The Matandy founder was honored last month with the David L. Belew Legacy Award from the Hamilton Community Foundation, and out of the numerous accolades he had received, this honor ranks high for Pfirman, who said he considered Belew “a mentor, and more importantly, a friend.”
“He was a legend in my mind,” said Pfirman after accepting the honor at the Courtyard by Marriott. “Although Hamilton will have good people, good ambassadors, there’s never going to be another Dave Belew. He was one of a kind, and I was proud he was my friend.”
The David L. Belew Legacy Award was established in 2010 to honor the contributions of its namesake. Belew, who died in October 2024 at 93, had a lifelong commitment to improving Hamilton, both through leadership at Beckett Paper Company and his volunteer work, which set the standard for the kind of dedication this award honors.
Whether it is ironic or serendipitous that Pfirman was honored with an award named for his friend, it was Belew who gave the steel company founder advice some 25 years ago that impacted the future of Matandy Steel.
Pfirman said he was looking for the right person for a specific job. During a lunch, Belew told Pfirman: “Hire someone you know and who knows you. Hire someone you believe in, and who believes in you. Hire someone you totally trust, and once you hire them, let them do their thing, don’t hold them back.”
He filled that job with the right person but took that “simple advice” to heart, “and the rest, as they say, was history.”
Schuster said one act of leadership that exemplified Pfirman happened in 2022, when the company’s founder chose not to sell the company he founded in 1987. Investing in his people at Matandy Steel and its subsidiaries, JN Linrose and Lamp Metal Trusses, and became employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP.
“He ensured Matandy’s future would remain firmly planted in Hamilton and the people who helped build its success will share in it,” said Schuster. “It was a powerful act.”
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