schwab moved to Bethlehem in 1903 to begin his role as president of Bethlehem Steel, the city’s industrial anchor. Using his impeccable business intuition and innovative management practices, Schwab transformed Bethlehem Steel from a small town steel manufacturer into an international industrial empire. Without the presence and guiding hand of Charles M. Shwab, the small city of Bethlehem would not have known the industrial glory that became its calling card.
