Motor City man of steel: B.E. Company of the Year

Black Enterprise, June, 1998 by Eric L. Smith

It's a thriving business today. But those first few years were arduous. As a retired black athlete, Bing says he battled dual prejudices. "As a black with the stigma of being an ex-jock, the toughest thing for me was getting people to realize I had the intellect to get things done and that I was serious about making the leap from athletics to business," he says. Bing's potential customers and banks that he looked to for financing were both skeptical. "Too many athletes had come before me and taken an easy route by using their names to get in a door with no real risk," says Bing. "So it was, `Who is this black guy trying to get into this traditional business?' He would set up meetings with potential customers and be kept waiting for hours. That's when the meetings weren't simply canceled at the last minute. "I wasn't taken seriously in the beginning. In a lot of cases, it was a test," says Bing. "But I passed it."

Bing's banking background proved helpful in getting over this trump. Because of the seven years he spent in the Detroit banking arena, many people he trained with had moved into managerial positions in banks he was now seeking financing from. "These were people who knew me and knew what I was about," he adds. "So when I went to these people to access some loans, they knew what to expect of me. And having been trained in finance, I knew what they wanted from me."

One person who has witnessed the company grow from the very beginning is Benny White, currently safety coordinator for The Bing Group. Bing took White under his wing when White was 14 and Bing was 23. They met at a basketball camp. He became one of the first salesmen at Bing Steel, and they've been together ever since. Now 43, White says the hurdles were high in those early days.

"Everywhere we went we ran into people that thought Dave was trying to get rich overnight," White says. "But his consistency of supplying material on a timely basis and always being first class made people realize he was serious about this business and in for the long term."

White has left the employ of Bing twice, both times to pursue the long-sought goal of coaching a college basketball team. But he has always returned home--to Bing Steel. "It's the city and the relationship with Dave that brings me back. Dave has more vision that anyone I've ever met. He's always looking five years ahead. Always planning for the next challenge."

Planning ahead, Bing started his second company, Superb Manufacturing; in 1985. He says the steel service center business didn't add a lot of value to the product and initially couldn't make much money. By contrast, Superb handles actual auto manufacturing, where employees take a raw product and produce pressed steel used in functional car parts. "I needed to move up the food chain so I could get a greater return on my investment," says Bing. And he did. First-year sales for this four-employee metal stamping company were $2.4 million; in 1997, Superb had $41 million in sales and 340 workers.