Interestingly, the head of a leading metal building engineering firm describes himself as a salesman who slipped through engineering school.

His strong educational background makes that seem hardly the case, but Matthew Threadgill, general manager of Memphis' Liberty Building Systems, admits sales and engineering may seem an odd combination.

The move from engineering to sales was a gradual one for the head of the steel building manufacturer.

A civil engineer by trade, he spent a majority of the time transitioning positions within the same steel building company after his graduation from college in North Carolina.

Designing the prefabricated metal buildings that are now the company's trademark, he moved across the country with the manufacturer and advancing through the ranks over years.

The company makes, designs and sells prefabricated metal building products to commercial clients and chains nationwide.

The metal structures, manufactured at the company's plants, are used for self-storage buildings and facilities as well as for and retail stores.

Rather than turn his back on engineering, the CEO says he used his background to his advantage when selling.

"Customers tend to respect you more if you are good with technology," he said. "It instills confidence and it speeds up the process."

While he longer handles sales, he does continue to call on the steel building manufacturer's larger customers.

Success appears to be continuing for the firm. While statistics this year have shown the U.S. housing market to be declining, the market for metal buildings seems to be going strong.

When commercial real estate and retail are up, especially retail that caters to cost-conscious shoppers, business is up for many major metal building manufacturers, regardless of housing market conditions.