1955 Marvin Totten establishes the first Totten Tubes warehouse at 6133 McKinley Avenue in South Central Los Angeles. The building occupies 6,000 square feet, containing a crane that only covers one-third of the distance of the bay.

Marvin works as the only salesman. A man named Barney Bunch works in the office and doubles in the warehouse. Barney is responsible for taking orders, packing them, and delivering them himself in the company’s only truck.

They eventually acquire an abrasive saw, a thin grinding wheel that’s five feet wide and throws out sparks.

When industry employers gather to discuss business, the common opinion is that Totten Tubes Inc. won’t survive. At the time, many other distributors are in town, including Percival Steel, Ducommon, Ziegler Steel, and U.S. Steel Supply. It will be these other distributors that eventually go out of business.