Features

Owner of Liberty Steel, family killed in plane crash

Written by Stephanie Ritenbaugh

July 1, 2025

The owner of Liberty Steel Industries and his family were among the six victims of a plane crash in Ohio on Sunday.

Authorities identified the bodies of James ‘Jim’ Weller, 67, president and CEO of Liberty Steel Industries Inc.; his wife, Veronica, 68; their son John, 36; and daughter-in-law Maria, 34, according to The Vindicator in Youngstown.

The pilot, Joseph Maxin, 63, and co-pilot, Timothy Blake, 55, also died when the twin-engine Cessna 441 Conquest went down about seven minutes after takeoff from Youngstown Regional Airport just before 7 a.m. Sunday.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, The Vindicator reported.

The family was traveling to Bozeman, Mont.

Warren, Ohio-based Liberty Steel processes hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and coated flat-rolled steel in addition to providing stamping and blanking services.

It has facilities in Lordstown and Warren, Ohio, as well as in Saltillo, Mexico. Its customer base spans North America, Mexico, and Brazil, according to its website.

Weller’s father, James Weller Sr., founded the steel service center in 1965.

Stephanie Ritenbaugh

Stephanie Ritenbaugh is a reporter for Steel Market Update. She is an experienced business journalist, holding a variety of positions for trade publications and newspapers, including covering shale development for Gas Business Briefing/Platts and for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She can be reached at stephanie.ritenbaugh@crugroup.com or +1 724-759-7868

Read more from Stephanie Ritenbaugh

Latest in Features