2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference – A Sneak Peek – Day 2

RE: 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference, August 26-28, 2019 – Location: Georgia International Convention Center, Atlanta, GA

On Thursday of this past week, I laid out the thought process involved with putting together our conference and the program and speakers selected for Day 1 of the conference (August 26). Today I will discuss the agenda, speakers and what we were thinking as we put together Day 2, which is Tuesday, August 27, 2019.

7:00 AM to 8:00 AM – Doors Open at the Georgia International Convention Center

Coffee, drinks and pastries will be available. Exhibition areas will be manned.

8:00 AM to 8:20 AM – Official Welcome to the 9th SMU Steel Summit Conference

John Packard, Founder, President & CEO of Steel Market Update, will discuss what to expect over the next couple of days and recap the previous day for those who were unable to make Day 1. For those who have not attended the “official” opening of our conference, it is an entertaining moment not to be missed.

8:20 AM to 9:20 AM – Keynote Presentation: The State of the Industry

Thomas Gibson, President & CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute, will have some opening comments and then will sit down with SMU CEO John Packard to discuss the state of the steel industry from the AISI view. This will include changes that are occurring within the steel mills, trade and tariffs and what the political spectrum looks like going forward.

9:20 AM to 9:50 AM – Break

We are expanding the breaks on Day 2 to 30 minutes to allow for even greater networking and interaction with our exhibitors.

9:50 AM to 11:00 AM – International Trade: War or Peace?

In light of recent events with Mexico, Canada, China and the Section 232 tariffs, along with AD/CVD duties and Section 301 tariffs, this program will be another highlight. We have a couple of speakers who have been with us before and some new faces to address the issues from multiple perspectives. Phil Bell is president of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), which represents the electric arc furnace steel producers. Lewis Leibowitz is a trade attorney with The Law Offices of Lewis E. Leibowitz and he represents trading companies and end-users who wish to import foreign steel into the United States. Alan Price is a partner with Wiley Rein, LLP, trade attorneys who represent domestic steel producers, and Donald Bly, partner at Applied Value, works with various companies on a consulting basis as they try to navigate the pitfalls put in front of them by duties, tariffs and other regulations.

11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (noon) – The Global and North American Economies

Dr. Chris Kuehl, Managing Director of Armada Corporate Intelligence, is our first economist who will address the global economies and what is happening in North America in his witty and entertaining style. Dr. Kuehl has addressed our conference in the past and is always a hit with our attendees.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM – Lunch

Provided on site by the excellent food staff at GICC. Every year we receive rave reviews for the quality of the food prepared at our conference.

1:00 PM to 1:45 PM – What Do You Think? Interactive with the SMU App

John Packard, SMU CEO, will conduct real-time research using the SMU App with our audience. In the past, our attendees have correctly predicted the winner of the 2016 presidential election and correctly predicted the resistance of steel buyers who did not want to move products to the domestic steel mills. This year, with the steel mill program to follow a little later in the day, we will pose some questions and then ask the steel mills to react to what we discovered in our poll. The App interactive program has been well received in the past and will prove to be interesting once again this year.

1:45 PM to 2:25 PM – 2019 SMU NexGen Leadership Award

The 2019 SMU NexGen Leadership Award, which is sponsored by the Steel Manufacturers Association, will be awarded to a young person out of the manufacturing, fabrication, steel distribution, steel mill, trading, toll processing or other industry associated with mild carbon or advanced high-strength steels. This is the first year for this award and we are looking forward to honoring and encouraging young people to come into the industry and to make a difference within their companies as well as the greater steel community. The winner of the award will receive a mentoring day with SDI CEO Mark Millett, free registration at one of the SMU Steel 101 or 201 workshops, free admission to the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference and much more. We are offering any employee nominated with less than half-price admission to the 2019 conference ($675 each) and an invitation to a special reception with SMU, CRU and SMA representatives. Information about how to nominate someone from your company can be found here.

Every company should want to nominate someone from your company to show you support youth in the industry and you are supporting young people as part of your organization.

2:25 PM to 2:55 PM – Break

2:55 PM to 4:00 PM – Steel Mills Discuss New Capacity (and More)

There have been many millions of tons of new capacity announced by a number of steel mills. This has prompted Bank of America Merrill Lynch steel analyst Timna Tanners to coin the term “Steelmageddon,” a reference to what she thinks will be a massive drop in steel prices once all of this new capacity comes online. The steel mill CEOs obviously have a much different perspective, which they will share with our attendees. The format will be relaxed and free flowing as John Packard, SMU President & CEO, moderates a powerhouse panel, which will consist of:

Mark Millett – Co-Founder, President & CEO, Steel Dynamics

Cesar Jimenez – CEO, Ternium Mexico

John Hritz, President & CEO, JSW Steel (USA)

Ladd Hall, Executive Vice President, Nucor

4:00 PM to 5:30 PM – Networking Reception – It’s All About Building Relationships

As with Day 1, we will have an exceptional opportunity to interact with steel executives (including the mill executives on the panel just prior to the reception) and all of the attendees of this year’s conference, which we believe will be close to 1,000 executives. There will be plenty of time to work the reception before adjourning to dinner with your existing or new business contacts.

Later in the evening, you can anticipate the bars at the Marriott Gateway, Renaissance Gateway and the Atlanta Airport Marriott will be bustling with steel people as they return from dinner.

Get your rest because we have saved the best for last (Day 3)…

To register click on this link or go to our website: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel-Summit. If you are having any issues please contact us at 724-720-1012 or Events@SteelMarketUpdate.com