Keith E. Busse, President and CEO of Steel Dynamics Inc. was named “Steelmaker of the Year” at AISTech 2005 — The Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition, managed by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology. The Steelmaker of the Year Award is presented annually by the AIST to recognize notable leaders and their contributions to the steel industry.

Busse received the honor in recognition of his entrepreneurial spirit, distinguished leadership and exceptional contributions to the steel industry. Busse was lauded for his pioneering efforts in the successful application of thin slab casting technology, and in the innovative creation of Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI), Fort Wayne, Ind.

Prior to the startup of SDI in 1993, Busse worked for Nucor Corp. for 21 years, ultimately becoming Vice President and General Manager of the company’s Crawfordsville, Ind., facility. There, he led the team that built and operated the world’s first minimill using thin slab casting steelmaking technology. He has received numerous awards, including the Wall Street Journal award for academic excellence and recognition as one of Business Week’s top 10 entrepreneurs in 1977.

In addition to the Steelmaker of the Year Award, AIST presented 5 other association-level awards, including the AIST Distinguished Member and Fellow Award, which was presented to John E.R. Holditch, retired from Dofasco Inc. and Thomas J. Usher, Chairman of the Board for U.S. Steel Corp.

Established in 1975, the Distinguished Member and Fellow Award is presented to an AIST member who has attained eminent distinction in advancing the technical development, production, processing and application of iron and steel and/or related activities of the industry and has performed meritorious service to the association. Holditch received this honor in recognition of his contributions to the iron and steel industry in Canada and the U.S. through leadership and devotion to mentoring and educating future leaders. Usher received this honor for his eminent service and dedication to the iron and steel industry through outstanding leadership and devoted support to promote the advancement of industry technology.

AIST’s Howe Memorial Lecturer Award was presented to Dr. Gordon A. Irons, Dofasco Professor, McMaster University. The award was established in 1923 to honor the late professor Henry Marion Howe, who helped turn steelmaking from an art into a science. The award is presented annually in recognition of individual outstanding contributions to the science and practice of iron and steel metallurgy or metallography.

AIST presented the John F. Elliott Leadership Award to Henri R. Gaye, retired from IRSID Arcelor. Established in 1990, this honorary lectureship is designed to acquaint students and engineers with the exciting opportunities in chemical process metallurgy and materials chemistry. The lecturer is selected for this award in recognition of distinguished contributions in chemical process metallurgy and materials chemistry to the iron and steel industry.

The William T. Hogan, S.J. Memorial Lecture Award was presented to Malay Mukherjee, Chief Operating Officer, Mittal Steel USA. Established in 1990, this honorary lecturer is selected in recognition of individual outstanding leadership to the iron and steel industry with selected lectures covering trade, economics, steel industry operations, developments or forecasts. The award is given in appreciation of the keynote lecture presented during the AISTech President’s Award Breakfast.

The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) was formed on Jan. 1, 2004, by the merger of the Iron & Steel Society and the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers. AIST is an international technical association 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.