A. M. Castle & Co. announced that its board of directors has named Scott Dolan president, CEO and board member, effective 15 October 2012. Dolan, 41, succeeds interim CEO Scott F. Stephens, who continues as chief financial officer and treasurer of the global distributor of specialty metal and plastic products, value-added services and supply chain solutions.

The announcement from the board concludes an extensive search process, which included both internal and external candidates.

Dolan is former senior vice president of airport operations and cargo at the combined United and Continental Airlines. In this role, Dolan managed a unit with $1.2 billion in annual revenue, worldwide operations and 35,000 people. Dolan previously honed his global operations and logistics experience as chief operating officer of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings before joining United Airlines in 2004. Earlier in his career, Dolan held various positions at General Electric, where he completed GE’s six sigma master black belt program.

"Scott Dolan possesses the qualities we sought in a CEO to execute A. M. Castle’s strategy, engage our employees and deliver improved results for shareholders," said Brian P. Anderson, chairman of the board. "He has a strong record of operational excellence, is a proven performer at global execution, has delivered results for complex businesses and has successfully led very large teams."

Anderson also thanked Stephens for serving as interim CEO since May.

"Scott Stephens is an outstanding executive, and the board is pleased that he remains with A. M. Castle as CFO," Anderson added.

"I am delighted to join A. M. Castle," Dolan said. "It has the strong end-market positions, customer relationships, global presence and growth potential that I believe can deliver significantly improved returns for shareholders."

Dolan’s career at United began when he was hired in 2004 as president of the company’s cargo business. In three years, Dolan grew revenues to $850 million from $550 million. Previously, as COO of Atlas Air, Dolan’s responsibilities encompassed 30 facilities on six continents, 3,000 full-time employees and 5,000 contractors.

A native of Cleveland, he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Vanderbilt University, majoring in civil and environmental engineering, and a Master of Science degree from Case Western Reserve University, with a focus on systems, control and industrial engineering.