Golf Outing — June 2023
On Monday, 12 June 2023, the AIST Midwest Chapter held a golf outing at the Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Ind., USA. Even the chilly temperatures didn’t dampen the day for the 218 golfers.

1. A group of golfers enjoyed the day out on the course during the Midwest Member Chapter golf outing (left to right): Nick Furdek, Cleveland-Cliffs Riverdale; John Nowacki, Eco-Block; Michael Cope, Connors Industrials; Thomas Cope, Progress Group; and Gino Panici, Commercial Group Lifting Co. 2. Brad Ahbe (left) and Jake Maruk (right) from Magneco-Metrel joined the Midwest Member Chapter golf outing on 12 June 2023.

Midwest Member Chapter vice chair Mike Schwentor (right) presented a plaque of appreciation to Sean McCann (left), U. S. Steel – Gary Works, in recognition of his keynote presentation at the chapter’s 11 April 2023 dinner meeting.

Dinner Meeting — April 2023
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 11 April 2023, at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, with 230 people in attendance. Keynote speaker Sean McCann, engineering project manager, U. S. Steel – Gary Works, gave an informative presentation on the new pig iron caster project at U. S. Steel – Gary Works.

March 2023
On Tuesday, 14 March 2023, Chris Meyer, project engineer, and Lisa Young, process engineer, Cleveland-Cliffs IronUnits, provided an informative overview of Cleveland-Cliffs’ new hot briquetted iron facility for the Midwest Member Chapter. There were 320 members, students and guests in attendance at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.   
The chapter also hosted an outing to the Chicago Blackhawks hockey game at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., USA, on Tuesday, 21 February 2023. A group of 27 members and friends attended the game to watch the Blackhawks win.

Keynote Presentation — February 2023
2022–2023 AIST president Keith J. Howell, chief operating officer, ArcelorMittal North America, gave a keynote presentation to his own Midwest Member Chapter on Wednesday, 15 February 2023. Howell provided an overview of AIST, including key initiatives as well as an informative synopsis of ArcelorMittal North America. There were 320 members, students and guests in attendance at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.
In addition, AIST executive director Ron Ashburn presented the 2022 Energy Achievement Award on behalf of the AIST Energy & Utilities Technology Committee. The team from Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor took home the prize for their walking beam reheat furnace installation and start-up project. The award recognizes outstanding energy conservation through the application of innovative technology.

AIST executive director Ron Ashburn (far right) presented the 2022 Energy Achievement Award to the team at Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor at the Midwest Member Chapter meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.

Dinner Meeting — January 2023
On Tuesday, 10 January 2023, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrill-ville, Ind., USA. Keynote speaker Pravin C. Mathur, executive director – metals, combustion and energy, Linde, pre-sented “Hydrogen Steelmaking” to the audience of 293 attendees.

1. Detroit Member Chapter chair Joe Juronoc (left), Cleveland-Cliffs Dearborn Works, presented a plaque of appreciation to 2022–2023 AIST president Keith J. Howell (right), ArcelorMittal North America, for his keynote speech at the chapter’s dinner meeting in Southgate, Mich., USA, on 17 January 2023. 2. Midwest Member Chapter chair Ted Vrehas (right), Graycor Industrial Contractors Inc., presented a plaque to Pravin C. Mathur (left), Linde, for his keynote presentation at the chapter’s 10 January 2023 dinner meeting in Merrillville, Ind., USA.

Christmas Dinner — December 2022
The Midwest Member Chapter held their Christmas dinner dance on Saturday, 3 December 2022, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Ill., USA. The annual gathering attracted 265 attendees to the Windy City for the festive evening.

Young Steel Professionals’ Night — November 2022
On Tuesday, 8 November 2022, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual Young Steel Professionals’ Night at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, with 273 people in attendance.
Soumitra Agashe, senior division manager hot rolling and finishing, BH, Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor, served as moderator of the five Young Professional presentations:

• Ashley Fuller, U. S. Steel – Midwest Plant.

• Katie Labere, Cleveland-Cliffs Indiana Harbor.

• Donte Rayford, U. S. Steel – Gary Works.

• Gonzalo Romo, Cleveland-Cliffs Riverdale.

• Lidia Yakovleva, Cleveland-Cliffs Burn Harbor.

Annual Vendor Fair — September 2022
On Tuesday, 13 September 2022, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted their annual vendor fair at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. Hundreds of local professionals and their guests had the opportunity to network and visit the 78 booths at the event.

Golf Outing — August 2022
On Thursday, 18 August 2022, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted their second golf outing of the summer with 132 golfers in attendance at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind., USA. All proceeds from the outing benefit the chapter’s scholarship fund.

A foursome enjoyed a day on the golf course at the Midwest Member Chapter golf outing on 18 August (left to right): Mike Sparks, Dellner Bubenzer; Russ Walters, Nucor Steel Kankakee; Warren Jones, Tri-State Industrial Sales; and Rob Brashear, Tri-State Industrial Sales.

Golf Outing — June 2022
On Monday, 13 June 2022, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter held a golf outing at the Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Ind., USA. A total of 208 golfers enjoyed a day of fellowship and friendly competition, with the foursome from Connors Industrials Inc. winning the day.

Dinner Meeting — April 2022
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 12 April 2022, at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, with 308 people in attendance.
Barry T. Schneider, senior vice president, Flat Roll Steel Group, Steel Dynamics Inc., gave a keynote presentation featuring an informative overview of the latest projects underway at Steel Dynamics Inc. He was preceded by a few remarks from guest speaker Frank J. Mrvan, U.S. Representative for the First Congressional District of Indiana.

Dinner Meeting — March 2022
2021–2022 AIST president Steven J. Henderson, vice president west division, Commercial Metals Company, was the keynote speaker at the Midwest Member Chapter’s dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 8 March 2022. There were 280 members, students and guests in attendance.

Dinner Meeting and Hockey Game Outing — January 2022
On Tuesday, 11 January 2022, the  Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrill-ville, Ind., USA. Keynote speaker Kevin Van de Ven, vice president and general manager, Nucor Steel Kankakee Inc., presented “Growing Our Core and Expanding Beyond — How Nucor’s Strategic Investments Are Building the 21st-Century Economy” to the audience of 221 attendees.
The chapter also hosted an outing to a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., USA, on Thursday, 13 January. A group of 25 members and friends attended the game.

