SMU Steel Summit 2026: Who’s driving change—and what’s to come?

We’re just a few days away from initiating an official 30-day countdown until SMU Steel Summit 2026 in Atlanta.

Nearly 1,100 steel industry professionals from almost 400 companies, and 20-plus countries have already registered to attend the Summit on Aug. 24-26 at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) in Atlanta.

Are you one of them? If so, we’re looking forward to seeing you in Atlanta next month. If not, what are you waiting for?

Also, don’t forget to download the app—App Store or Google Play—and get instant access to the industry’s largest gathering. Start planning and networking before you arrive, and ensure you’re fully prepared to maximize every moment on site.

Even more of what you’ve come to expect

Steel Summit 2026 is set to deliver one of the strongest lineups yet—bringing together leading executives, analysts, and policymakers for the conversations that matter most to your business.

From demand trends and pricing to trade, distribution, production, and risk management, sessions will offer practical insights, fresh perspectives, and a clearer view of what lies ahead for the US steel market.

Here’s just a snapshot of what you will see, but you can check out the full agenda to see what’s in store at this year’s Summit.

Spotlight on service centers

Get a frontline view of the market from CEOs of major service centers as they discuss customer demand, inventory strategy, pricing pressure and what is shaping steel distribution in 2026 and beyond:

Ilse Henne, CEO, tk accelis
Jodi Parnell, President CEO, O’Neal Steel
Thad Solomon, President and CEO, Steel Technologies

Steel outlook: Analyst panel

Hear directly from leading steel economists and market analysts on where prices, demand and supply are heading next — and what signals matter most right now:

Timna Tanners, Managing Director, Wells Fargo
Josh Spoores, Head of Steel Americas, CRU
John Anton, Principal Economist – Steel Analytics, S&P Global

Steel plate and tube panel

Join mill and industry leaders as they break down the key drivers behind plate and pipe markets, production trends and what’s next for demand in these critical steel segments:

Jeff Moskaluk, Sr. VP and CCO, SSAB Americas
Rob Simon, CEO, JSW Steel USA
Rick Preckel, Partner, Preston Pipe
Doug Matthews, CEO, Orion Steel

Fireside chats that deliver

And not to mention our exclusive, fast-paced, hard-hitting interviews with industry executives. Don’t miss our highly anticipated fireside chats covering the breath of the flat-rolled steel value chain with:

Barry Schneider, President and COO, Steel Dynamics
Geoff Gilmore, President and CEO, Worthington Steel
Edward Lehner, President and CEO, Ryerson
Noah Hanners, EVP – Sheet Products, Nucor
Barry Zekelman, Chairman and CEO, Zekelman Industries
George Adams, CEO, SA Recycling

Spaces are filling up, so be sure to reserve your seat now!

We can’t wait to see you there!

PS – If you you’re new to Summit, you can check out the agenda here and register here.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is deputy editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. He can be contacted at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.