PITTSBURGH (PTTP) – Leah Curry’s time at Pitt as a grad student was different than one
of an ungraded student where she would work during the day and come to school at night, but
she describes it as being “exactly what she needed.” She found that she got the knowledge and
application that she felt like she needed during her time at Pitt.
Her path started out going in a different direction than she ended up in. She was initially going
for medical marketing, but then decided to go on more of the retail and communications route.
During her first semester at Pitt, she presented for American Eagle and was
asked if she wanted to work with them. She easily took the job and ended up getting her MBA
paid for. After this, she ended up taking the self-employment route and creating her own business,
Keystone Steel, but she said that “the knowledge she got from the opportunity that was generated
by Pitt led me to be able to run a business, have a whole team of employees, and sell
products.”
In 2016 Leah came up with the idea of her business, Keystone Steel. Her husband was building a
plasma table that cuts metal and after she ordered a steel ornament for Etsy she decided to try to
make one of her own. She said this idea was a “spark of a lightbulb.” During the next few
months, while still at Pitt, she worked around the question “How do I turn this metal cutting into
an actual business?” She ended up doing just that. After much thought and planning a few
months go by and she ends up buying her table and things go up from there. She has a team
of women who cut and ship steel ornaments, decor, and even candles. In the past, they got their
start at craft shows, but after growing exponentially they focused on shipping personal orders and
wholesale and working with bigger clients such as Pitt and even NASA.
Leah talks about how she loves what she does and being able to have a flexible schedule is
perfect for her. She is very proud of where she is, but she is especially thankful for it all. She
says, “I’ve built a career that I really enjoy because of the path Pitt set me on.”
For more information check out, https://keystonesteelco.com/