Jan. 4, 2006 — Former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel employee Wilbur Winland was named Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President of Mountain State Carbon LLC, effective immediately.

Mountain State Carbon, a joint venture between Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel and Severstal North America subsidiary SNA Carbon, was formed in late 2005 to produce coke at the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh coke plant in Follansbee, W.Va.

"Mountain State Carbon is important to the future of both Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel and Severstal North America," Winland said. "The rehabilitation of the plant involves a major capital investment by both companies. In addition to our quality of coke, the safety, efficiency and environmental compliance of the plant's operations are critical for each company's future success."

Winland, a 30-year steel industry veteran, came to Mountain State Carbon from Severstal North America, Dearborn, Mich., where he was Senior Vice President of Purchasing and Engineering. Previous to that, he served as Vice President of Operations at the facility, which was then operating as Rouge Steel. During his tenure, which began in 1984, Winland managed all of the company's main production facilities.

He joined Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in 1976 after graduating from Salem College (W.Va.) with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. While at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel, he worked as a supervisor in the company's Blast Furnace Department. He was a member of the launch team for the initial start-up of the Mingo Junction, Ohio, continuous caster.

Winland is a third generation steel man — his father, Wilbur Winland Sr., and his grandfather, John Winland, both worked at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel's Yorkville, Ohio, plant.

Mountain State Carbon is a joint venture of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. and SNA Carbon LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Severstal North America. SNA Carbon is contributing $120 million to the joint venture, and Wheeling-Pittsburgh's total contribution will be $40 million for rehabilitation of the plant's four coke batteries. Under agreements with Mountain State Carbon, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel will continue to operate and manage the coke plant, and the coke plant workers will remain Wheeling-Pittsburgh employees.

Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel is a steel company engaged in the making, processing and fabrication of steel and steel products using both integrated and electric arc furnace technology. Products include hot rolled and cold rolled sheet and coated products such as galvanized, pre-painted and tin mill sheet. The company also produces a variety of steel products including roll formed corrugated roofing, roof deck, floor deck, bridgeform and other products used primarily by the construction, highway and agricultural markets.

SNA Carbon, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Severstal North America, Inc., an integrated flat rolled sheet steel producer that primarily serves the automotive, converter and service center markets in North America. Severstal North America employs approximately 2,000 employees in its manufacturing facilities and corporate offices located in Dearborn, Mich. Severstal North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of OAO Severstal, Russia's second largest steelmaker, and an affiliate of Severstal Group, a Russian-based conglomerate including metallurgy, mining, automobile manufacturing, machinery, transportation and other businesses.

The Severstal Group employs approximately 150,000 people and operates more than 30 plants in 14 regions across Russia and the United States. In April 2005, Severstal Group acquired a 62% interest in Lucchini SpA, an Italian based specialty steel manufacturer with 20 industrial plants and 9,000 employees located in Italy, France, Great Britain and Sweden.