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President's Message  A Note from the Executive Director
Haley J. Brust - Executive Director (Talley Management Group) With every issue of the newsletter I have the wonderful opportunity to put down on paper Headquarter's perspective on AWMI. This month I decided to once again share with you the benefits of an Association Management Company (AMC) for an organization like AWMI. What you call Headquarters is also Talley Management Group, Inc. (TMG) an AMC in Mt. Royal, New Jersey. AWMI contracts with TMG to provide not only your headquarters, but also all of your staff and services. What prompted me to write this article again are continued questions I get from new AWMI Chapter board members. I felt it was important for everyone to understand what TMG does and how it helps AWMI and its 32 other association clients by controlling cost and providing excellent management and operations. TMG allows a small organization to share in the rent, overhead and staff costs, enabling the association to operate more like a large association but in a very cost-effective manner. AWMI retains its autonomy and its distinctiveness through its volunteer leaders who work in unison with TMG staff to implement its vision, mission and objectives. The volunteers know the industry, and the staff are experts in managing the day-to-day activities like a business. The staff is trained in all functional areas of business. By hiring TMG, AWMI now has its own accounting department, membership department, meeting department, administrative, clerical and executive staff, plus other key staff on an as-needed basis. This all leads to a profitable and successful outcome. TMG is proud to have AWMI as part of its family. I would like to close by reminding you that we are here for you, the members of AWMI. We take pride in our management of AWMI and like to hear your feedback so that we can continue to serve you to the best of our abilities. Thank you for choosing TMG as your management firm.  Get Involved with 2010 Conference Plans
Mary Becker - International Programs Chair (Chicago Chapter) It is a great honor to introduce myself as your 2010 International Programs Chair. I am looking forward to a challenging yet rewarding experience in this new role. Speaking of rewarding experiences ... planning for our Leadership Conference in September has begun, and I would like to invite all interested parties to get involved! We have committee slots open and welcome any and all input regarding this year's event in Tucson, AZ. Please feel free to contact me at mary.becker@nucor.com to share your thoughts and/or to volunteer.  Inaugural SteelOrbis Rebar & Wire Rod Conference & Networking Reception at the World of Concrete (Reprinted with permission, "Prime" - March/April 2010) The inaugural SteelOrbis Rebar & Wire Rod Conference & Networking Reception at the World of Concrete was held February 1 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event proved to have the best odds in town by providing a venue for steel professionals immersed in the rebar and wire rod industries to come together under one roof for a few hours while attending the vast World of Concrete. While the World of Concrete is host to about 60,000 individuals, the most of which are employed in the concrete, masonry, and construction industries, it had been a difficult task for rebar or wire rod traders, buyers, distributors, producers, fabricators, etc. to find worthwhile contacts amongst this large event until this year. The SteelOrbis Rebar & Wire Rod Conference & Networking Reception at the World of Concrete took the guessing game out of finding valuable business contacts for rebar and wire rod professionals. Moreover, steel professionals were able to cut-down on additional lunches and dinners with colleagues, clients or just friends during the World of Concrete because they were all in the Palms Ballroom on Monday evening. Additionally, attendees at the event were treated to hearing from some of the industry’s foremost speakers, including Jim Kerkvliet, Vice President of Commercial sales, Gerdau Ameristeel; Bill Groom, Director of Rod and Bar Sales, Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel; and Tom Keller, Executive Vice President, Macsteel International USA. Murat Askin, General Manager, SteelOrbis Americas moderated the event and introduced Mr. Groom as the evening’s first speaker. Mr. Groom was eager to be the first to engage with the full room of about 125 attendees; however, he had the unfortunate task of talking about the current state of the wire rod and rebar industries. Mr. Groom emphasized that recent spikes in prices do not reflect demand levels and therefore purchasing managers have a very difficult task ahead of them in 2010. Unfortunately, most rebar and wire rod buyers must err on the cautious side throughout this year or at least until market indicators become clearer. Mr. Groom ended his speech with a light-hearted wish that the tables and slot machines in Las Vegas treat the attendees in the room better than the wire rod