Steel Products

Steel Summit Agenda is Shaping Up
Written by John Packard
April 3, 2018
Steel Market Update has been diligently working toward completing our SMU Steel Summit Conference agenda. We have been intentionally taking our time as we wait for market developments to mature and provide guidance as to what subjects will be the most pressing to the manufacturing companies, fabricators, steel distributors, steel mills, trading companies, toll processors and suppliers to these industries who attend our conference. Registrations are closing in on 250 executives, and we are on pace to exceed last year’s record attendance. We anticipate 800 executives will attend this year’s event. Below is our schedule, and the holes that we have left are intentional. We just confirmed our end of the program keynote speaker, Ron Insana, a political and economic commentator with CNBC. We firmly believe this year’s conference will be the premier networking and information event for those involved with the steel industry in North America.
Monday, August 27, 2018 | |
10:00 – 5:30 PM |
Registration |
Pre-Summit Programs are located at the GICC in Salons 4-5 | |
1:30 – 2:00 PM | Let’s Ask Lewis: A Conversation With a Washington Trade Attorney. Lewis Leibowitz, Owner The Law Office of Lewis E. Leibowitz |
2:00 – 2:45 PM | Digital Transformation of Steel Distribution: Changing the Way Steel Is Bought and Sold in The Digital Age. Gisbert Rühl, Chairman Klöckner & Co SE |
2:45 – 3:00 PM | Break – Sponsored by: Priefert Steel |
3:00 – 4:00 PM | Digital Transformation: How to Begin the Process With Implementation Tools for Your Company. Stephen Pratt, Chief Executive Officer Noodle.ai Second speaker to be announced soon |
4:00 – 5:30 PM | Networking Reception: It’s All About Building Relationships. Sponsored by: Steel Dynamics, Inc. |
Pre-Summit Reception is located at the GICC in Salons 6-8 (Exhibit area) | |
Tuesday, August 28, 2018 | |
7:00 – 8:00 AM | Doors Open at GICC Registration Georgia International Convention Center – South Lobby Coffee & Pastries Salons 6-8 (Exhibit area) |
8:00 – 8:30 AM | Welcome to the 8th SMU Steel Summit Conference John Packard, President & CEO Steel Market Update |
8:30 – 9:30 AM | KEYNOTE Presentation: The U.S. vs. The World: Trade & Treaties. Grant Aldonas, Principal Managing Director & Former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade 2001-2005 Split Rock International |
9:30 – 9:50 AM | Break – Sponsored by: Midwest Materials, Inc. |
9:50 – 10:50 AM | Canada, Mexico, NAFTA and the World: The View for Steel. Chris Houlden, Research Manager CRU Paul Lowrey: Managing Partner Steel Research Associates, LLC The Unaccounted Imports: Indirect Steel Trade Third speaker to be announced soon. |
10:50 – 11:10 AM | Break – Sponsored by: Red Bud Industries |
11:10 – 12:00 PM | A Deep Dive on Commodities – Ferrous Scrap, Zinc, Aluminum, and Steel. Lisa Reisman, Co-Founder & Executive Editor MetalMiner Peter Meyers, VP of Ferrous Sales & Marketing Metalico, Inc. |
12:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch – Sponsored by: Nucor |
1:00 – 2:00 PM | The Debate Continues – Steel Industry Forecasts: 2019 and Beyond. Timna Tanners, Research Analyst, Metals and Mining Bank of America Merrill Lynch John Anton, Senior Principal Economist IHS Markit |
2:00 – 2:30 PM | What Do You Think? Interactive with SMU App. John Packard, President & CEO Steel Market Update |
2:30 – 2:50 PM | Break – Sponsored by: All Metals |
2:50 – 4:00 PM | Transportation: Dealing with the Priority Issues Rebecca Brewster, President and Chief Operating Officer American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) More speakers to be announced soon |
4:00 – 5:30 PM | Networking Reception: Making New Friends and Business Relationships Sponsored by: Heidtman Steel Salons 6-8 (Exhibit area) |
Wednesday, August 29, 2018 | |
7:00 AM | Doors Open at GICC Registration GICC – South Lobby Coffee & Pastries Salons 6-8 (Exhibit area) |
8:00 – 8:15 AM | Critical Concepts for 2018 & Beyond John Packard, President & CEO Steel Market Update |
8:15 – 9:30 AM | KEYNOTE Presentation: Beware the Straight Line. Dr. Alan Beaulieu, President & Principal ITR Economics |
9:30 – 9:50 AM | Break – Sponsored by: Union Partners |
9:50 – 10:40 AM | CEO of Nucor One-On-One with SMU Publisher. John Ferriola, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & President Nucor |
10:40 – 12:00 PM | Manufacturing Forecast: Anything’s Possible, What’s Likely? Kirk Reich, President and COO AK Steel Barry Zekelman, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Zekelman Industries More panelists to be announced soon. |
12:00 – 12:45 PM | Lunch – Sponsored by: Modern Metals |
12:45 – 2:00 PM | SPECIAL PRESENTATION Politics in America: The State of Fortress America. Ron Insana, Business & Political Analyst CNBC and MSNBC A Presentation you won’t want to miss |
2:00 – 2:45 PM | Panel on Trade To be announced soon |
2:45 – 3:00 PM | Conference Concludes – Until We Meet Again. John Packard, President & CEO Steel Market Update |

John Packard
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