Speakers

Senior Global Category Manager, Carbon, Stainless & Raw Wire, Electrolux Home Appliances

Michele Arbaugh is an experienced appliance procurement professional  She manages the sourcing and processing of both carbon and stainless steel in the NA/Mexico region.  Her responsibilities include strategy, cost, budget, forecasting, negotiation, sustainability, risk-mitigation and relationship management.

Michele has successfully led the business demonstrating her deep understanding of the steel industry and expertise in category management.  She is known for her passion, dedication and continuous pursuit of excellence making her a highly respected leader and mentor at Electrolux.

Michele holds a MPA, Environmental Concentration and a BA in Political Science, minoring in Spanish and is a member of AWMI.

Senior Editor, Steel Market Update

Michael Cowden is a senior editor for Steel Market Update (SMU).  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 bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Chief Executive Officer, ISM

Thomas W. Derry is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), with more than 30 years of experience in leadership and general management roles for public and private companies, and in the not-for-profit sector.  He has exectued turnarounds at the corporate and business-unit level through a variety of means, including acquisitions, divestitures, restructuring, and business process re-engineering.

As CEO of ISM, Tom has a unique vantage point to observe major macroeconomic trends and the development of global supply chaines through his daily contact with Fortune 500 chief procurement officers and chief supply chain officers, government agencies and NGOs in the United States and abroad, and with leading academics.  Tom has been interviewed on CNBC, Bloomberg Television, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and dozens of other business publications.

Founder and CEO of Flack Global Metals

Jeremy Flack is the founder and CEO of Flack Global Metals (FGM), an industrial platform redifining how metal is bought and sold.  Since 2010, FGM has evolved into an industrial platform that combines metal distribution, derivatives trading, and equity investments, comprised of Flack Metal Supply (flat rolled metals distribution), Flack Capital Markets (risk management and hedging services), Flack Metal Trading (international metals trading) and Flack Manufacturing Investments (direct equity investments).  Jeremy's unconventional path from commercial banking to the steel industry brings a fresh perspective, positionaing him as a first mover and advocate for operationsl excellence, strategic growth, and cultural integration.

Chief Executive Officer, Algoma Steel Inc.

Michael Garcia was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Algoma Steel Inc. in June 2022. Before joining Algoma, Mr. Garcia gained more than 30 years of international management experience in steel, pulp & paper, and aluminum. Most recently, Mr. Garcia spent seven years at Domtar Corp. as President of the Pulp and Paper Division and before that, three years at Evraz-Highveld steel & Vanadium in South Africa where he served as Chief Executive Officer. Earlier in his career, Mr. Garcia spent eight years at Alcoa in multiple roles, most recently as Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Alcoa Asia. Previously he served five years in the United States Army as an Armor officer with the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm.

He currently serves on the board of Alliant Energy Inc., a public utility holding company. Mr. Garcia holds a computer science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Managing Director, Metrading International AG-Lugano, Switzerland

Jose F. Gasca began his career in international trade and finance at the age of 19 when he joined the Mexican Ex-im Bank (Bancomext).  Three years later, he worked for AHMSA, the largest integrated steel mill in Mexico, where he spent seven years in marketing, sales, production and technical development. During this time, Jose worked for two years in Brussels, Belgium, seconded to the International Iron and Steel Institute, now World Steel Association as The World Steel Fellow.

In 2002 Jose joined German steel trading house Man Ferrostall in Long Beach, California and then in Houston, Texas. In 2005 Jose was invited to join Coutinho Caro & Co. (CCC Steel) and moved to Hamburg, Germany where he became Managing Director for Flat Products with global responsibilities. In 2008, Jose had an active role in the merger of CCC Steel with Ferrostaal, and continued as Managing Director of the new organization, Coutinho & Ferrostaal based in Germany.

In 2012 he was invited to join the Turkish steel group Colakoglu, with the objective of opening a U.S. based subsidiary that would exclusively distribute the mill's products, and other materials from Turkey into North America. in 2016 Jose joined the Swiss based steel trading house Metrading Interntional AG as Managing Director.

Today, Jose Gasca is based in Lugano, Switzerland and Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. Jose is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Metals Supply Chain Institute (AMSCI) and also is a member of the board of Urbix Resources, acompany focussed on developing high end graphit alternatives for EV batteries and other clean energy solutions.

Managing Director and Equity Research Analyst, Metals & Mining and Aerospace Supply Chains, KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc.

Philip Gibbs is a Managing Director and Equity Research Analyst with KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. With the Company since May 2006, his research focuses on the metals & mining and aerospace supply chains industry.

Prior to his promotion to Research Analyst, Gibbs worked as a Research Associate on KBCM's metals & mining team. Previous professional experience includes working for A.G. Edward & Sons Financial in Westlake, Ohio.

Gibbs earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  He holds the Series 7, 63,86, and 87 industry licenses.

