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Sushan Demirjian
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Small Business, Market Access, & Industrial Competitiveness
The Office of the United States Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President
Sushan Demirjian is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing U.S. trade policy related to a broad range of U.S. manufacturing and industrial sectors, such as information and communications technology, autos, capital goods, machinery and equipment, chemicals, energy, steel and other metals, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, forest products, and consumer products. She also oversees USTR’s efforts to expand trade opportunities for U.S. small and medium-sized businesses. Ms. Demirjian joined USTR in 2007 and has led market access and industrial goods negotiations in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and with the United Kingdom, Kenya, Japan, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). She also worked on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round negotiations related to non-agricultural market access (NAMA). Prior to joining USTR, Ms. Demirjian was Director of International Trade at the American Chemistry Council, the key association representing the U.S. chemical industry. She also worked at the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law, where she coordinated programs and activities related to international commercial law. Ms. Demirjian holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
George Adams
CEO & President
SA Recycling
George Adams is CEO & President of SA Recycling, located in Anaheim, California. He has been in the scrap metal business since 1977. Originally started by George’s father 50 years ago as a single scrap metal facility in Anaheim, Adams Steel merged with Sims Metal Management in September of 2007 to form SA Recycling. SA Recycling now has over 130 locations in sixteen states with over 3,000 employees, 25 shredders, and will process 5 million tons of recycled metals annually. Mr. Adams is an attorney who earned his Juris Doctor degree from Western State University in 1984. He is a member of the American, California, and Orange County Bar Associations. George Adams served as Chairman of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) from April 2008 until May of 2010. The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the private, non-profit trade association that is the "Voice of the Recycling Industry." Based in Washington, D.C., ISRI represents more than 1,600 private, for-profit companies that process, broker, and industrially consume scrap commodities, including ferrous and nonferrous metals, paper, electronics, rubber, plastics, glass, and textiles. Among its services, ISRI provides education, training, advocacy, and compliance guidance and promotes public awareness of the value and importance of recycling to the production of the world's goods and services. George is author of the book Create the Connection: 25 Surefire Strategies for Success in Leadership and Life. The book is based on his 40 years of discovering what works and what doesn’t, George Adams shares the practical wisdom, personal philosophies, and life lessons that have helped him build a small family scrap yard into the largest scrap company in the country. George resides in Orange, California with his wife Joan. They have five boys, one girl ranging in ages from 23 to 39 years old and six grandchildren. George is also very active in local politics and is a major supporter of business, social, and charitable programs. He is an Eagle Scout and two of his sons are Eagle Scouts. Inhis spare time enjoys snow skiing, waterskiing, boating, and camping.
Michael Garcia
CEO
Algoma
Luis Barrenechea
Optimus Steel
Luis Barrenechea, born in México City on 1977, boasts a cumulative 20 years as CEO in the steel industry—15 years at WMC, a wire products company, and 5 years at Optimus Steel. His leadership philosophy emphasizes people, safety, growth, and continuous improvement. Luis is dedicated to nurturing a culture that prioritizes the well-being of individuals, fosters safety, drives sustainable growth, and promotes ongoing advancement within the industry.
Nidhi Turakhia
CEO & Partner
Allied Alloys and Titan Metals Corporation
Nidhi Turakhia is the visionary CEO and partner at Allied Alloys and Titan Metals Corporation, bringing over two decades of expertise to the helm of these industry-leading companies. Her remarkable journey in the recycling industry commenced during her high school years when she embraced a summer internship at her father's metal recycling company. Despite initial plans to pursue law school after completing her undergraduate studies, Nidhi's passion for recycling led her to a pivotal role in launching a metal recycling brokerage firm. With unwavering dedication, she transformed Titan Metals and later Allied Alloys into global forces in the recycling sector. Armed with an MBA from Houston Baptist University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Spanish from the University of Texas Austin (Class of 2003), Nidhi's leadership extends far beyond her corporate responsibilities. She serves as the nomination chair and immediate past president of ISRI’s (Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries) Gulf Coast Region and board member for ISRI national, where her influence is felt in the revitalized Women in Recycling Council. Nidhi currently co-chairs the Education & Training Committee for ISRI and sits on many other committees and working groups, embodying her commitment to mentorship and education. In addition to her professional pursuits, Nidhi is deeply passionate about connecting, mentoring, and educating young executives and youth. She actively supports women from diverse backgrounds, introducing them to the dynamic world of the recycling industry. Nidhi also sits on the executive committee of the non-profit organization Veerayatan International, a well-known socio-religious institution based in India. Nidhi Turakhia’s dedication to her craft and her community continues to shape the future of recycling while inspiring the next generation of leaders.