Christmas Dinner — Dance December 2021
The Midwest Member Chapter held their annual Christmas dinner dance on Saturday, 4 December 2021, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Ill., USA, where 360 attendees enjoyed the festivities and fellowship of the event.
The chapter presented an Outstanding Service Award to long-time chapter secretary Mario Munguia in appreciation of his years of leadership and dedication to the chapter. Munguia stepped down from his role as secretary to enjoy retirement and his family. 
The chapter also awarded a plaque of appreciation to Bill Hills, president and chief executive officer, S\TEC Group Inc., who coordinated the annual Christmas dinner dance for the chapter for many years. He also retired this year. The chapter offered their thanks and congratulations to Munguia and Hills.

Young Steel Professionals’ Night—November 2021
On Tuesday, 9 November 2021, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted their annual Young Steel Professionals’ Night at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, with 350 people in attendance.
Nancy Hake, general manager quality and metallurgical engineering, NLMK Indiana served as moderator of the five presentations from the following Young Professionals: Zach Bloede, engineer 1, U. S. Steel – Gary Works; Patrick D. Hosty, quality engineer, U. S. Steel – Gary Works; Hailey Rizor, systems engineer, RoviSys; Elijah Pass, process automation engineer, Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor; and Rorey Smith, process engineer, NLMK Indiana

Keynote Speaker — October 2021
On Tuesday, 12 October 2021, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter welcomed keynote speaker Lourenco Goncalves, chair-man, president and chief executive officer, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., to a sold-out crowd at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. Goncalves captivated the audience of 578 steel industry professionals and students in attendance.

Golf Outing — August 2021
On Thursday, 19 August 2021, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its second golf outing of the summer with 103 golfers in attendance at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind., USA. All proceeds from the outing benefit the chapter’s scholarship fund.
The Midwest Member Chapter held its annual vendor fair at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 14 September 2021. The event featured tabletops from 60 companies and more than 200 industry attendees enjoyed the event.

Golf Outing — June 2021
On Monday, 14 June 2021, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted the June Golf Outing at Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Ind., USA, for 212 golfers. The outing was played in a scramble format and the winning team came from Connors Industrial with a score of 62 (10 under par).  Team members included: Michael Dean Cope, Thomas Charles Cope, Gino Panici and Grady Kring.

Webinar — February 2021
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted a webinar on Tuesday, 9 February 2021. The webinar featured a keynote presentation from Lourenco Goncalves, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., titled “The New Cleveland-Cliffs.”
In his presentation, Goncalves shared his vision for Cleveland-Cliffs and discussed its newfound position in the steel market. With its acquisitions of AK Steel and ArcelorMittal USA’s integrated operations, Cleveland-Cliffs is now the largest producer of flat-rolled steel in North America.
Despite that position, Goncalves said the company will place its focus on value rather than on volume. Steelmaking is capital-intensive, he said, and when a company pursues tons out the door, it sometimes gives away returns on investment that will be missed in the future.
“Return on invested capital needs to be pursued every day. If you don’t do that, you do a disservice to your employees, your company and your shareholders,” he said.
Cleveland-Cliffs shareholders have invested in a company that is now the largest blast furnace operator in the U.S. And although some are ready to eulogize the blast furnace, Goncalves told webinar attendees that Cleveland-Cliffs is now the lowest-cost U.S. steel producer. Scrap supplies are tightening, he said, and there is an emerging tug of war between the U.S. and China for high-quality feedstock.
As it is, electric arc furnaces (EAFs) account for 10% of China’s overall production, a relatively small percentage. But consider, Goncalves said, that 10% of China’s crude steel output exceeds the entirety of U.S. steel output. And if China succeeds in a goal to increase EAF output to 20% of market share, its electric furnaces alone will more than double all of U.S. steel production.
With in-house pellet and ironmaking capacity, and with the start of its direct reduction plant in Toledo, Ohio, USA, Cleveland-Cliffs will be able to operate outside of that dynamic, he said.
The keynote presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session with moderator Wendell Carter, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and 2016–2017 AIST president. There were 293 attendees registered for the event.

Dinner Meeting — March 2020
The Midwest Member Chapter held a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 10 March 2020. Keynote speaker Glenn Pushis, senior vice president, special projects, Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI), presented “New Mill Capabilities — Sinton, Texas,” an overview of construction process and plans for SDI’s greenfield flat roll mill currently underway in Sinton, Texas, USA. There were 387 in attendance at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.

Meeting — February 2020
Ronald J. O’Malley, F. Kenneth Iverson Chair Professor in Steelmaking Technologies and director, Kent D. Peaslee Steelmaking Manufacturing Research Center, Missouri University of Science and Technology and 2019–2020 AIST president was the keynote speaker at the AIST Midwest Member Chapter meeting on Tuesday, 11 February. O’Malley provided an overview of AIST and a presentation titled “Collaborative R&D in Steel Manufacturing at the Peaslee Steel Manufacturing Research Center” to the 284 in attendance at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.

Roundtable and Dinner Meeting — January 2020
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a Reliability Roundtable Discussion and dinner meeting on Tuesday, 14 January 2020, at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.
Mick Kostur, principal engineer, ArcelorMittal USA Maintenance, served as the moderator of the discussion featuring four producer panelists: Aaron Bermes, U. S. Steel – Gary Works; Matt Bookholt, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor; Rob Jones, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor; and Tim Schroll, U. S. Steel – Gary Works. There were 340 people in the audience.

Young Steel Professionals' Night — November 2019
On Tuesday, 12 November 2019, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted their Young Steel Professionals’ Night at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, with 320 in attendance. James J. Hendrickson, division manager — process automation, ArcelorMittal USA, served as moderator of the presentations from the following promising young steel professionals: Anthony Wunder, maintenance planner, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor; James Moss, operations excellence specialist, U. S. Steel — Gary Works; John White, project engineer, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor; Michael Erie, process engineer, NLMK Indiana; and Zachary Mauerman, project engineer, Arcelor­Mittal Riverdale.
The Chapter also held its annual Christmas dinner dance on Saturday, 7 December 2019, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Ill., USA. Four hundred attendees enjoyed the festivities and fellowship of the event.

