Don B. Daily Memorial Fund to Promote Steel Industry Safety and Health
03/03/2011 - SMA and the AIST Foundation are partnering to commemorate the life and industry service of Don B. Daily by establishing the Don B. Daily Memorial Fund to promote a safe workplace for the steel manufacturing industry and to increase the number of students studying health and safety awareness in manufacturing.
The Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) and the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) Foundation are partnering to commemorate the life and industry service of Don B. Daily by establishing the Don B. Daily Memorial Fund.
The Associations noted that Daily was a compassionate man who truly cared about the safety of all employees working in the steel industry. His enduring mark on the steel industry of North America has been the establishment of numerous safety and health initiatives that have significantly improved the workplace.
The Don B. Daily Memorial Fund will challenge North American university teams (students and professors) to submit proposals for grant funding in the theme area of safety and health awareness within the steel manufacturing industry. The fund has dual objective — to promote a safe workplace for the steel manufacturing industry and to increase the number of students studying health and safety awareness relative to the manufacturing environment.
Daily was President of Gallatin Steel when he passed away unexpectedly in 2009. He was an ardent safety activist for the steel industry, and was an active participant in both AIST and the SMA, most recently serving as SMA Chairman from 2006 to 2008.
“Don had a significant and positive influence on so many lives in our steel industry through his profound promotion of safety,” said Robert Simon, Executive Vice President of Evraz North America and current Chairman of the SMA. “We are genuinely honored to launch this fund in his memory.”
According to Randy Skagen, Vice President and General Manager of Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Inc. and current AIST Foundation President, “Don Daily was a tremendous advocate for the steel industry in so many respects, none more so than his undeniable passion to improve safety in the workplace. The AIST Foundation is pleased to support this fund and the ideals that it represents.”
SMA and the AIST Foundation are requesting your help to raise US$120,000 to ensure Daily’s memory will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone working in the steel industry. The AIST Foundation will match any contribution received by 31 May 2011 to an aggregate total of US$60,000. For additional information, visit the AIST Foundation or contact Lori Wharrey or +1.724.814.3044.
The AIST Foundation is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation organized for charitable, education and scientific purposes that seeks to attract technology-oriented professionals to the steel industry by educating the public about the high-tech, diverse and rewarding nature of careers in modern steelmaking. Scholarships and grants are awarded on an annual basis to students and instructors to encourage awareness and interest within iron and steel-related industries. Approximately US$400,000 was awarded in 2010 through the AIST Foundation and its affiliated groups.
The AIST Foundation is part of AIST, an international technical association of 14,400 professional and student members representing iron and steel producers, their allied suppliers and related academia. The association is dedicated to advancing the technical development, production, processing and application of iron and steel. For more information, visit AIST.org.
The Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) consists of 35 North American companies that operate 130 steel plants and employ approximately 60,000 people. SMA members account for over 70% of domestic steel production. The SMA also has 129 Associate Member companies who provide goods and services to the steel industry. SMA members are widely dispersed across North America, with 31 located in the United States, three in Canada, and two in Mexico. The U.S. companies are represented in the United States Congress by 125 Congressional Districts in 37 states. The SMA is the primary trade association for scrap-based electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmakers and rerollers, representing approximately 75% of U.S. steelmaking capacity. For more information, please visit www.steelnet.org.