Brandi Harleaux
Post Oak Recycling
Brett Ekart
United Metals Recycling
Brett Ekart is a third-generation entrepreneur who was born and raised in Idaho in a small family-owned scrap metal recycling facility. Brett formed a love for the recycling industry at a very early age after going to the yard with his dad and mom every Saturday where he would watch cartoons in his grandfather’s office while his father ran the operations, and his mother ran the truck scale and paid customers before eventually becoming the CFO. The first person in his family to attend college, Ekart went on to get his undergraduate in Business Admin and then went back to Idaho to join his family business while achieving his MBA. Currently, Ekart is involved in multiple businesses where his entrepreneurial passions stem out of the scrap metal recycling industry and into other industries specifically; transportation, tire recycling, self-storage facilities, corrugated pipe distribution, and others. He has the utmost respect for individuals who get up every day and put forth maximum effort and willing to push forward in blue collar industries. Ekart is beyond grateful for his parents who instilled a strong work ethic in him at an early age and a love for his country which has afforded him this opportunity.
Jennifer Betts
Recycled Media
Marcie Rodriguez
Comal Iron & Metals
Marcie Rodriguez’s visionary mindset, commitment to sustainability, and passion for empowering individuals make her a standout in her role as the CEO of Comal Iron & Metals. Her dedication to creating a positive impact on the environment, coupled with her focus on improving the lives of individuals and communities, reflects a holistic approach to business leadership. Furthermore, Marcie's belief in the power of metal recycling as a force for positive change is inspiring. By emphasizing the importance of sustainability, she not only contributes to the well-being of the environment but also positions Comal Iron and Metals as a socially responsible entity. Her dedication and genuine care for people showcase a leader who is not only focused on profit but is also driven by a desire to leave a lasting legacy of positive change. Marcie Rodriguez is an exemplary leader whose leadership style, vision, and commitment to sustainability contribute not only to the success of Comal Iron and Metals but also to the well-being of individuals and the broader community. Her story serves as an inspiring example of how business leadership can drive positive change and leave a lasting impact.
Raju Daswani
Fastmarkets
Raju Daswani is the CEO of Fastmarkets – an independent global cross-commodity Price Reporting Agency (PRA). Fastmarkets, which incorporates the businesses formerly known as Metal Bulletin, AMM and RISI, is headquartered in London but has over 550 employees located across 14 global locations, including London, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Sao Paulo, Kyiv, Brussels, Boston & New York. The business has expanded rapidly since 2014 through organic growth and a number of important M&A deals that have been transacted successfully. Fastmarkets publishes over 5,500 commodity price benchmarks for the metals, mining and forest products markets, many of which are used as financial benchmarks for derivative contracts on the world’s largest exchanges, including the SGX, Nasdaq and the CME. Fastmarkets prices are supported by its highly-regarded market commentary, forecasts, research, and a portfolio of over 25 leading industry conferences each year, including events for the global grain and coal markets. Raju joined Fastmarkets (Metal Bulletin) in 1995 as a commodities economist prior to which he spent three years at British Alcan (now Rio Tinto) as a business and marketing analyst. He graduated in 1991 with a B.Sc. in Economics with Accounting & Finance from the London School of Economics.