High School Engineering Seminar — October 2019
The twelfth AIST Midwest Chapter High School Engineering Seminar was held on Thursday, 10 October 2019, at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind., USA. There were 186 students and 14 faculty members at the event.
The following high schools were in attendance: Andrean, Bishop Noll Institute, Lake Central, Merrillville, Morton East (Cicero, Ill., USA), Morton West (Berwyn, Ill., USA), Portage, Washington Township and Wheeler.
The following universities, industries and engineering firms participated: Purdue University Northwest, Purdue University – West Lafayette, Valparaiso University, Arcelor­Mittal USA, CET Inc., DLZ Industrial, McCarthy Building Companies, Nalco, NIPSCO, RoviSys, Stevens Engineers & Constructors, United States Steel Corporation, AIM Machinery, Orbital Engineering, Process Plus and Superior Engineering.
Also in attendance were members of the AIST Midwest Chapter, ASM-Calumet Chapter, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE – VU Chapter), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE – VU Chapter), Society of Women Engineers (SWE – VU Chapter) and Center for Innovation Through Visualization and Simulation of Purdue University Northwest, along with faculty and staff volunteers from Valparaiso University.

Kickoff Meeting—October 2019
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter held its kickoff meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 8 October 2019. More than 540 attendees packed the meeting. John Mengel, vice president and general manager, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, gave a keynote presentation on brownfield opportunities.

Annual Vendor Fair — September 2019
The Midwest Member Chapter held their annual vendor fair at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 10 September 2019. The event featured tabletops from 98 companies and 387 industry attendees networked and enjoyed the event.

Golf Outing — August 2019 
On Thursday, 15 August 2019, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its second golf outing of the summer with 168 golfers in attendance at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind., USA. All proceeds from the outing benefit the Chapter’s scholarship fund.

Golf Outing — June 2019
On Monday, 10 June 2019, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter held a sold-out golf outing of 242 golfers at the Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Ind., USA. The winning foursome from Vesuvius included Chuck Shippen, Woody Rothrock, Bob McMillan and Eric Kietzman.

Dinner Meeting — April 2019
On Tuesday, 9 April 2019, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter held a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. Purdue University Northwest’s Center for Innovation Through Visualization and Simulation research engineer Tyamo Okosun served as keynote speaker. Nearly 300 people were in attendance for Okosun’s presentation, titled “Blast Furnace Intergalactic: An ‘Out of This World’ Virtual Tour.”

Dinner Meeting — March 2019
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted a meeting on Tuesday, 12 March 2019. Madhu Ranade, vice president and general manager, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division, presented “Steel Dynamics Mini-Mill in Columbus, Mississippi: Process, Products and Planned Advancements” to the more than 350 in attendance at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Indiana, USA.

Blackhawks Game —February 2019
The Midwest Member Chapter organized an outing to the Chicago Blackhawks game on Thursday, 7 February. Twenty-six members and guests watched the Blackhawks defeat the Vancouver Canucks at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., USA. The chapter also held a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 12 February, where future of the industry was the focus. Pinakin C. Chaubal, general manager, ArcelorMittal Global R&D, presented “Digital Transformation of the Steel Industry — Industry 4.0” to the 350 in attendance at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.

Dinner Meeting — January 2019
The Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, was packed on Tuesday, 15 January, as a record 460 people attended the Midwest Member Chapter dinner meeting. ArcelorMittal hosted a Contractor Appreciation Night in recognition of all the contractors who helped with their “Emergency Repair — ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor 3 (IH3) Blast Furnace Bell.” 
On 4 August 2018, the IH3 furnace lost charging and the bell slack cable alarm went off. During the inspection, the large bell rod was found broken and the large bell fell into the furnace. 
The large bell rod and miscellaneous materials were in stock but no reconditioned spare bell was available. The team made a temporary repair to an old bell as a contingency plan.
Through the dedication of the ArcelorMittal employees and the support of their contractors, the furnace was fully recovered less than three weeks later on 24 August 2018. As a gesture of appreciation, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor sponsored the AIST Midwest Member Chapter meeting, and division manager Sergey Trenkinshu shared the story of the emergency repair.

Annual Christmas Dinner Dance — December 2018
The tradition of the AIST Midwest Member Chapter’s annual Christmas dinner dance continued on Saturday, 1 December 2018, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Ill., USA. Nearly 400 attendees dined, danced and enjoyed music by the Stanley Paul Orchestra.

Dinner Meeting — October 2018
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter held its kickoff meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA on Tuesday, 9 October 2018. More than 550 attendees packed the meeting. James F. Dudek, vice president — Asset Revitalization and Manufacturing Excellence,
United States Steel Corporation, and 2018–2019 AIST president, was the keynote speaker. He presented “The State of the Industry and U. S. Steel’s Asset Revitalization Program.”

High School Engineering Seminar – October 2018
The eleventh year of the AIST Midwest Chapter High School Engineering Seminar was held on Friday, 5 October 2018, at Purdue University Northwest. Thirteen high schools attended; 191 students and 17 faculty members.    
The following high schools were in attendance: Andrean, Bishop Noll Institute, Chesterton, Crown Point, East Chicago Central, Hammond Academy of Science & Technology, Lake Central, Merrillville, Morton East (Cicero, IL), Morton West (Berwyn, IL), Portage, Washington Township and Wheeler.
The following universities and industry and engineering firms participated: Purdue University Northwest, Purdue University – West Lafayette, Valparaiso University, ArcelorMittal USA, Graycor Industrial Constructors, McCarthy Building Companies, NALCO, NIPSCO, Praxair, United States Steel Corporation, AIM Machinery, EQ Engineers, Orbital Engineering and Superior Engineering.
Also in attendance were members of the AIST Midwest Chapter, ASM-Calumet Chapter and Purdue University Northwest’s Center for Innovation Through Visualization and Simulation, along with students and faculty volunteers from Purdue University Northwest.
The Midwest Member Chapter also hosted its annual Young Engineers’ Night at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 13 November 2018. More than XXX members and guests were in attendance. 
Keynote presentations were given by: 

• Thomas Abbott, project engineer IHW — Steel Producing, ArcelorMittal.

• Sebastien Beauboeuf, process engineer (management associate), United States Steel Corporation.

• Qamile Qoshja, process engineer 1, United States Steel Corporation.

• Jacob Windsor, engineer - steelmaking quality assurance, ArcelorMittal.

• Frank Worrell, project engineer IHE, ArcelorMittal.  

David White, director, process research, ArcelorMittal USA, served as moderator.  

