AISC elects seven new board members

Chicago — The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) announced the election of seven new members to its Board of Directors: Chris Gionti of Steel Dynamics Structural & Rail, Columbia City, Ind.; Timothy Hanenburg of Cives Steel Company, Alpharetta, Ga.; Hugh McCaffrey of Southern New Jersey Steel Co., Inc., Vineland, N.J.; Matt Smith of L&M Industrial Fabrication, Tangent, Ore.; Steve Knitter of Geiger & Peters, Inc., Indianapolis; Richard Phillips of Veritas Steel LLC, Lisle, Ill.; and Gary Stein of Triple-S Steel Supply & Subsidiaries, Houston.

“AISC certainly faced a challenge replacing seven board members, but we were very fortunate to have found such an accomplished and talented slate of industry leaders to join the board for 2017,” said David Zalesne, president of Owen Steel Company, Inc., Columbia, S.C., and chair of the 2015-2016 AISC committee on director nominations. “The scope of their experience in technical, commercial and marketing areas will serve the structural steel industry well, and will enable the Board to remain proactive in addressing the issues fabricators face.”

Gionti is the general manager for the Steel Dynamics Structural and Rail Division in Columbia City, Ind. He joined the company nearly 20 years ago as a plant mechanical engineer at its Butler Flat Roll Facility and was responsible for various capital projects throughout the plant. In 2003 he was promoted to rolling mill manager of the newly acquired Engineered Bar Products Division in Pittsboro, Ind., and was involved in the design, modification and startup of this brownfield site. In 2015 he was promoted to operations manager at the Techs Division in Pittsburgh. He started his career with North Star Steel where he held various positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, construction and startup at multiple facilities. He was also involved in the engineering, construction, startup and operation of Birmingham Steel in Memphis. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

Hanenburg has been active in the steel industry for over 30 years, spending his entire career with Cives Steel Company, starting out in their project manager training program and holding various positions at several locations. About two years ago he became president of Cives, responsible for all operating divisions of the company. He’s currently a member of the AISC Code of Standard Practice committee and the American Welding Society, and has served on the board of directors for the Central Fabricators Association. He earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in civil engineering, both from Virginia Tech, and is a registered professional engineer in Virginia.

McCaffrey has been the sole owner of Southern New Jersey Steel Company in Vineland, N.J., since 2005, and before that served as principal for the company over a decade. He began his career with Southern Steel of Vineland, N.J., gaining experience in all facets of the structural and miscellaneous steel business. He currently serves as president of the Mid-Atlantic Steel Fabricators Association’s Board of Directors and has participated as a panel presenter at NASCC: The Steel Conference. He’s also involved in numerous community organizations and has received several awards including the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce Service Award. He earned a dual bachelor’s degree in business and psychology from LaSalle University.

Smith has served as president and CEO of L&M Industrial Fabrication since 2002. Before that he held various operational and corporate management roles within Knife River Corp., which is a subsidiary of MDU Resources, Inc., a U.S. diversified energy company. Active in the regional steel community, he served as president of the Pacific Northwest Steel Fabricators Association for two years. He received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Oregon Institute of Technology and has been a licensed professional engineer in Oregon for 15 years.

Knitter has spent the last 20 years of his career in the steel industry working in engineering, manufacturing, project management, estimating and finance, and he became president of Geiger & Peters in 2010. He began his career in manufacturing as a robotics engineer for Motorola setting up and supporting automated cell phone circuit board assembly lines before transitioning into structural steel. He is currently a member of the Central Fabricators Association Board of Directors, the Modern Steel Construction Advisory Panel and the Indiana Subcontractors Association Governance Committee. Previously he served as president of the Indiana Fabricators Association and participated on the AISC Future Leaders Planning Committee. He was also a speaker at the 2016 NASCC: The Steel Conference and 2015 AISC Future Leaders Conference. He is a member of the Indiana Subcontractor Association, Metro Indianapolis Coalition for Construction Safety, Indiana Fabricators Association, the American Welding Society and AISC. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer integrated manufacturing technology from Purdue University.

Phillips joined Veritas Steel three years ago as executive vice president of business development, responsible for managing  sales, estimating, project management and procurement functions. Since then he also been an operating partner of Atlas Holdings LLC. Before joining Veritas Steel three years ago, he served as president, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Hirschfeld Industries for eight years. Prior to that he served as managing director at JP Morgan Securities where he provided corporate finance and advisory services to middle market companies in Texas and the Southeast. He has been a member of the executive council of the National Steel Bridge Alliance since 2014 and previously served on the AISC Board of Directors from 2010 to 2013, having also served as treasurer. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance/accounting and an MBA, both from Virginia Tech.

Stein has been president and CEO of Houston-based structural steel distribution company, Triple-S Steel Holdings, Inc., for more than a quarter-century. He also serves as chairman of ProservAnchor Crane Group, a local manufacturer of overhead crane systems. In 2008 he received the Executive of the Year Award from Metal Center News magazine. A native of Houston, he also serves on the board of numerous charitable organizations and has been honored for his continuing work with a local school.

“With a full and diverse complement of 27 members representing fabricators, producers and service centers, the AISC Board is uniquely positioned to support the important work of the companies and people engaged in the American structural steel industry,” added Zalesne.