and rebar markets did in 2009. The second speaker during the conference was Mr. Kerkvliet. Mr. Kerkvliet emphasized how the 2010 may end up being extremely volatile and is largely dependent on liquidity. But the most valuable trait any steel professional must possess this year in order to be successful, is the ability to react to market changes. It is important to have structured game plans geared towards certain circumstances that are likely to transpire but one must be able to quickly react to unforeseen changes as well. "We don’t know what we don’t know," was a recurring theme in Mr. Kerkvliet’s speech. Overall, Mr. Kerkvliet believes that the steel industry is facing a long bathtub shaped recovery. The goal is to get to the final curve of the deep end in good shape. Mr. Keller provided the evening’s final presentation by looking back at the 2009 long products market and what we can likely expect in 2010. Echoing Mr. Kerkvliet’s sentiments, Mr. Keller said that the most challenging aspect of 2010 is that the steel markets are not moving right now. Therefore, the market is very “confusing” and unpredictable. In 2008 everyone knew the market was going up (for the first half at least), in 2009 everyone knew it was going down, but 2010 is not demonstrating dominant trend indicators yet, especially since all prices have been cost-driven and not demand-driven. There are many important factors to closely watch in 2010, such as global economies, unemployment levels, and debt and credit lending; however, in order to best predict when a dominant trend is forming, Mr. Keller offers a simple solution; to keep close relations with your company’s end-users. Mr. Keller believes that most significant buying and selling decisions will be more specific to individual companies rather than to industries as a whole, so "the closer you are to the end consumer the easier it will be to read when true demand picks up," Mr. Keller advised the attendees. Then it was time to eat and drink, and to work on making new relations and tightening up old ones. If networking and strong customer relations are one of the keys to success in 2010, then attendees at the inaugural SteelOrbis Rebar & Wire Rod Conference & Networking Reception at the World of Concrete already have an advantage over their competition this year.  Spotlight: Sandmeyer Steel Company
Gary Orr (Marketing Manager) Sandmeyer Steel Company Sandmeyer Steel Company has been providing global solutions with materials and value-added products for process industries since 1952. We are manufacturers of stainless steel and nickel alloy plate and plate products. Sandmeyer Steel Company maintains the largest single-site inventory of specialty plate in North America. We stock over 15 million pounds at our plate processing facility in Philadelphia, PA, in 35 different alloys and in 34 different thicknesses from .1875" (4.8mm) through 6.00" (152.4mm). Plate widths are available up to 120" (3048mm). Sandmeyer Steel Company should be your first stop for all your austenitic, 6% molybdenum, ferritic, martensitic, duplex, precipitation-hardening and nickel alloy plate and plate product requirements. With over 100 pieces of value-added plate processing equipment in house, we can provide you with nearly any shape or configuration you require. From plasma cut edge beveling, to bandsaw cut plate and bar, to abrasive waterjet cut shapes, to Machincut rings and discs, to rolled and code welded rings and segments and custom fabricated products, Sandmeyer Steel Company’s value added plate processing capabilities are second to none. Better still, it’s all available under one roof, assuring you an on-time delivery and a quality product with our complete documentation package. For over 57 years, Sandmeyer Steel Company has solved the materials problems of industries such as - air pollution control, bio-energy, bio-technology, chemical processing, defense, food and beverage, marine, oil and gas processing, pharmaceutical, power generation, thermal processing, vacuum and semi-conductors, waste treatment and disposal and water treatment. If the environment requires corrosion or heat resistance, high strength or a combination of factors, Sandmeyer will have the proper alloy in the size and thickness you require to solve your problem. Our unsurpassed plate processing capabilities enables the customer to choose between near-net-shapes, semi-finished parts or stock plate sizes, depending upon what makes the most sense from an economical or time sensitive standpoint. Sandmeyer Steel Company customers can count on a competitively priced, quality product that will ship when promised along with complete and accurate documentation. An independent survey recently ranked Sandmeyer’s documentation package as the industry’s best. We supply materials to most domestic and international standards. Sandmeyer Steel Company is also a Level One supplier for the U S Navy. Sandmeyer Steel Company is truly a "global-friendly" organization. We are actively selling stainless steel and nickel alloy plate and plate products around the world and are constantly