Annual Vendor Meeting — September 2018
The Midwest Member Chapter held its annual vendor fair at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 11 September 2018. The event featured tabletops from 97 companies and more than 375 industry attendees enjoyed the event.

Golf Outing — August 2018
On Thursday, 16 August 2018, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted their second golf outing of the summer with 170 golfers in attendance at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind., USA. All proceeds from the outing benefit the Chapter’s scholarship fund.
The Midwest Chapter would like extend a special thank you to outgoing chair/committee member Jeff Jones, J.W. Hicks, who was involved with planning the golf outing for nearly 30 years. The chapter is grateful for his decades of support for this important scholarship fundraising activity.

Golf Outing — June 2018
On Monday, 11 June 2018, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter held a sold-out golf outing of 243 golfers. The course was wet due to rain over the weekend, but good times were had by all at the Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Ind., USA. The first place team finished 16 under par and consisted of: Ed Puskar and Chuck Shippen, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor; and Ed Burns and Ron Demack, Fedmet.

Monthly Meeting — April 2018
On Tuesday, 10 April 2018, Sunday O. Abraham, principal research engineer, SSAB Iowa Inc., and AIST Board of Directors representative, was the keynote speaker at the chapter’s monthly meeting held at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. More than 280 were in attendance to listen to him speak on the development of an image analysis technique for the quantitative evaluation of internal quality in as-cast products.

Dinner Meeting — March 2018
On Tuesday, 13 March, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter held a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, that featured a keynote presentation from Matt R. Story, engineering site manager — finishing, U. S. Steel – Gary Works.  Story’s presentation, “Overview of Midwest Plant 72-Inch Galvanneal Furnace Upgrade,” was appreciated by an audience of more than 300 students and professionals. 

Dinner Meeting — February 2018
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter held a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA on Tuesday, 13 February 2018, which featured a keynote presentation from Randy Skagen, vice president and general manager, Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Inc. and 2017–2018 AIST president. Skagen’s presentation, “Nucor: Making Steel Great Again,” was enjoyed by the 325 students and professionals in attendance. 

Dinner Meeting — January 2018
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter held a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 9 January. More than 300 attendees were in the audience to hear from Mike McCoy, iron producing division manager, U. S. Steel – Gary Works. McCoy provided an informative presentation titled “Overview of No. 6 Blast Furnace Fall 2017 Outage.”

Dinner Dance — December 2017
The festivities were in full swing along the Magnificent Mile on 2 December 2017, at the Midwest Member Chapter’s annual Christmas dinner dance. Nearly 400 attendees enjoyed music by the Stanley Paul Orchestra at the annual holiday gala at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Ill., USA.

Young Engineers' Night Dinner — November 2017
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual Young Engineers’ Night at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 14 November 2017. More than 350 members and guests were in attendance. Presentations were given by: Michael Decker, process automation senior engineer, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor; Marissa Taylor, environmental engineer, U. S. Steel – Gary Works; Rui Liu, process research engineer, ArcelorMittal Global R&D East Chicago; and Chris Thompson, hot rolling process automation manager, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor. Pinakin Chaubal, general manager, ArcelorMittal Global R&D East Chicago, served as moderator.

Kickoff Meeting — October 2017
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter also held its kickoff meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 10 October 2017. More than 480 attendees, including 17 past chapter chairs, packed the meeting. 
Keith Howell, chief operating officer, ArcelorMittal USA, provided an informative synopsis of the company in his keynote presentation, titled, “ArcelorMittal USA: Overview and Market Outlook.”

Golf Outing and Vendor Fair — September 2017
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its second golf outing of the year on 17 August 2017 at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind., USA. Eighty golfers participated.
The chapter also held its annual vendor fair at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., on Tuesday, 12 September 2017. The event featured tabletop displays from 92 companies and had more than 380 visitors mingle through the aisles. 

Golf Outing — June 2017
On Monday, 12 June 2017, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter held a sold-out golf outing with 240 golfers. The temperatures were high, the scores were low and a good time was had by all at the Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Ind., USA.   

Keynote Presentation — April 2017
On Tuesday, 11 April 2017, U.S. Congressman Pete Visclosky, First District of Indiana, was the keynote speaker at the Midwest Member Chapter’s monthly meeting, which was held at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. More than 280 were in attendance to listen to his presentation, “Protecting the American Steel Industry: Supporting a Strong Regional Economy, Job Growth and National Security.”

Keynote Presentation — March 2017
On Tuesday, 14 March 2017, Johnny Brannbacka, senior research engineer, ArcelorMittal Global R&D – East Chicago, gave the keynote presentation at the Midwest Member Chapter’s monthly meeting held at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. More than 200 were in attendance to listen to his presentation, which was titled, “Control of AHSS Coil Cooling After Hot Rolling to Improve Downstream Processing.”

Dinner Meeting — February 2017
On Tuesday, 21 February 2017, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter’s meeting featured their own
Wendell Carter, vice president and general manager ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor, and AIST 2016–2017 president as the evening’s keynote presenter. More than 450 attendees gathered at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.

Dinner Meeting — January 2017
On Tuesday, 10 January 2017, the Midwest Member Chapter kicked off the year at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, with 297 attendees. The keynote address was given by Barry Felton, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, who highlighted the “Burns Harbor Iron Ore Stacker Reclaimer Replacement Project,” which won the 2017 AIST Project Excellence Award. Ted Vrehas, AIST Project & Construction Management Technology Committee chair, and vice president, Graycor, presented the award.

Annual Christmas Dinner Dance — December 2016
The festivities were in full swing along the Magnificent Mile on 3 December 2016, at the Midwest Member Chapter’s annual Christmas dinner dance. More than 350 attendees enjoyed the evening’s festivities and the music of the Stanley Paul Orchestra at the annual holiday gathering at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Ill., USA.

