He could hear the creaking of his business under the weight of post-9/11 stress, but the Phoenixville-founded small business that would later be rebranded as Steel City Displays banded together to emergeunbroken.

“When the 9/11 incident happened, all travel shut down,” Owner Bob Heck said in a Phoenixville Patch business profile. “There were no trade shows for months. There was no income coming in during that time.”

But the family-like culture endured the tragedy to continue designing and making displays and graphics for trade show exhibitors, museums, visitor centers and businesses — as well as to invest in the future of the community around it through support of the YMCA, summer youth athletics and historical societies.

“There is nothing better than working where you live,” Heck said in the article. “Our first employees were almost all parents of my kid’s friends. So any time school was closed, we were all close by and could manage the kids at home. In today’s world of two-income families, that was a major benefit and was truly appreciated.”

Now in Malvern, Steel City Displays continues to leave a lasting mark on the community.

“I am a history buff and have always been aware of the impact the steel mill has on the town,” he said. “Steel is synonymous with strength.”

Read more about Steel City Displays on Phoenixville Patch here.