Steel Products
SMU Virtual Steel Summit Conference - Attendees & Speakers
Written by John Packard
June 22, 2020
So, John… What is happening with the SMU Virtual Steel Conference this week?
I am happy you asked. We continue to book more attendees as more and more companies are beginning to realize we are trying to create something unique in this age of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are pushing 300 registered attendees, and that does not include approximately 100 registrations that we have for the “live” conference that have yet to respond to moving to virtual. With fingers crossed we hope to be near 400 attendees by this time next week.
The SMU Virtual Steel Summit Conference will be the largest flat rolled and plate steel conference in North America – live or virtual – during 2020.
Speakers for this year’s event include (this is not all of the speakers as we are expanding our program): David Burritt, President & CEO, U.S. Steel; Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President & CEO, Cleveland-Cliffs/AK Steel; Leon Topalian, President & CEO, Nucor; Alan Beaulieu, Managing Director, ITR Economics; Phil Bell, President, Steel Manufacturers Association; Timna Tanners, Metals & Mining Analyst, Bank of America; Paul Lowrey, Managing Director, Steel Research Associates; Ryan Avery, The Keynote Speaker, Avery Today, Inc.; Todd Leebow, President & CEO, Majestic Steel; Tom Valvo, President-Global Residential, MiTek; Steve Sukup, President & CEO, Sukup Manufacturing; Frank Ruane, Executive Vice President, Olympic Steel; Ken Simonson, Chief Economist, Associated General Contractors; Stephen Brown, Senior Director-Corporate Financial Group, Fitch Ratings; Ryan Smith, Steel Analyst, CRU; Rick Preckel, Partner, Preston Pipe; Ryan McKinley, Senior Analyst, CRU; Josh Spoores, Principal Analyst-Steel, CRU; Chris Houlden, Finished Steel Business Unit Head, CRU; Jim Vincent, Senior Director-Strategic Sales, Big Ass Fans; John Anton, Lead Steel Expert, IHS Markit…and me.
I will soon speak to how I am going to be using these speakers (and a couple more) as we weave the story of the steel industry in 2020, 2021 and beyond.
I am trying to find a solid speaker from the medical community to speak on COVID-19 (possible second wave, what companies need to be doing, etc.). I have an invitation out to the CDC to speak. If you are aware of someone you have seen or heard that might make for a good speaker, please let me know: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com
If you would like to register for the 2020 SMU Virtual Steel Summit Conference, you can do so by clicking here.
If you would like to nominate one of your employees (or yourself) for the 2020 SMU NexGen Leadership Award sponsored by the Steel Manufacturers Association, please click here.
As always, your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, President & CEO
John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Steel Products
CMC to open rebar fabrication facility in Ohio
Longs producer and metal recycler CMC plans to open a new rebar fabrication plant in Akron, Ohio.
US and Mexico take action to curb ‘unfair’ trade
The US and Mexico announced measures on Wednesday to prevent tariff evasion and protect North America’s steel and aluminum industries.
Final thoughts
First off, we hope everyone had a safe and happy July 4th holiday, with fireworks seen and BBQs attended. Many parts of the country are quite toasty at the moment, signaling that, yes, summer has indeed arrived. And looking at our most recent survey results, the summer doldrums have arrived as well.
Active rig counts recover in US, slip in Canada
US drill rig activity moved back up last week after drifting lower for four straight weeks. Meanwhile, Canadian counts slipped for the first time after a seven-week rally, according to the latest data from Baker Hughes.
AISI: US steel shipments up in May from April, off from 2023
Domestic steel shipments increased in May month over month but have fallen on-year.