High School Engineering Seminar — November 2016
The ninth year of the AIST Midwest Member Chapter High School Engineering Seminar was held on Friday, 21 October 2016, at Purdue University Northwest. Twelve high schools were represented by 257 students and 20 faculty members.
The following high schools were in attendance: East Chicago Central, Hammond, Hammond Academy of Science & Technology, Highland, Lake Central, Lowell, Merrillville, Morton East (Cicero, Ill., USA), Morton West (Berwyn, Ill., USA), Portage, Thornton Township District 205 and Washington Township.
The following universities, industries and engineering firms participated: Purdue University Northwest, Purdue University – West Lafayette, Valparaiso University, ArcelorMittal USA, Graycor Industrial Constructors, Nalco, NIPSCO, Nucor, Praxair, United States Steel Corporation, AIM Machinery, CET Inc., EQ Engineers, Falk PLI, SNC Lavalin – Capital Engineering, Superior Engineering and Valdes Engineering.
Also in attendance were members of the AIST Midwest Member Chapter, along with students and faculty volunteers from Purdue University Northwest.
View a video recap of the seminar created by students at Lowell High School in Lowell, Ind., USA, at: https://youtu.be/iasyc2V6Xl4.

Dinner Meeting — October 2016
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter held its annual kickoff dinner meeting on Tuesday, 11 October 2016, at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. The event featured a keynote presentation by Blake Zuidema, director of automotive product applications, ArcelorMittal Global Research and Development. There were 462 attendees at the dinner.

Annual Vendor Fair — September 2016
The AIST Midwest MembCOVer Chapter hosted its annual vendor fair at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville, Ind., USA on Tuesday, 13 September 2016. The event featured booths from 98 companies and had more than 400 attendees.
The Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza has hosted the Midwest Member Chapter vendor fair for more than 25 years. The hotel is scheduled to close in 2017, and the vendor fair will be relocated to the Avalon Manor in Merrillville. 

Members Event — July 2016
On Monday, 18 July 2016, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter sponsored a members event at the famous Wrigley Rooftops at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill., USA. Members were invited to bring a guest to the event, where the Chicago Cubs battled the New York Mets. There were 36 AIST members and guests in attendance. Drinks, food, and transportation to and from the park were all provided as part of the event. The game was a great way to beat the summer heat and everyone enjoyed the event. 

Golf Outing — June 2016
On Monday, 13 June 2016, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted a golf outing at the Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Ind., USA. There were 229 golfers at this year’s event.

Dinner Meeting — April 2016
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 12 April 2016, which featured a consortium. A panel consisting of David Barker, operations excellence manager, U. S. Steel – Gary Works; Mitch Day, strategic account director, Praxair; Larry Fabina, manager of continuous improvement, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor; Yury Krotov, casting manager, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Butler; and Chenn Zhou, director, Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium and director, Center for Innovation Through Visualization and Simulation, Purdue University Northwest, spoke before the evening’s 270 attendees.

Dinner Meeting — March 2016
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter held its March dinner meeting on Tuesday, 8 March 2016 at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. Chief of staff Mark Lopez from Congressman Pete Visclosky’s office addressed the crowd of nearly 300 attendees with his keynote presentation.

Dinner Meeting — February 2016
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter held a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 9 February 2016 at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. The meeting was supported by sponsors Matrix NAC, Rockwell Automation, Sargent Electric, TMEIC and H.A. Smolen Co.
The event featured a keynote presentation by George J. Koenig, director — global business & technology development, Iron & Steel, Hatch Associates Inc., and 2015–2016 AIST president.  
Koenig’s presentation was titled “Global Steel Overview.” He provided introduction to AIST and its goals, planning for the future of the organization, and efforts put in place to move the industry forward with the younger generation. His presentation also provided insight to the steel industry, including negatives and positives on what is going on in the world steel community, and an update on the laws regarding steel dumping.
The AIST Project & Construction Management Technology Committee found this as the perfect venue to present the AIST Project Excellence Award to John Seaman from ArcelorMittal. 

Dinner Meeting — January 2016
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 12 January 2016 at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.
There were nearly 300 attendees at the dinner. The evening was highlighted by a keynote presentation from Bristol Voss, editor-in-chief, American Metal Market. Voss’ presentation, “Steel 2016: Opportunities and Challenges,” provided insight on what to look for in the metals markets in 2016, including steel, titanium, copper and aluminum.

Young Engineers Night Dinner — November 2015
The Midwest Member Chapter held its annual Young Engineers Night dinner meeting on Tuesday, 10 November 2015, at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA.
There were 330 attendees at the dinner, including 29 students and three faculty members from Purdue University’s Calumet and West Lafayette campuses. Jerry Yothment, general manager of IT at ArcelorMittal USA, served as moderator of the event. 
The festivities were in full swing along the Magnificent Mile on 5 December 2015, at the Midwest Member Chapter’s annual Christmas dinner dance. The nearly 400 attendees enjoyed the annual holiday gathering at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Ill., USA.

Dinner Meeting — October 2015
The Midwest Member Chapter held its annual kickoff dinner meeting on Tuesday, 13 October 2015 at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. The event featured a keynote presentation by Graham Reid, chief technology officer for ArcelorMittal North America Flat Rolled. There were 439 attendees at the dinner. Rich Trzcinski of EQ Engineers was honored as the 2015 Midwest Member Chapter Outstanding Service Award winner. Paul M. Behnke of United States Steel Corporation was also honored for his service as Midwest Member Chapter chair.
The 8th annual AIST Midwest Member Chapter High School Engineering Seminar was held on Friday, 16 October 2015 at Purdue University Calumet. Twenty high schools attended for a total of 274 students and 28 faculty members. Also in attendance were members of the AIST Midwest Member Chapter committee, along with students and faculty volunteers from Purdue University Calumet.

Annual Vendor Fair — September 2015
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual vendor fair at the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 15 September 2015. The event featured tabletop displays from 98 companies and had more than 425 visitors to the exhibition. The Midwest Member Chapter is currently the largest local Member Chapter, with more than 1,600 members.

Golf Outing — August 2015
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its second golf outing of the year on 13 August 2015 at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind., USA. More than 150 participants enjoyed a round of golf, lunch, dinner and prizes, while supporting the AIST Midwest Member Chapter scholarship and education initiatives. Through the generous support of the local vendor/supplier community, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter provides nearly US$40,000 annually to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education to local teachers and students.

Members Only (+1) Event — July 2015
On Tuesday, 21 July 2015, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter sponsored a members-only event on the Miller Lite Party Porch at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Ill., USA. Members were invited to bring a guest to the event, where the Chicago White Sox battled the St. Louis Cardinals. There were 36 AIST members and guests in attendance. Drinks, food, and transportation to and from the park were all provided as part of the event.

Golf Outing — June 2015
On Monday, 1 June 2015, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted a golf outing at Silver Lakes Country Club in Orland Park, Ill., USA. There were 176 golfers at this year’s event.

