Service Centers
Commercial Metals CEO Named AIST Steelmaker of the Year
Written by Sandy Williams
April 8, 2019
Barbara R. Smith, president and chief executive officer of Commercial Metals Company, will be named AIST Steelmaker of the Year at AISTech 2019 — The Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition. One of AIST’s highest honors, the Steelmaker of the Year Award is given to an industry leader who has had significant impact on the industry and on his or her business.
During her eight years at Commercial Metals Company (CMC), Smith has fostered a culture of safety, community and customer service, and continual improvement, thereby enhancing the company’s position as a leader in the recycling and construction steel markets.
Most recently, she guided CMC through a transformative acquisition that has greatly expanded its capacity and geographic reach. She also has overseen the launch and ongoing ramp up of the company’s new long products mill in Oklahoma. The facility is the second such mill in its fleet to utilize a highly efficient continuous production process, and it has allowed the company to reach new customers and supply cost-effective steel solutions, including spooled rebar.
Smith has served as president and chief executive officer since Sept. 1, 2017, and was named board chairman in January 2018. She first joined CMC in June 2011 as senior vice president and chief financial officer and was then promoted to the position of chief operating officer in January 2016.
Prior to joining CMC, Smith served for five years as vice president and chief financial officer for Gerdau Ameristeel in Tampa, Fla. She also served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for FARO Technologies Inc. in Orlando, Fla. Her career includes more than 20 years’ service with Alcoa Inc., where she held a variety of leadership positions across various businesses within Alcoa. Smith served on the board of directors at Minerals Technologies Inc. from May 2011 through July 2017. She has been actively involved in various community organizations and currently serves on the Dallas board of the American Heart Association. She is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in accounting and is also a Certified Public Accountant.
The award will be presented on May 7, 2019, in Pittsburgh during the President’s Award Breakfast, one of the signature events of AISTech.
Sandy Williams
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