striving to update our systems to make it easier for you to do business with us. We are presently doing business in 33 countries. Sandmeyer Steel Company has Representative Offices and Sales Support Centers in Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico and Singapore (Southeast Asia). We continue to seek the best qualified representatives to support our global efforts. What really makes Sandmeyer Steel Company unique is our commitment to provide our customers with the highest level of service possible. Our attention to detail is unmatched and we still believe in relationships. None of our success would be possible without the efforts of our valued employees – the "extended Sandmeyer family". We treat each employee fairly and with the respect and dignity they deserve. As a result, our turnover is the lowest in the industry, and the experience and know-how of our people is unsurpassed. Taking care of our customers and our employees is the "Sandmeyer Way". It is a philosophy that has worked since 1952.  Loretta Wysocki Retires from Sandmeyer Steel After 46 Years Loretta Wysocki has retired from Sandmeyer Steel Company after 46 years of service. Loretta joined the company on April 14, 1964 as a clerk typist for the Sales department and then advanced the next year to executive assistant to Sandmeyer’s Vice President of Sales. Late in 1966, Loretta transferred to Sandmeyer Steel’s production department as a clerical supervisor. She graduated with two degrees (Liberal Arts & Business Administration) from St. Joseph University, Philadelphia in 1972 and in October, 1973, Loretta was promoted to the position of Inside Sales Representative in the Sales Department. She has spent the balance of her career in inside sales working with several different Regional Sales Managers and hundreds of loyal customers. Loretta has been an active member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries since 1987. She is a member of the Philadelphia Chapter and has served in a number of positions including the chapter Presidency. Following her chapter service, Loretta served as Regional Secretary for the Northeast Region and also as Northeast Regional Director. She was elected as AWMI International Secretary – a capacity she served in for 6 years. She has also served on a number of committees including the Scholarship, Bylaws, Programs and Mentoring committees. In 2003, Loretta was recognized as the AWMI International Member of the Year for 2002. She remains active as member of the AWMI Philadelphia Chapter and is the current AWMI International Mentoring Chair. AWMI wishes Loretta a healthy and happy retirement! |
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  Molly's Shoes Wendy Austin (Seattle Chapter President) One of the many people that lost their lives in the Haitian earthquake was a young woman named Molly Hightower. She was a volunteer in Haiti who gave physical therapy to orphaned children with disabilities. A cause near and dear to her heart was that all children at the orphanage should have a pair of shoes. Molly is the daughter of Mike Hightower, General Manager at Service Steel Aerospace in Tacoma, Washington. SSA felt compelled to pick up Molly's torch and carry on her cause. In addition to collecting for the rebuilding of the orphanage they continued a shoe drive knowing that many more than just children would now be in need of shoes. The word went out to metals companies all over the Pacific Northwest and spread into Oregon and California. Collection bins and boxes appeared in Service Center offices up and down the West Coast. These are the offices of many of our members, AWMI volunteers who give hours and hours of their time and talents to our organization. So it is no surprise that when a call for help went out to the metals community, they responded with enthusiasm, happy to play a small part in honoring a selfless young woman who volunteered her time and talent. Although still counting, SSA estimates 200,000+ pairs of shoes have been collected and will be transported to Haiti by the end of the month. We are grateful that our members and their companies were able to participate in such a worthwhile endeavor as "Molly's Shoes" and hope that every pair collected will deliver a bit of comfort to the Hightower home. We extend our deepest sympathy to Molly's family and friends for their tragic loss. Click here to see images from the collection drive. To learn more about how to make a donation in Molly's name, please visit Friends of the Orphans.   