Noah Hanners
EVP Raw Materials
Nucor
Mr. Hanners was named Executive Vice President of the Raw Materials Group in 2023. He began his career with Nucor in 2011 as a Melt Shop Engineer at Nucor Steel South Carolina. He next served as Shift Supervisor and eventually Melt Shop Manager of Nucor Steel Auburn, Inc. Mr. Hanners later served as General Manager of Nucor Tubular Products and General Manager of Nucor Steel Kankakee, Inc. and was elected a Vice President of Nucor in 2019. He most recently served as Vice President and General Manager of The David J. Joseph Company. Prior to joining Nucor, Mr. Hanners served as a major in the United States Army.
Bill Sulak
President
Ferrous Processing and Trading Co.
Mr. Sulak, President of Ferrous Processing & Trading, began his career with FPT in 2007 where he worked as an Account Executive in Detroit. In 2012, he moved to Cleveland as Senior Sales Manager for FPT Ohio. He then assumed the role of Regional Director for the Southeast in 2014 and was appointed to the Executive Leadership Team in 2015. Prior to his position as President, he was the Executive Vice President of FPT South / Mexico and the Vice President for the Southeast chapter of ISRI. He is a graduate of The University of Michigan-Dearborn.
John Wiesbrock
Executive Vice President
Waupaca Foundry, Inc.
John Wiesbrock has 35 years of manufacturing experience in machining and iron foundry operations. As Executive Vice President at Waupaca Foundry, where he’s worked since 2002, he is responsible for developing new business strategies and growing relationships with customers. During this tenure, Wiesbrock also has been responsible for establishing processes, leading continuous improvement in, and ensuring a globally competitive and sustainable supply chain. Wiesbrock has held senior leadership positions in sales and marketing and supply chain. In addition to his operational duties, he is mentoring the next generation of leadership for Waupaca Foundry
Shawn Harre
Executive Director of Sourcing & Procurement
Cimco Resources
Shawn Harre began in the industry in 2008 running a small family-owned recycling company with 3 locations. Gaining experience in scale buying, scale operations, mill sales, industrial account buying, pricing, managing all employees, responsible for overseeing everything from maintenance, logistics, quality control to accounting functions. She also learned to operate all machines onsite. Shawn started as an Operations Manager in 2020 at Cimco Resources. Since 2022, She has been more focused on foundry sales, buying and selling nationally from other scrap dealers, helping industrial manufacturing accounts maximize their return on their scrap materials, as well as being involved with the Cimco export team.
Dhaval Trivedi
VP of Supply Chain
Borusan
Dhaval Trivedi is currently working as VP of Supply Chain for Borusan Pipe USA. With more than 15 years of experience working for welded carbon steel pipe manufacturing companies, Dhaval Trivedi holds master’s degree in engineering management and bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. In his current role, Dhaval Trivedi is responsible for overall procurement and logistics for Borusan’s Baytown TX operations including nearly 300,000 tons of Hot Roll Steel procurement annually. Dhaval Trivedi has previously presented and participated in multiple AMM’s Pipe and Tube Conferences as well as Scrap, DRI and Minimills conferences.
Daniel Dressler
Vice President, Supply Chain and Purchasing
Grede
Has a wealth of experience in leading global procurement planning, supply chain strategy, operational excellence, and Lean project management to support global manufacturing operations. Over the past 20 years has worked at companies of the likes of Tribar Technologies, Ingersoll Rand, and American Axle & Manufacturing. Additionally, has served in the US Navy.
Kari Coffey
Vice President
Southern Core Recycling
Kari has had a management career spanning over 30 plus years. Her experience includes years of training and working with employees in all aspects of the recycling industry, including customer relations, compliance, general operations, safety, and environmental. Nonferrous buying and selling have been a large part of her role in the industry. She began working in the family business after college. In 2006, the family’s signature scrap recycling business was sold to a Fortune 500 company. After the business was sold, Kari joined other family members and business partner, Becky Proler, at Southern Core Recycling. During her tenure at Southern Core, the business has expanded and grown into a full-service operation that reflects the values and integrity that Kari holds dear. Favorite activities include gardening, boating, and travelling. Kari is married with two sons, one of whom has chosen to work in the family business.
