AIW History AIW Mission Statement

For over 130 years, Alamo Iron Works has been known as the Industrial General Store of Texas. Now a major supply network, over 70% of Alamo's business is in the distribution of over 40,000 different products manufactured by leaders in the industrial supply industry. The remainder of our business is derived from our steel service center, steel fabrication, machine shop, and foundry operations.

The main office and Supply Center of Alamo Iron Works is located on 24 acres at 943 AT&T Center Parkway in San Antonio, Texas.

Where did it all begin? The oldest available documented records mention an Iron and Brass Foundry in San Antonio in 1875. At that time the company was owned by the partnership of J. Schuhle and R.G. Nixon. Their ad boasts that they were manufacturers of "all kinds of iron fonts, jails and cells, cemetery railing and verandas." They also manufactured bank safes, iron shutters and a variety of iron and brass castings. This business changed with the arrival of George Holmgreen.

The German-born Holmgreen joined the partnership and soon became the sole owner. Later, his two sons joined him and together made AIW grow into a one-acre company that had assets totaling $75,000 in 1899. The company, by the way, had to move to the outskirts of San Antonio due to its noisy operations. AIW grew from an obscure shop set up in a shack to one of the largest industries of its kind in South Texas during the 1920's. It now included branches in Corpus Christi, Brownsville and Houston. The main branch in San Antonio had grown to include a concrete Machine Shop, a Foundry, a Structural Shop and a Reinforcing Shop. When "The Depression" hit Texas, along with the rest of the U.S., Alamo Iron Works suffered alongside everyone else. Work slowed considerably by 1931, and by 1933 shop business was at a near standstill. The year 1934 brought a slight turn-around, and by 1938 an employee incentive plan was instituted. In 1940, AIW opened yet another plant in San Angelo. During World War II at least 90% of AIW's production was devoted to manufacturing parts of the ships of the Navy and Maritime Commission. By 1946, AIW was operating on a prosperous, business-as-usual basis, once again.

The following 10 years were a time of significant growth and innovation for AIW. New machinery was being purchased, the office doubled in size, and warehouses underwent construction and completion. In 1953 a profit sharing plan for the employees was installed. Competition increased as foreign companies entered the marketplace. AIW managed to overcome this situation by consolidating production, warehousing and inventory in San Antonio.

The year 1978 marked AIW's first one hundred years in business. Improvements continued at the plant, and profits continued to grow.

Today, AIW buys large quantities of steel from mills and bulk packaged quantities of supplies from manufacturers to sell to customers in various sized quantities. AIW's service and industrial supplies are furnished to customers in the U.S. and Mexico. Bilingual personnel handle foreign transactions, correspondence, quotations and assist foreign customers who visit the plant. Call on any of our departments, and you'll find the experience and knowledge which dates back more than 100 years. You'll also find the outstanding customer service on which AIW built its reputation, during your visit at AIWnet.com.