Western Regional Director's Report Mary Bacastow - Western Regional Director (Portland Chapter) The "roller coaster" of the economy is chugging across the plateau and no one is sure whether the ride drops like the Indiana Jones Ride in Disneyland or whether we start a slow chug up the slope, but the good news from the chapters is we have some fantastic skills in leadership. Los Angeles has the largest board, and we are seeing wonderful programs coming from that chapter. Despite its struggles due to the poor economy, AWMI's founding chapter, Northern California, is working hard to provide good meetings and to recruit new and renewed members. Their Spring industry dinner will feature Peter Campbell, Castrp® Sales and Marketing, Nucor Steel-Crawfordsville. Remember to mention AWMI to anyone you do business with in the Bay Area. Portland is showing the usual excitement in programs, membership and fundraising (many wonderful programs planned for the year.) A joint meeting with Dr. John Mitchell speaking on the economy on February 4th with PNSFA (Pacific Northwest Steel Fabricators Association) had a wonderful turnout of 88 people (44 from each group). I have to count the 88 total as so many of the chapter members are also members of PNSFA. Seattle has the creative edge of thinking outside the box for fundraising. The pumpkins decorated with metal scraps were a true inspiration for that board and the event exceeded their expectations. (Click here to see photos.) Western Region Conference Highlights Wendy Austin (Seattle Chapter President) The Western Region Conference was held on February 19-20 and was hosted by AWMI Los Angeles Chapter. Some of us started the long weekend by attending L.A. Chapter's dinner meeting on Thursday, February 18. We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed a very interesting speaker, Drew Kugler, who spoke on issues of communication and leadership. Friday was a busy day with two mill tours. The morning had us at Searing Industries in Rancho Cucamonga. Searing is a carbon steel tube manufacturer. Owner, Lee Searing, was kind enough to give us a very informative company history and then he and several other employees toured small groups through the facility. We then headed a short distance to the Steelscape facility, a top producer of painted and coated steel coil and sheet for the construction market. After introductions to a team of employees and safety instructions, we were treated to a luncheon prior to the tour. Steelscape prides themselves on not only the quality and service of their materials, but also the environment and workplace safety programs and safeguards they have in place. Attention given to all aspects of the facility's operation is more than impressive. I’m sure we all left with ideas for improvements at our own companies. After a busy day, we enjoyed a community dinner back at the hotel and a fun evening of games. Rested and ready, we began our Saturday morning meeting at 8 a.m. It was a full day with most efforts being concentrated on board training, specifically geared to programs, membership and fundraising. We also reviewed AWMI website navigation and the information contained within. We adjourned at about 4 p.m., and after many 'goodbyes', we all headed off to pack and prepare for the trip home. It was wonderful to see old friends and new faces and be inspired with new ideas. Northern California Chapter Review Mary Wardle (Northern California Chapter President) I don't think many of us were able to get through 2009 without encountering obstacles and challenges along the way – but somehow we've made it through and look to 2010 to help remind us why we are in the metals industry. As the current President of the Northern California Chapter and someone who has been in this industry since 1981, I feel a very strong commitment to this organization. We have had a very difficult past few years as the metals industry continues to leave the Bay Area and spread itself throughout Northern California. I am always reminded of how important this organization is and how strong the women are who I have had the privilege of working with on our Chapter Board. We will continue to carry the AWMI message and philosophy to others in our area. As I had mentioned earlier, 2009 was not an easy year for us, but we had those committed hearts and souls of Victoria Zanutto, Sandy Thornburg, Sharon Hays and Michele McKimmie to continue to work towards our goals of mentoring others within our organization and encourage additional involvement. As the founding Chapter for this organization, we are very committed to the success of the Northern California Chapter. We often imagine our founding members gathering in the early 1980s and the struggles they faced trying to start an organization for women in the metals industry. We feel that we have similar struggles when we work to keep this Chapter viable. We look at each other and wonder how are we going to make this a successful year with our industry spread out in a 200-mile radius – this makes the attendance at Industry functions very difficult for many. The goal will be to have dynamic Industry Dinner(s). Our planning committee met in January and we are pleased to announce that Peter Campbell from Castrip®/Nucor will be our keynote speaker at our industry dinner in April. We are also planning our first Ruth McNally Memorial Golf Tournament in May 2010. Ruth was one of our founding members who passed away in 2009 and there is no better way to honor her dedication to this organization than through our Annual Golf Tournament. |
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Letter from the Editor
Volunteerism Up in 2009