In its June 2019 Analyst Awards, ThomsaonReuters recognized Gibbs as the #1 earnings eliminator in the Metals & Mining sector.  This was his third StarMine award. In Institutional Investor's 2014 All America edition, Gibbs was named a Rising Star for his coverage of the Metals & Mining sector.

President and CEO of Worthington Steel

Over the last year, Geoff Gilmore successfully led the company through a strategic spin-off from Worthington Industries to become its own, separate publicly traded company.  Since taking Worthington Steel public, Geoff has been instrumental in sharing its growth strategy and executing the expansion of its Europe footprint through an acquisition in Germany, increasing production capacity in Canada and Mexico and adding new capabilities wiht a licensing agreement for ablation technology.

Prior to his current role, Geoff served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Worthington Industries. During his 25-yer tenure with Worthington Industries, he rose through the ranks from his first role as an inside sales representative to various commercial roles, vice president of purchasing as well as president of two of the company's largest divisions.

Geoff is passionate about leadership, workforce development and giving back, and works to advance those causes through his position on the boards of The Worthington Companies Foundation, Worthington Steel and Valparaiso University, his undergraduate alma mater.

President and COO of the Alliance Family of Companies

Drew Gross serves as the President and COO of the Alliance Family of Companies, which includes Alliance Steel, Alliance Fabrication and Manufacturing, Alliance Tubular Products, and Alliance Processing Corporation.

Drew has proudly led this growing family of companies for the last two years. Before taking the helm as President, Drew served as Corporate Vice President, Vice President of Sales, and Director of Business Development and Marketing.

With over 16 years of experience with the company, Drew has played a pivotal role in driving its exponential growth, helping to evolve Alliance from a small toll processor into a comprehensive steel provider.

Celebrating it 25th anniversary, Alliance has established itself as a trusted supplier, coil processor, material distributor, fabricator, and manufacturer or structural and mechanichal tube products, catering to the diverse manufacturing needs of various industrial sectors.

Drew leads a team that shares his dedication to customer service, constantly innovating to develop custom supply chain solutions that meet the ever-changing demands of the manufacturing landscape.

President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ryerson

Edward J. Lehner is President and CEO of Ryerson, a global industrial metals supplier and processor with operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China.  Eddie began serving as Ryerson's CEO in June 2015 after having served as Ryerson's executive vice president and chief financial officer from July of 2012 through May of 2015. Prior to joining Ryerson, Eddie served as the chief financial officer of PSC Metals, Inc., a diversified metals company, and before that, as the chief financial officer of SeverCorr, LlC., a primary steel manufacturing company headquartered in the southern United States. Eddie's career also includes senior general management, operational, financial, accounting, tax and consulting roles for Nucore, Birmingham Steel, Inc., Laurel Steel and Deloitte & Touche.  Eddie has served as Board Chairman of the Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI), Board of Directors of Modumetal Inc., and teh Mississippi State Workforce Development Board.

Senior Analyst and Editor 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 experience and expertise is 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 metal buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers.

Josh Spoores is Principal Analyst - Steel at CRU

Joining CRU in 2012, Mr Spoores is Head of Steel Analysis in North America and editor of CRU’s market leading Steel Sheet Monitor and Steel Monitor. He also forecasts prices, demand, production and trade of sheet and plate products for both Canada and the US for CRU’s steel sheet and plate market outlooks. Prior to this role at CRU, he was a Senior Marketing Analyst at Severstal North America, founder of Steel Reality, a forward-looking market analysis firm using a models-based approach for flat rolled and plate steel. He was also the Market Research Manager at Majestic Steel USA, one of the largest flat rolled service centres in the USA. He has a BSc in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University.

Managing Director, Wolfe Research

Timna Tanners is a managing director covering 20 equities in the Americas Metals and Mining sector in addition to forecasting relevant commodities at Wolfe Research, a premier equity research firm.  She is a regular speaker at steel industry conferenced and hosts frequent events for clients with corporates and industry experts. Her insights have been featured regularly on business media, such as CNBC and Bloomberg News, including the trademarked term Steelmageddon®.  Timna has been ranked #1 in Institutional Investor's All America Poll for nine consecutive years. Prior to October 2021, Timna covered Metals and Mining and Bank of America Securities for over 10 years, and covered the sector for over eight years previously at UBS Investment Bank.

Timna holds an MBA from UCLA, a Masters in Journalism from Northwestern University, and a BA in Politics from Pomona College.

President, North Star BlueScope Steel

Conrad ws appointed President of North Star BlueScope Steel in 2022.  Prior to joining North Star, he was President and CEO of Evraz North America.  Conrad was a partner at Booz Allen and Hamilton, served as CEO for Ardagh Glass Packaging, North America.  He also founded a Covid-19 testing company, Shield T3.  Conrad is an MIT-educated mechanical engineer, with an MBA from Northwestern University.  He served in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear submariner aboard fast attack submarines.