Deansteel Manufacturing Company first ventured into the sheet metal business in 1856 when Joseph Dean, the great-great uncle of Company President John Dean, learned the craft of sheet metal working as an Indentured Apprentice issued by the Crown of England. After completing his apprenticeship, Joseph and his wife immigrated to Texas and set up shop in San Antonio. His primary business consisted of fabricating common steel household items like pots and pans, rain gutters, and stove pipes to name a few. The Dean name quickly earned a reputation throughout South Central Texas as a mark of quality workmanship.