PITTSBURGH, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- United States Steel
Corporation (NYSE: X) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John P. Surma
today announced a series of management changes at its headquarters and its
operations in the United States and Europe that are expected to enhance the
company's ability to effectively and efficiently manage its expanded asset
base around the world.
"Since late 2000, U. S. Steel has acquired 18.9 million net tons of raw
steelmaking capability in the United States, Canada, Slovakia and Serbia,
as well as additional iron ore mining assets, coke making facilities, and
flat- rolled and tubular finishing operations," said Surma. "While we
regularly review our management structure to ensure efficiency, we believe
the time has come to make significant changes that will allow us to better
focus our efforts in key areas and capitalize on market and operating
synergies - both realized and projected -- made possible by our growth."
David H. Lohr will return to U. S. Steel's Pittsburgh headquarters from
Europe to fill the new position of senior vice president-North American
flat- roll operations. George F. Babcoke will succeed Lohr as senior vice
president-European operations and president-U. S. Steel Kosice and relocate
to Slovakia. (More detailed background on George Babcoke will be included
in a subsequent press release.) They will report to Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer John H. Goodish.
Lohr will direct the newly divided executive oversight of the company's
North American flat-rolled steelmaking operations. Anthony R. Bridge has
been named vice president-operations, East, and Michael S. Williams has
been elected vice president-operations, Midwest. Bridge and Williams will
report to Lohr.
Lohr will also oversee two other areas: supply chain management and
flat- rolled sales. John C. Price has been appointed vice president-supply
chain, and J. James Kutka, Jr., who currently serves as senior vice
president- commercial, will fill the redefined role of senior vice
president-sales and customer service.
All moves are effective March 1.
Lohr, 55, and a native of Mt. Pleasant, Pa., began his U. S. Steel
career in 1974 at the National Plant, a former pipe producing facility in
McKeesport, Pa., where he progressed through a series of supervisory
positions. After managing the final construction and start-up of the
seamless pipe mill at Fairfield Works in Fairfield, Ala., and serving as
its manager-operations, he relocated to U. S. Steel's Pittsburgh
headquarters in 1994 to fill the role of general manager-tubular products.
In 1996, Lohr was named general manager of Mon Valley Works near
Pittsburgh and was elected vice president-operations, sheet products in
1999. In 2003, he advanced to vice president-plant operations and oversaw
all of the company's U.S. plant operations and joint ventures. He assumed
his most recent post, senior vice president-European operations and
president-U. S. Steel Kosice, in June 2005 and was responsible for
operations at U. S. Steel's two European steelmaking facilities: U. S.
Steel Kosice in the Slovak Republic and U. S. Steel Serbia in the Republic
of Serbia.
Lohr graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1975 with a
bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. He completed the executive
management program at The Pennsylvania State University in 1998. He and his
wife, Susan, will return to Pittsburgh.
Bridge, 54, will move back to plant operations after spending the last
five years overseeing much of U. S. Steel's engineering and technology. As
vice president-operations, East, he will be responsible for directing
operations at Great Lakes Works in Ecorse and River Rouge, Mich.; Mon
Valley Works, which includes the Clairton Plant, the Edgar Thomson Plant
and the Irvin Plant near Pittsburgh as well as the Fairless Plant outside
Philadelphia; and U. S. Steel Canada, which includes Hamilton Works in
Hamilton, Ontario, and Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ontario. He will
remain in Pittsburgh.
Before joining U. S. Steel in 1998 as area manager of the former No. 13
blast furnace at Gary Works in Gary, Ind., Bridge spent 19 years at Inland
Steel in East Chicago, Ind., and three years at Rouge Steel in Dearborn,
Mich. He advanced to division manager of iron producing at Gary Works in
1999 and to plant manager of primary operations in 2001.
In 2003, Bridge transferred to Pittsburgh headquarters when he was
named managing director-blast furnace engineering & technology. He was
elected to his current position, vice president-engineering & technology in
2005, with responsibility for research and development activities at three
facilities as well as engineering and blast furnace engineering and
technology across the company.
Bridge, a native of Vicksburg, Miss., earned a bachelor's degree in
industrial management from Purdue University's Krannert Business School in
Lafayette, Ind., in 1976; a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
from Purdue University at its Calumet Campus in Hammond, Ind., in 1991; and
a master's degree in business from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion,
Ind., in 2004.
As vice president-operations, Midwest, Williams will oversee operations
at Gary Works, which includes the East Chicago Tin Plant in East Chicago,
Ind., and the Midwest Plant in Portage, Ind.; Granite City Works in Granite
City, Ill.; and Fairfield Works' flat-rolled operation. He will also be
responsible for Minnesota Ore Operations, the company's iron ore mining and
pelletizing facilities in Mt. Iron, Minn., (Minntac) and Keewatin, Minn.,
(Keetac).
Williams, 47, joined U. S. Steel in 1992 as a senior process control
engineer at Mon Valley Works after holding increasingly responsible
managerial positions at several companies including Koppers Corporation and
Armco Steel Corporation. In 1994, he advanced to division manager-systems
and process control at Gary Works before assuming oversight
responsibilities for some of the facility's steel producing operations in
1996. During the next three years, he served as division manager for steel
producing-South, steel producing-North and hot rolling.
In 1999, Williams accepted a position with Ormet Corporation, an
aluminum producer headquartered in Wheeling, W.Va. He progressed through
executive posts in both operations and sales before he was named president
and chief operations officer in 2002 and president and chief executive
officer in 2004. In 2006, Williams joined Cleveland-based Special Metals
Corporation as vice president-commercial products. He elected to return to
U. S. Steel in September 2006 as general manager of Gary Works, with
responsibility for steelmaking and finishing operations in Gary, tin
production at the East Chicago Tin Plant, and finishing operations at the
Midwest Plant.
A native of Murrysville, Pa., Williams earned a bachelor's degree in
information science in 1983 from the University of Pittsburgh. In 1998, he
graduated from Indiana University at Bloomington's Executive Management
Program. He and his wife, Melanie, and their five children will relocate to
the Pittsburgh area.
Price, 60, will be responsible for the company's business planning,
logistics services and processed products organizations and be based at the
company's headquarters. The Pittsburgh native started his career with the
company in 1969 as an operations trainee at Fairless Works near
Philadelphia. From 1969 to 1991, he advanced through increasingly
responsible positions in tin mill operations, metallurgical engineering and
quality assurance at Fairless Works, corporate headquarters, Mon Valley
Works' Irvin Plant and Gary Works.
In 1991, Price was named division manager of sheet products at Mon
Valley Works, and two years later transferred to headquarters as district
manager- customer technical services, East. He returned to Gary Works in
1994 to serve as manager of quality assurance and manager of business
services, respectively, before advancing to plant manager of finishing
operations in 1996. He returned to Pittsburgh headquarters as general
manager-tin products in 1997.
Following the acquisition of National Steel in May 2003, Price was
named general manager of the Midwest Plant and led the successful
integration of that facility. In August 2005, he was named to his current
position, general manager-business planning.
Price graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., in 1969 with a
bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering.
For more information about U. S. Steel, visit http://www.ussteel.com.
SOURCE United States Steel Corporation
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CONTACT:
John Armstrong, +1-412-433-6792, or Erin
DiPietro, +1-412.433.6845, both of United States Steel
Corporation
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