Amari Jones
Corporate Sustainability Manager
John Atherton
Secretary General
International Iron Metallics Association (IIMA)
Dr John Atherton, Secretary General, International Iron Metallics Association Prior to joining IIMA in January 2019 John was a Director at the International Council on Mining and Metals for the past 17 years. During his time with ICMM John led the development of the Materials Stewardship concept, an integrated materials management policy that has been implemented by major mining and metals companies as well as being enshrined in national and international government policy. John was Director for Environment at the Nickel Development Institute (NiDI) from 1997 – 2002 responsible for the development of strategies and programmes to improve the environmental and market performance of the primary nickel industry. Prior to NiDI, John was Director of the European office at the International Cadmium Association. He has a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Hull and was a post-doctoral Research Associate in Marine Sedimentology at the University of Cambridge, UK.
Samuel Kooijmans
Senior Associate
RMI
As a Senior Associate with the Center for Climate-Aligned Finance, Samuel helped lead the design of the Sustainable STEEL Principles (SSP), a groundbreaking initiative aimed at driving the steel industry towards significant carbon emission reductions. The SSP provide a tailored framework for financial institutions to assess and enhance the sustainability of their steel industry portfolios. Prior to joining RMI, Samuel worked in international trade and transaction banking as an analyst at Crédit Agricole CIB (CACIB), where he was involved in structuring one of CACIB’s inaugural green trade finance transactions in the Americas.
Candice Tuck
Mineral Commodity Specialist- National Minerals Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey, Dept. of the Interior
Flavia Herzog
Iron Solutions Marketing Manager
Vale
Flávia Herzog is a Customer Intelligence & Energy Transition Manager at Vale. Her area of focus is highlighting market fundamentals in different continents to guide the company in its products development and production planning. In recent years Flávia has been leading a project on steelmaking decarbonization and the opportunities the transition to carbon neutrality bring to Vale. Apart from her 15 years career at Vale, Flávia is a cofounder of Women in Mining in Switzerland, to promote networking opportunities and attract women into the mining sector.
Coby Bullard
Senior Vice-President Merchandise, ECP, Transloads
Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC)
Coby Bullard serves as Senior Vice-President at CPKC responsible for Merchandise, Energy, Chemicals and Plastics as well as Transloads. Mr. Bullard joined CP in 2017 to lead Sales and Marketing for Merchandise and ECP. In 2019, Mr. Bullard added Intermodal and Automotive to his existing responsibilities; in 2023, he added leadership of the Transload business unit. Mr. Bullard came to CP from C.R. England, where he was President of the Intermodal division as well as President of Crest Logistics, a wholly owned subsidiary. He brings almost a decade of railroad experience from BNSF, where he held key commercial roles in merchandise, domestic intermodal and international intermodal. Experienced in business development, strategic negotiations, transload development and operations management, Mr. Bullard builds stronger, more sustainable customer relationships and product offerings at CPKC. Mr. Bullard is headquartered in Kansas City, MO. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master's of Business Administration from Texas Christian University. He serves on the board of Transcare (2018), National Freight Transportation Association (NFTA 2022) and TFCM Fuel Terminals (2023).
Adam Rauwerdink
SVP Business Development
Boston Metal
Randy Charles
Founder
Greenway Steel
Randy Charles founded Greenway Steel following 30 years of experience in steel production and commercial responsibility with both Bethlehem Steel and Nucor Steel. Success in product development and commercial strategy, predominantly through new steelmaking technology, was supported by his formal training as a metallurgist. Randy and the Greenway team value the relationships they have forged over the years. Provided a focus on the energy transformation, decarbonization, and the sustainability of our metals supply chain and manufacturing industry, they are creating solutions that help their partner clients prepare for the future.
Vince Pappalardo
Managing Director & Principal
Brown Gibbons Lang & Company
Vince Pappalardo leads BGL’s Metals & Metals Processing Group. Vince advises companies involved in the production and distribution of ferrous and nonferrous metals and alloys as well as diversified industrials. He is also a frequent speaker and author on topics spanning the industry, including frequent presentations on M&A activity across all Metals sub-sectors.Vince has over 20 years of investment banking experience advising on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and debt and equity placements. Prior to joining BGL, Vince was a Managing Director at Stout Risius & Ross. His previous experience also includes positions as a Director in the Industrials Group at Houlihan Lokey, focusing on the Metals and Industrial sectors, and Second Vice President in the Corporate Finance Division at NBD Bank.