Dinner Meeting — April 2015
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA, on Tuesday, 14 April 2015. Nagendra Singh, engineer — operating technology for ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, gave an update on the No. 1 Battery Collecting Main Replacement and Roof Repair Project. This project was not only the topic of the dinner, but was also the recipient of the AIST 2015 Project Excellence Award. Nearly 300 members and guests attended the dinner.

Dinner Meeting — March 2015
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 10 March 2015, at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. More than 400 people attended the dinner, which featured a keynote presentation by Andrew S. Harshaw, president and CEO of ArcelorMittal USA. His presentation included an overview of the capabilities of AM/NS Calvert LLC in Calvert, Ala., USA. Also at the dinner, the Midwest Member Chapter recognized several of its longest standing members. 

Dinner Meeting — January 2015
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a technical discussion on Tuesday, 13 January 2015 at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. The evening’s presentation included information about the successful No. 7 blast furnace reline at ArcelorMittal’s Indiana Harbor Plant. James E. Bobek, furnace operations and reline manager, and Allen Ogden, construction project manager, covered all aspects of the project from pre-outage work through commissioning and start-up. There were nearly 500 attendees at the dinner.

Christmas Dinner Dance — December 2014
On Saturday, 7 December 2014, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual Christmas dinner dance at the Chicago Marriott Downtown in Chicago, Ill., USA. There were nearly 650 attendees at this year’s event. The evening included a dinner and dancing, with music provided by the Stanley Paul Orchestra.

Young Engineers Night — November 2014
On Tuesday, 11 November 2014, nearly 400 people attended the Midwest Member Chapter’s annual Young Engineers Night. The five young engineers included three from ArcelorMittal and two from United States Steel Corporation. They each spoke of their college educational background, challenges and adventures in the early years of their steel industry careers. Rob Ives, director of quality assurance from U. S. Steel – Gary Works, moderated the event.

High School Engineering Seminar — November 2014
The 7th annual AIST Midwest Member Chapter High School Engineering Seminar was held on Wednesday, 5 November 2014 at Purdue University Calumet. Individuals from 17 high schools attended, including 208 students and 19 faculty members. The following high schools were in attendance: Andrean, Bishop Noll, Crown Point, East Chicago Central, Griffith, Hammond, Hammond Academy of Science & Technology, Highland, Hobart, Lake Central, Marquette, Morton, Morton East, Morton West, New Prairie, Portage and Seton Academy. The following universities, industries and engineering firms participated: Colorado School of Mines, Purdue University Calumet, Purdue University West Lafayette, Valparaiso University, ArcelorMittal USA, NIPSCO, United States Steel Corporation, AIM Machinery, Ambitech Engineering, CET Inc., EQ Engineers, Falk PLI, SNC Lavalin – Capital Engineering and Superior Engineering. Also in attendance were members of the AIST Midwest Chapter, along with students and faculty volunteers from Purdue University Calumet and the Center for Innovation Through Visualization and Simulation.

Kickoff Dinner Meeting — October 2014
On Tuesday, 14 October 2014, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual kickoff meeting at the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Ind., USA. Douglas R. Matthews, senior vice president of North American flat rolled operations for United States Steel Corporation, addressed a crowd of more than 600 people. Matthews gave a speech titled “Energy: The Game Changer — A Steel Producer’s Perspective,” which provided detailed insights into natural gas reserves and tubular operations. He highlighted the virtuous circle of shale development for U. S. Steel. It started with the increased resource energy development, leading to increased steel demand and increased energy demand. Also at the meeting, the Midwest Member Chapter’s vice chair, Love Kalra of ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor, was presented with the 2014 Midwest Member Chapter Outstanding Service Award. The Midwest Member Chapter would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of this event: Graycor, Morrison Construction, R.E. Warner, SNC – Lavalin Capital Engineering, The Ross Group, Glenmount Global and Superior Engineering. The host company for the event was SNC – Lavalin Capital Engineering.

Vendor Fair — September 2014
The Midwest Member Chapter’s annual vendor fair was held on Tuesday, 16 September 2014 at the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Ind., USA. This year’s event featured 97 exhibiting companies and a total of 430 attendees at the event.

Golf Outing — August 2014
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its second golf outing on 21 August 2014 at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind., USA. More than 200 participants enjoyed a round of golf, lunch, dinner and prizes while supporting the AIST Midwest Member Chapter scholarship and education initiatives. Thanks to the generous support of the local vendor/supplier community, more than US$11,000 was raised to help fund the US$25,000+ that is awarded annually in AIST Midwest Member Chapter scholarships. A special thanks to Superior Engineering for donating a significant cash prize back to the AIST Midwest Member Chapter.

Chicago Cubs Game “Members Only” Event — July 2014
On Monday, 28 July 2014, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted its first “Members Only” special event at Wrigley Field. Participants were shuttled from Merrillville, Ind., USA, to Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill., USA, and watched the Chicago Cubs battle the Colorado Rockies from the Skybox on Sheffield. The event was sold out with 59 participants.

Golf Outing — June 2014
On Monday, 2 June 2014, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted a golf outing at the Silver Lakes Country Club in Orland Park, Ill. Proceeds from the outing go toward the Midwest Member Chapter’s scholarship fund, which awards more than US$25,000 per year. There were 184 golfers at this event.

Softball Tournament — May 2014 
On Saturday, 10 May 2014, the Midwest Member Chapter held its third annual softball challenge. It was held at the U. S. Steel Yard in Gary, Ind. — the home of the minor league professional team the Gary Railcats. A total of 10 teams participated in a single-elimination tournament, including: United States Steel Corporation, ArcelorMittal, The American Group of Constructors – TAG, Emerson, Tranco, E.Q. Engineers, NALCO, NLMK Steel, Roger & Sons and United Rentals. There were nearly 600 attendees, including players and their families. There were games and activities for kids on the field that included running the bases, potato sack races, a bean bag toss and ladders. All of these activities contributed to the chapter’s scholarship fund. A special thanks to TAG for helping to host the event, along with Praxair; Gary Steindler of Bemcor Inc. – A Beatty International company, who umpired all eight games for the third year in a row; and a special thanks to the Railcats administration. Congratulations to U. S. Steel, the 2014 AIST Member Midwest Chapter softball challenge champions!

