Steel Mills

Executive Changes at Kloeckner Metals

Written by Sandy Williams


Kloeckner Metals Corp. announced the appointment of a new chief executive officer and chief operating officer on Thursday. Beginning Jan. 1, John Ganem will serve as CEO and Bart Clifford as COO.

Ganem will succeed Bill Partalis who will retire at the end of this year. Partalis is a 34-year veteran at Kloeckner and served as CEO for the last 15 years.

Ganem will take over the CEO reins from the position of executive vice president, corporate purchasing, where he managed more than $2.5 billion in annual procurement. Ganem held the same position with MacSteel Service Centers USA, which was acquired by Kloeckner in 2011. Ganem began his career in steel in 1991 as automotive account manager at LTV Steel before joining MacSteel in 1996.

Clifford transitions to his new role from president of the Heavy Carbon Division at Kloeckner Metals. With 28 years of experience in the metals industry, Clifford held a variety of positions at Ryerson Steel before joining Olympic Steel in 1997. In 2002, Clifford joined Primary Steel as general manager of sales, Chicago, and later as general manager of the Chicago Division. Primary Steel was acquired by Kloeckner in 2007.

“John Ganem, Bart Clifford and [CFO] Kirk Johnson have the knowledge, drive, and support to continue to transform Kloeckner Metals into a highly efficient business model by reorganization of the management reporting structure and utilizing digital tools to create a ‘One U.S.’ culture,” said Partalis. “They are all passionate about our mission and team and are committed to helping our customers succeed with a growing stable of products and services.”

 

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