Evraz to Relocate North American Headquarters to Chicago
01/21/2011 - Evraz Inc. NA will relocate its headquarters to Chicago, Ill., this June, saying the new location offers logistical advantages that will provide easier access to customers, manufacturing operations and its employees across North America.
Evraz Inc. NA has announced plans to relocate its headquarters from Portland, Ore., to Chicago, Ill., this June. The company said that Chicago offers logistical advantages that will provide easier access to customers, manufacturing operations and its employees across North America.
"We believe this relocation supports our strategic vision as a commercially driven enterprise," said Mike Rehwinkel, President and CEO of Evraz North America. "We are focused on how our steel meets our customer's needs. Moving to Chicago will enable us to spend more time with customers, which will help us better understand their needs to deliver the best possible service and value."
Relocation of its headquarters is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to transform the North American organization. It follows the company’s 2010 restructuring of its manufacturing and sales organization along major product groups (flat-rolled, tubular, and long products) to be more responsive to customers and market conditions. The relocation also supports the company's continuing drive to integrate and create further efficiencies at its manufacturing operations by making it easier for Evraz leadership to travel to its mills and collaborate with employees.
"Evraz will remain an important part of the Oregon manufacturing community through our ongoing operations at our Portland steel mill and the nearly 500 local team members who work there," said Jennifer Murray, Senior Vice President, Organization and Change Management. "We will continue to provide our local customers and business partners with the same high level of responsiveness they have always received from Evraz."
The new headquarters office in downtown Chicago is scheduled to open in late June, with the transition completed by the end of 2011. The company expects to employ approximately 70 to 80 people in the headquarters office, many of whom will be relocating from Portland.
Evraz Inc. NA is a leading North American steel manufacturer built on the history of three successful North American steel companies—Oregon Steel, Claymont Steel and IPSCO. In North America, Evraz produces more than 5 million tons annually of flat, long, and tubular steel products for major markets including infrastructure, defense, energy and rail. Its manufacturing facilities are located in Portland, Ore.; Regina, Sask.; Pueblo, Colo.; Claymont, Del.; Calgary, Camrose and Red Deer, Alta.; and Surrey, B.C. Evraz in North America, is a leading producer of large-diameter pipe, the second-largest producer of steel plate and the largest producer of rail. Evraz Inc. NA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Evraz Group S.A., one of the largest vertically integrated steel and mining businesses in the world.