Dinner Meeting — April 2014 
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a panel discussion on Tuesday, 8 April 2014 at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. The discussion topic was “Process Optimization and Cost Savings for U. S. Steel Provided by the Center for Innovation Through Visualization and Simulation.” The panel included Jamie Lash, area manager — 80/84-Inch Pickle and HR Finishing, U. S. Steel – Gary Works; Bin Wu, research engineer, Center for Innovation Through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS), Purdue University–Calumet; and Chenn Zhou, director, CIVS, Purdue University – Calumet. There were nearly 300 attendees at the dinner.

Dinner Meeting — March 2014
On Tuesday, 11 March, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. The event featured a presentation by AIST president Terry G. Fedor II, executive vice president, U.S. iron ore operations, and AIST president. There were nearly 300 attendees at the dinner.

Dinner Meeting — February 2014
On Tuesday, 11 February, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. The event featured a presentation by Scott Piech, division manager – USA maintenance, ArcelorMittal USA. His presentation was titled “Sustaining Our ArcelorMittal World-Class Equipment Reliability and Lessons Learned.” There were 260 attendees at the dinner.

Dinner Meeting — January 2014
On Tuesday, 14 January 2014, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind., USA. The event featured presentations by Mohamad Shehadeh, process engineer from U. S. Steel – Gary Works, and John T. Seaman, division manager, primary and energy — engineering from ArcelorMittal Flat Carbon Americas. Shehadeh’s presentation was titled “Coke Rate Reduction Initiatives at #14 BFC,” and Seaman presented, “Campaign Extension Strategies.” Also at the dinner, the 2014 AIST Project Excellence Award was presented to representatives from ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor for their project titled “Blast Furnace Gas Flare Capture (504 Boiler).” There were 350 attendees at the dinner.

Christmas Dinner Dance — December 2013 
On Saturday, 7 December 2013, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual Christmas dinner dance at the Chicago Marriott Downtown in Chicago, Ill., USA. There were nearly 650 attendees at this year’s event. The evening included a dinner and dancing, with music provided by the Stanley Paul Orchestra.
As part of the 9th annual AIST Midwest Member Chapter Christmas party on 7 December 2013, guests of Falk PLI were asked to participate in a pink tie benefit, initiated by Andrea Falk, daughter of Mike and Dorothy Falk, engineering student at Purdue University and AIST Foundation scholarship recipient. As part of her ongoing fundraising efforts for breast cancer awareness, Falk asked attendees to exchange their ties for pink ties. According to organizer Andrea Falk, “I was so thankful to see all the support and encouragement from the members who made donations, who wore the ties, and who came up to me to share their personal stories about their experiences with breast cancer. It was a great evening.” More than 40 people participated in the effort. Falk estimates that more than US$1,500 was donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation by local AIST members.

High School Engineering Seminar — November 2013
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted its 6^th Annual High School Engineering Seminar on 6 November 2013 at Purdue University at Calumet in Hammond, Ind. The High School Engineering Seminar is a one-day seminar directed to high school juniors who have the potential and interest to pursue a college degree in the field of engineering or technology. This year’s program consisted of four (4) different labs focusing on engineering disciplines; Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Metallurgical/Material Science.  A fifth lab was a tour of the Center for Innovation through Visualization & Simulation (CIVS). This format is a direct result of past students who recommended more “hands-on” activities.  Each lab consisted of a speaker from the steel industry and a professor to supervise the labs.  In the morning, students also had the opportunity to network with university representatives and industry leaders. Sixteen high schools attended; for a total of 200 students and 20 participating faculty members. Also in attendance were members of the AIST Midwest Chapter, along with students and faculty volunteers from Purdue University at Calumet and the CIVS Center.

Young Engineers’ Night — November 2014
On Tuesday, 12 November 2013, the Midwest Member Chapter held its annual “Young Engineers Night” dinner meeting.  This event is a forum in which recent employees fresh out of college share provide a little incite about themselves, their family and background, their schooling, and most importantly their initial experiences working within the steel industry. This year’s event was unique because all 5 of the engineers were women. The moderator for the evening, Mary Frankovich of ArcelorMittal Global R&D, embraced the opportunity to create a “Women of Steel” theme for the young ladies.  Mary spoke of Rebecca Lukens who took her families ironworks plant and made it one of America’s most successful enterprises during the industrial revolution.  Her ironworks eventually became Lukens Steel, and Rebecca is believed to be the first woman to ever head an industrial company in the United States. This year’s panelists included: Yesenia Flores, U. S. Steel Gary Works; Libby Frebes, U.S. Steel Midwest Tin; Katherine Quigg, ArcelorMittal USA; Katelyn Scheck, ArcelorMittal Long Carbon and Emily Teasely, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor. There were 450 attendees, which was a sellout crowd.

Kickoff Meeting — October 2013
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual vendor fair on Tuesday, 17 September 2013. The event was held at the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Ind. Nearly 100 exhibiting companies participated this year. This event helps to fund the AIST Midwest Member Chapter Scholarship Fund. On Tuesday, 8 October 2013, the Midwest Member Chapter held its annual kickoff meeting at the Radisson Star Plaza in Merrillville, Ind. The event featured a keynote presentation by Andrew S. Harshaw, executive vice president, operations for ArcelorMittal USA. Also at the dinner, Ron Smolen was presented with the 2013 Midwest Member Chapter Outstanding Service Award. There were more than 500 attendees at the dinner.

Vendor Fair — September 2013
The AIST Midwest Chapter hosted its annual Vendor Fair on Tuesday, 17 September 2013. The event was held at the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Ind., USA. Nearly 100 exhibiting companies participated this year. This event helps to fund the AIST Midwest Member Chapter Scholarship Fund.

Golf Outing — August 2013
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a golf outing on Thursday, 15 August at the White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind. The event was sold out, with 220 golfers.

Golf Outing — June 2013
The Midwest Member Chapter held its annual June golf outing at the Silver Lakes Country Club in Orland Park, Ill., on Monday, 3 June 2013. There were 223 golfers at this year’s event.

