Amid the hundred-degree heat and unrelenting sunshine, women from the steel and other metal industries gathered at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona, an adobe-inspired destination resort nestled among hills spiked with Saguaro cacti, for the Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) annual conference. The three-day event, running September 16-18, kicked off with an outdoor cocktail reception that was, thankfully, well-shaded and well-stocked with cold refreshing beverages.
At the dinner following the welcoming reception, keynote speaker Vicki Avril, President and CEO of TMK IPSCO, set the tone for the weekend as she described her history of doors closing and opening throughout her career. As a woman, she saw many doors of opportunity closed to her, but she still found ways to open others. Her advice to pursue "nontraditional avenues" and "play to your strengths" was inspiring to the crowd which, not surprisingly, was about 99.99 percent female. Avril, like many of the attendees, spoke of her continuous efforts to prove herself--her success to that effect earned herself the nickname "The Velvet Hammer" because "no one saw her coming". While she lamented the fact that her accomplishments were exceptional mostly because of her gender, she urged members of the audience to turn perceived negatives into positives, and above all, always focus on "moving forward". In addition to her history in the metals industry and words of wisdom, Avril provided an overview of her company, a worldwide pipe producer, and insights into the future of her product. While she applauds the efforts to move the US toward alternative energy, she doesn't believe solar power, wind power, etc. will be able to overtake "traditional" energy sources. Instead, she believes in natural gas as a "transitional" source that can practically phase out coal and oil and work hand-in-hand with renewable energy sources.
Later that evening, attendees filled a hospitality suite with laughter and lively banter, and enjoyed refreshments of guacamole, hot queso dip, and, of course, plenty of drinks. Members from different association chapters had the opportunity to mingle and share ideas about recruitment, marketing, and other strategies to spread the word about AWMI, which, surprisingly, did not experience severe drops in membership or corporate sponsorship during the recession.
The next morning, after a networking breakfast and a flurry of raffle ticket sales for a variety of donated items (including a Kindle, compact laptop, and jewelry among other prizes), attendees convened for the keynote sessions featuring Ken Hoffman, Sector Head - Global Iron and Steel Research, Bloomberg Research. Although he provided a global overview of the iron ore trade and steel industry, he focused on the varying perceptions of China, namely the false notion (in his opinion) that China's rapid infrastructure growth is sustainable. Hoffman believes that there is too much overcapacity in the Chinese steel market, and that demand in that nation is peaking. Additionally, Hoffman pointed out the China is on its way to becoming self-sufficient in raw materials, and according to his estimates, China will stop importing iron ore in about 10 years. The result of that situation would be a drastic drop in iron ore prices, which would subsequently trickle down through the worldwide steel supply chain. Overall, however, Hoffman remained optimistic-despite China's low production cost and high production volumes, he emphasized that the US steel industry is the most profitable in the world.
After a short break, the conference featured a manufacturing panel, featuring representatives from major end-use sectors. Gloria Georger, Plant Manager at Ford's Chicago stamping facility, described the strategies Ford has employed during the last decade to increase efficiency and profitability: consolidation, restructuring and divestment. Visibly proud of the historical company she works for, Georger applauded Ford's quick turnaround after the recession--without the aid of government bailouts, no less--and forecasted success for both the automotive and manufacturing sectors in the long-term.
Ryan Gustafson, Global Segment Manager - Steel, Forgings, Undercarriage and GET for Caterpillar, also emphasized his faith in his company, saying that Caterpillar was "global before global was cool". He outlined the incredible amount of steel used in the average Caterpillar machine (namely plate, sheet, bar, sections and tubing). In fact, 37 percent of the steel purchased is bar, while 31 percent is plate. Gustafson also pointed out the growth opportunities around the world, mostly in India, CIS countries, and China. But in order to grow, he pointed out, manufacturing companies such as Caterpillar need to be able to "actively manage all costs", especially steel costs. Price stability needs to be improved upon, he said, and steel companies need to figure out how to manage raw material costs without passing surcharges on to end-users.
Lastly, William Hippard, Vice President -Sales of Precoat Metals and President of the Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA), took the stage to spread the gospel of metal building components. Beyond the "green" attributes and durability, coated metal, such as the kind used to make metal roofing for example, has achieved the technology to resemble traditional asphalt roofing, dispelling the notion that all metal roofs look like "Pizza Hut roofs". Hippard explained his rigorous marketing campaign, and, as far as the manufacturing sector is concerned, a major reason for the push: every 1 percent of roofing demand that switches to metal from asphalt or other shingles translates into 100,000 net tons of steel used.
After lunch, during which Teresa Moriarty of AWMI's Toronto Chapter shockingly won two of the six raffle prizes, members split up for their regional meetings. That night, another hospitality suite gathering was held, this one louder, livelier, and even more rollicking than the first.
Saturday's program featured a morning Lobbyist Panel with Eileen Bradner, Senior Director and Counsel - Federal Government Affairs and Anna Ehrich, Deputy Director - Federal Government Affairs, both for Nucor. Their joint presentation started with a brief history of lobbying: the name originated in the 1870s when President Ulysses S. Grant was staying in the Willard Hotel while the White House was being renovated, and people would wait in the lobby to speak with him. Due to its historical significance, Bradner referred to lobbying as "the second oldest profession." The main objective of the lobbyist is to "petition the government for a redress of grievances" according to the First Amendment, and the representatives from Nucor work to not only advocate the company's interests in Washington D.C., they also build long-term relationships with government officials. In D.C., "trust and relationships are currency," said Ehrich. Such efforts have helped the steel industry in general-for example, Nucor's opposition to the "Cap and Trade" bill helped stifle its support in the Senate.
While some attendees stayed for specialized meetings and further optional events during Saturday, others departed--all attendees, however, whether AWMI members or visitors, seemed eager to employ their newly cultivated relationships and strategies in the workplace, and become more aware of potential opportunities, or, as Vicki Avril put it that first night, "doors to open".