Final Thoughts

That meant not only writing good articles but also editing our content and keeping track of all the moving pieces of our newsletters. I was looking for a clone of myself, what I found was probably even better.

In the spring of 2017, I attended the annual Metals Industry Boy Scout Dinner in Chicago and happened to sit at a table with then Metal Center News Senior Editor Tim Triplett. We struck up a conversation, which ultimately led to him joining SMU as our Executive Editor on June 1, 2017.

When Tim joined Steel Market Update, he had 40 years of business writing and editing experience. He had spent 19 years as one of the leaders of Metal Center News. He had an MBA from Aurora University, and he received his MS in Mass Communications from Illinois State University.

Tim has been one of the keys to the success of Steel Market Update ever since he joined the team.

Michael Cowden had this to say about Tim, “SMU might not have an official style guide. Not one that goes thump if you drop it on a table. What we had was Tim Triplett, whose knowledge of the steel market and of SMU has been invaluable to me and my colleagues.

“Tim was a machine when it came to both reporting and copy editing – skills that are not often found in the same person. He kept track of our myriad deadlines, and he never missed one himself. Tim also had an eagle eye for catching mistakes and typos – especially when reading final proofs. He has saved all of us from embarrassment more than a few times.

“What I appreciate most about Tim is that he never shied from making his voice known. I’ve benefited from his candor, his experience, and his good judgement – especially when we happened to disagree on issues.”

When Dan Markham, Editor-in-Chief of Metal Center News got the word that Tim was retiring he sent me a note, “Tim Triplett was a tremendous mentor when I joined Metal Center News. I knew nothing about the industry, but he took a chance on me and worked patiently with me as I got up to speed on the intricacies of metal distribution. He was not just the best boss I ever had, but a really good friend. I congratulate him on his retirement from Steel Market Update and wish him nothing but the best.”

I also want to congratulate Tim on a successful career. I want to thank him for his willingness to take the lead with our newsletters, and for working tirelessly to make sure every issue we produced was a quality product. He has mentored many of our staff, both past and present, and made each of them feel part of the SMU Team.

Tim will be sorely missed by all of us associated with Steel Market Update.

Tim – hit them straight and long….

If you would like to contact Tim, you can do so by emailing him at: Tim@SteelMarketUpdate.com

As always, your business is truly appreciated by all of us associated with Steel Market Update.

By John Packard, John@SteelMarketUpdate.com