Chris Weld
Partner
Wiley Rein LLP
Chris represents clients on international trade law and policy matters, including antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, global trade policy and trade negotiations, export control regulations, trade sanctions regulations, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Isha Chaudhary
Global Head of Steel, Raw Materials, and Alloys Markets,
Wood Mackenzie
Oscar Gonzalez
Controller
Exim Inc.
Enthusiastic Controller and business network promoter, joined Exim in 2018. His path into 20 years of being in the scrap recycling industry started as a Cost Accountant in General Motors (Delphi) in the manufacturing industry across the border in his home town of Matamoros, Mexico. In his migration to the US, he joined Mervis Industry, transitioning from the manufacturing assembly line experience to the disassemble sorting process to increase recyclables materials value. Later moving to the marine scrap industry with Bay Bridge Texas, in the Port of Brownsville. The combination of manufacturing industry, production costing, inventory management and logistics from the manufacturing industry; recycling industry servicing industrial accounts for their recyclable outputs, peddler operation; and then marine scrap dismantling has helped Oscar bring to Exim a combination of business skills that helps them in all aspects of the business. Out of the scrap industry, he is involved in the community of the RGV (Rio Grande Valley, Texas) coordinating triathlon events in SPI (South Padre Island, TX) as a member of the Laguna Madre Gator Chasers, as well as representing the TTPA (Texas Tech Parent Association) in the RGV while his daughter attends TTU (Texas Tech University)
Thomas Knippel
Vice President, Commercial Industrial
Rafael Scott
McKinsey & Company
Laurence Cox
Vice President of Sustainability
PGT Trucking
Previous Experience He spent twenty-five years serving the steel industry in various leadership roles in industrial engineering, operations, operations technology, sales, outside processing and planning at National Steel Corporation, and subsequently served as a private industry consultant. Starting with PGT Trucking In 2010, Larry joined PGT Trucking and developed high-level projects including setting up dedicated fleets for steel service centers and establishing new properties. In 2017, Larry served as Interim Director of Maintenance. A year later, he was promoted to Director of Continuous Improvement with a focus on developing new products, managing large projects, resolving cost issues and addressing areas of needed performance improvement. June 2022 – Named Vice President, Sustainability to oversee PGT’s decarbonization efforts and ensure a responsible use of resources throughout the company
Luis Zertuche
Supply Chain Director
Draxton
Luis Zertuche is the Supply Chain Director in Draxton North America with more than 20 years of experience working in Supply Chain in different arenas. Luis has multicultural experience living in United States, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil as head of Supply Chain teams or in some cases driving the entire company in these countries. Luis has a Mechanical Engineering Degree and an MBA with major in Finance from EGADE Business School as well as several Business Seminars in MIT, Harvard, Wharton and Thunderbird schools. At Draxton, Luis has become the Scrap & Ferroalloys expert and has developed a strategy to guarantee the supply of Raw Materials for the coming years. Luis is inspired daily by his wife and their three daughters and three granddaughters. In his free time, Luis likes to visit new places with his wife, learn about new cultures and read books.
Samir Kapadia
Managing Principal
Vogel Group
Sung Choi
Specialist
Bloomberg NEF
Sung Choi is an associate at BloomberNEF. His work includes analysis to understand metals and mining industry dynamics and developments essential to the energy transition. For example, some of his most recent work looked at copper supply and demand dynamics to forecast copper demand out to 2040. Sung previously worked as a head of strategy and investment for POSCO America, the US regional HQ for POSCO group, one of Korea's largest global conglomerates that operate in steel, lithium, hydrogen, chemical, energy, construction, and trading. Prior to that, he wrote an investment thesis at M.R. Beal and Co., a boutique investment bank, and Denali investors, a hedge fund. Sung holds BA in Economics from Columbia University. He also served in the US Army.
