SMU Community Chat

Wednesday's Community Chat to Focus on Service Center Operations

Written by Michael Cowden

October 14, 2021

Service center executive Michael Lerman of Steel Warehouse will be the featured speaker during Steel Market Update’s next SMU Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT).

Lerman is the president of Steel Warehouse, a private, family-owned service center chain – one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. He oversees Steel Warehouse’s northern locations. Lerman was also named Metal Center News’ 2019 Service Center Executive of the Year.

We’ll speak about the challenges that come with one of the most volatile years for steel on record.

We’ll talk about stuff: managing inventory, dealing with supply chain snarls, and still getting steel out the door on time to customers. We’ll talk about business models: forecasting and steel futures. And we’ll talk about people: not only the ups and downs of a family business but also how to attract and retain workers in the middle of a pandemic.

In short, we’ll be talking about the blocking and tackling of the steel business. Please leave exotic theories and models at the (virtual) door.

The 45-minute webinar is free. You can register by clicking here.

By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Michael Cowden

Michael Cowden is managing editor for Steel Market Update. Cowden has covered the steel industry since 2007. He has since 2014 specialized in flat-rolled steel but has previously reported on steel long products, steel pipe and tube as well as aluminum. Before joining SMU, Cowden held reporting jobs at Fastmarkets AMM in Chicago - where he was involved in launching AMM's daily hot-rolled coil index, the Associated Press in Pittsburgh, and the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. He has also worked as a copy editor and in marketing at the University of Chicago Press. Cowden has a BA in English from the University of Chicago and an MSJ journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Contact him at michael@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7872.

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