Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
July 31, 2019
My final thoughts will be just that as I remember the life of Asa Jonathan Berkowitz, Managing Director for Cotia (USA) Ltd. I met Asa at a Bank of America Merrill Lynch dinner hosted by Timna Tanners in New York City. At first, I was a little wary of Asa and I think he felt the same about me. As the evening wore on, and as I got to know him better over the years, I found him to be engaging and very passionate about the steel business.
Asa was a bright man, a student of the industry, and a graduate of Yale University (’68), a fact I did not know until his passing earlier this week at age 72. He served in the U.S. Army before spending 40 years in the steel industry. Asa spent 22 years with Cotia, which is a subsidiary of one of the largest Brazilian-based foreign trading companies.
What I remember about Asa is the way he could dissect what was happening in the steel market in as few words as possible. He went straight to the core issue, exposed it and provided his perspectives on how the issue was going to impact the greater steel industry.
I asked BofA analyst Timna Tanners to express some thoughts about Asa since I had met him through her. She told me, “Asa was a dynamic figure in the NE steel industry and taught me a lot about steel trade and import dynamics. Knowing him over the past 15 years, he had a unique integrity, market savvy, and loyalty that touched everyone who met with him. He will be very missed.”
Asa’s untimely death after a sudden illness has given me pause and cause to reflect on my own life in the steel industry. Today is Steel Market Update’s anniversary. I started Steel Market Update 11 years ago this month because I wanted to make a difference and to provide insights into the market that were not readily available through other publications.
I care about the industry—and more importantly about the people who make up the industry. It’s the relationships with so many of you that have allowed SMU to grow and prosper. It’s the reason I started the training workshops and the SMU Steel Summit Conference. It’s about developing and nurturing the connection between people. Ultimately, we are all human with a beginning, a middle and an end. We should all just hope we do enough in life to be remembered as fondly as Asa.
I dedicate tonight’s issue to Asa Berkowitz who I found to be so unique, interesting, alive and passionate about the steel world in which we live.
As always, your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, President & CEO
John Packard
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