Ira Kreft
Senior Vice President
Bank of America
Ira is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America Business Capital and National Metal Industries Executive. His office is in Chicago; and, he leads the metal industries effort in North America. In this capacity, he collaborates with Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s general industrial and metal industries middle market and large corporate investment banking coverage; metals and mining equity and debt research; commodity metals strategy and research; and commodities hedging. He serves as a Subject Matter Expert in Metals for Global Commercial Banking. He comes by the metal industries naturally as his father spent his career with U.S. Steel. Ira has been with Bank of America Merrill Lynch for over 25 years in leveraged cash flow and asset based lending, providing financing to mining operations, scrap metal recyclers, steel and aluminum mills, metal service centers, fabricated metal manufacturers, metal intensive end-product manufacturers and transportation and logistics companies serving the industry. He regularly speaks at industry conferences, serves on the Affiliate Committee of the Metal Service Center Institute and is active in the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Association of Steel Distributors, North American Steel Alliance and Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. Prior to his time in lending, Ira worked in the audit and consulting groups of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He received his B.S. in Accounting from Central Michigan University and M.B.A. from Michigan State University. He also holds Series 7, 24 and 63 securities registrations.
Janine Mansour
Head of Key Accounts,
Port of New Orleans
Janine M. Mansour has been on the commercial team at the Port of New Orleans since 2010 and currently serves as the Head of Key Accounts. In her role, she works with the Port’s key shipper, ocean carrier, inland transportation and logistics clients to provide client support, supply chain solutions and drive business growth across the Port’s cargo and rail business lines. Janine attended Rice University, where she ran division-I cross-country and track and graduated with a B.A. in both Psychology and Policy Studies. She received her MBA with a concentration in Management from Tulane University in 2014. Through Tulane, Janine received the Allen R. Vorholt Fellowship for outstanding leadership and scholarship. Janine is a native New Orleanian, speaks Mandarin and she and her husband, Aubrey, have three children.
Arturo Gomez
Deputy Port Director of Operations
Port of Brownsville
Arturo Gómez joined the Port of Brownsville as deputy port director of operations in 2021. In this capacity, he spearheads the port’s business development team responsible for attracting new industries and investments to South Texas. His responsibilities extend to overseeing the port’s Engineering, Cargo Services, Foreign Trade Zone, Police and Security, and Facilities Maintenance departments as well as the Harbor Master’s Office. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree specializing in International Business and Commerce from the University of Texas Brownsville (now UTRGV). Prior to joining the port, Gómez held pivotal roles as Director of Business Development at the Port of Matamoros, Mexico, Secretary of Economic Development for the City of Matamoros, and Consultant to Mexico’s Senate on US-Mexico Border Affairs. He has worked in a variety of private sector business activities ranging from agriculture, financial services, construction, and energy.
Kevin Huelsmann
Senior Account Executive
metalshub
Sean Barry
Global Scrap Editor
Andrew Wells
Global Steel and Ferroalloys Editor
Andrew Wells has more than 20 years’ experience in commodity price reporting. Beginning his career covering energy markets, Andrew joined Fastmarkets in 2017 and as head of pricing and editorial for steel and ferroalloys he is responsible for leading a team of editors and reporters producing some 800 prices. Andrew is particularly interested in sustainability and has completed a Master’s in Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge.
Kim Leppold
Head of Research – Steel
Dan Hilliard
Steel and Ferroalloys Editor, The Americas
Dan Hilliard serves as the steel and ferro-alloys editor for the Americas and is based just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He got his start in the steel industry covering stainless and pipe and tube with Steel Business Briefing. Following that publication's acquisition by Platts, Hilliard covered the flat-rolled market before moving to Kallanish as Americas steel editor. While there, he also served as the editor-in-chief of a side publication focused on the EV, hydrogen and battery markets.
Amy Hinton
North American Scrap Editor
Lisa Gordon
Senior Price Reporter
Alexander Kershaw
Metals Analyst