However, 1926 was a particularly eventful year when TMS International was founded. Since its founding, the company has grown from a one-person Western Pennsylvania area operation into an international company with more than 4,200 teammates at nearly 70 locations around the globe.

A young Lithuanian immigrant, he began processing scrap iron and steel in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, a city outside Pittsburgh. At that time, it was the home to United States Steel’s National Tube Works, then one of the largest tube mills in the work.

Processing scrap with a hacksaw and a chisel, it took David 30 days to prepare each railcar of scrap. When he purchased a torch, production increased tremendously and David would take his new production tool home with him every night, clean it and put it under his bed.

In keeping with the tradition of the time, McKeesport was nicknamed “The Tube City.” It was only natural for David to name the company “Tube City Iron and Metal.” In 1928, the company moved to Glassport, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, and in 1987 the company was acquired by David’s grandson, Michael Coslov, and renamed "Tube City, Inc."

In 1936, Hugh Nelson and Jack Kaiser formed Kaiser-Nelson, the predecessor to International Mill Service (IMS), near Cleveland, Ohio, to engage in the slag processing and metal recovery business.

Tube City IMS was formed in December with the combination of Tube City and IMS under parent holding company Tube City IMS Corporation, to form the largest outsource provider of products and services to the steel industry in North America, with an expanding presence worldwide.

Then in 2013, the company was acquired by The Pritzker Organization of Chicago, Illinois, and in 2016, Tube City IMS Corporation officially changed its corporate name to TMS International Corporation. The name was changed to reflect the company’s growing global presence and growth.

“To mark 100 years of existence is an extraordinary achievement and shows the resilience and excellence of TMS,” said Joel Hawthorne, TMS President and CEO. “One hundred years is a milestone very few companies ever reach and it is one we do not take lightly. This anniversary celebrates the unwavering spirit, dedication, and pioneering vision of everyone who built and sustained our legacy. We stand on the shoulders of generations before us who have persevered and built the foundation.”

When he founded the company 100 years ago, David Coslov set out with a simple but powerful belief: “Take care of the customer, deliver excellent service and always for work safely.” That is still TMS’s mission today...to provide safe and outstanding service to its customers. His vision and courage created the foundation for success and the basis of our core values today.

Since then, many members of the Coslov family provided leadership, which was then continued by the leadership of Joseph Curtin, TMS’s retired Chairman, President and CEO, and Raymond Kalouche, retired President and CEO, and now Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The company has seen competitors come and go, some new entering the market and long-term competitors reinvent themselves. And repeatedly, TMS has emerged stronger. That resilience is a direct reflection of the incredible people who make up the culture of this organization.

“As we celebrate our 100th anniversary, we are not looking backward—we are looking ahead. We will continue to honor our heritage by investing in our people, fostering a culture of safety, integrity, creativity and collaboration, and embracing innovation as we build the future. We are excited about what lies ahead and eager to write the next chapter of the TMS story…together. We are more energized than ever to serve our stakeholders, customers, work with our partners and support the communities in which we operate in the decades to come. Here is to the next 100 years!”