Softball Tournament — May 2013
On Saturday, 11 May 2013, the Midwest Member Chapter held its second annual Softball Challenge. It was held at the U. S. Steel Yard in Gary, Ind. — home of the minor league professional team, the Gary Railcats. A total of 11 teams participated in a single-elimination tournament. Teams that participated included: U. S. Steel – Steel Producing, The American Group of Constructors – TAG, Emerson, Tranco, E.Q. Engineers, CET, NALCO, Falk PLI, Orbital Engineering, NLMK and Globex Corp. Nearly 500 players and their families were in attendance. There were kids’ games and activities on the field, which included running the bases, bean bag toss and more — all raising funds for scholarships. The Midwest Member Chapter wishes to extend a special thanks to TAG for helping to host the event, and Gary Steindler of Bemcor Inc., a Beatty International company, who umpired all nine games for the second year in a row. Lastly, thanks to the Railcats’ administration for all of their help. Congratulations to CET — the 2013 AIST Midwest Member Chapter Softball Challenge champions.

Dinner Meeting — April 2013
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 9 April 2013. The keynote presenters for the evening were Leroy Campbell, engineering, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor; and Patrick Trippel, manager, operations technology, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor. Their presentation was entitled, “Capability Improvements for Heavy Gauge Products, 84-Inch Hot Strip Mill.” There were 450 attendees at the dinner. The AIST Project Excellence Award was presented at the meeting to ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor for its 160-Inch Plate Mill — Heat Treat Improvements project.

Dinner Meeting — March 2013
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual President’s Night dinner meeting on Tuesday, 12 March 2013 at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind. The keynote speaker was the current AIST president, Kent Peaslee, the F. Kenneth Iverson Chair of Steelmaking Technology and Curators’ Teaching Professor of Metallurgical Engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Dr. Peaslee’s presentation was entitled, “Steel: A Key to a Greener and Sustainable Future.” The evening also included remarks from AIST executive director, Ron Ashburn, who discussed AISTech 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pa. There were 298 attendees at the meeting.

Panel Discussion — February 2013
The AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted a panel discussion on Tuesday, 12 February 2013 at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind. The panel discussion topic was Advanced High-Strength Steels — Development and Applications, and included panelists: Benda Yan, manager — applications technology, ArcelorMittal Research; Hyun Jo Jun, senior research engineer, ArcelorMittal Research; and Robert Ives, director — quality assurance, U. S. Steel – Gary Works. There were 375 attendees at the dinner. Also at the dinner, the 2012 AIST Reliability Achievement Award – Silver was presented to ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor for its PRSB Descale System Redesign and Reliability Improvement Project.

Dinner Meeting — January 2013
On Tuesday, 8 January 2013, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind. The keynote speaker was John Seaman, primary and energy project manager at ArcelorMittal USA. His presentation was entitled, “Blast Furnace Gas Flare Capture Project at Indiana Harbor.” There were 392 attendees at the dinner. A one-year AIST Membership was awarded to Paul Wojcik of AIM Machinery, sponsored by the AIST Midwest Member Chapter.

Christmas Dinner Dance — December 2012
The Midwest Member Chapter’s annual Christmas dinner dance was held on Saturday, 1 December at the Chicago Marriott hotel in downtown Chicago, Ill. The sell-out crowd of 499 guests enjoyed a wonderful evening of dinner and dancing. Music was provided by the Stanley Paul Orchestra.

Young Engineers Night Dinner Meeting — November 2012
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual Young Engineers night on Tuesday, 13 November at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind. The event was moderated by Paul M. Behnke, director — materials management for United States Steel Corporation and Midwest Member Chapter second vice chair. The Young Engineers for the event included: Ryan McCance, maintenance manager steel, U. S. Steel – Gary Works; Aaron Betker, metallurgical engineer, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor East; Lauren Legler, environmental engineer, U. S. Steel – Gary Works; and Brandon Lasota, mechanical planner, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor. There was a sell-out crowd of 404 attendees, a record number for this meeting. A drawing was held for a gift certificate donated by the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel. The drawing winner was Kaitlyn Conley, structural engineer at Superior Engineering.

High School Engineering Seminar — November 2012
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted its 5th Annual High School Engineering Seminar on Wednesday, 7 November 2012 at Purdue University – Calumet. The one-day seminar is directed toward high school juniors who have the potential and interest to pursue a college degree in the field of engineering. The program focused on certain engineering disciplines: civil, electrical, mechanical and metallurgical/material science. A “hands-on” format provided students the opportunity to learn about each discipline in a classroom/lab setting. Each lab included a speaker from the steel industry and a professor to supervise the labs. There was also an opportunity for students to network with university representatives and industry leaders.

Kickoff Dinner Meeting — October 2012
The Midwest Member Chapter also hosted its annual kickoff dinner meeting on Tuesday, 9 October at the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Ind. The keynote speaker for the event was John D. Mengel, chief operating officer of ArcelorMittal USA Plate. Also at the dinner, Paul Behnke of U. S. Steel – Gary Works was honored as the 2012 Midwest Member Chapter Outstanding Service Award recipient. Barry Felton of ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor was also recognized for his service as the Midwest Member Chapter chair for 2011–2012. There were nearly 600 attendees at the event.

Vendor Fair — September 2012
On Tuesday, 18 September, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual vendor fair at the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Ind. This year’s event included 98 exhibiting companies and welcomed more than 580 attendees.

Golf Outing — August 2012
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a golf outing on 16 August 2012 at the White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind. The event was sold out, with 216 golfers. Due to the generous support of the local vendor/ supplier community, more than $9,000 was raised to help fund the Midwest Member Chapter scholarship fund, which awards more than $23,000 annually. The Midwest Member Chapter hosts two golf outings each year (June and August) to support their scholarship program.

Golf Outing — June 2012
On Monday, 4 June, 2012 at the Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park, Ill., the Midwest Member Chapter hosted its annual golf outing. The outing had 240 participants this year.

Softball Challenge — May 2012
On Saturday, 19 May 2012, the Midwest Member Chapter held its first Softball Challenge at the U. S. Steel Yard in Gary, Ind., home of minor league team, the Gary Railcats. A total of 12 teams participated in a single-elimination tournament, including: U. S. Steel – Steel Producing, ArcelorMittal – No. 3 Steel Producing, The American Group of Constructors (TAG), Emerson, Pyro Industrial, EQ Engineers, Tranco, CET, NALCO Co., Falk PLI, Paul Wurth and DLZ Industrial. Between the event participants and their families, more than 600 people attended the event. In addition to the softball tournament, there were kids’ games and activities on the field, including running the bases, a hula hoop contest, potato sack race, bean bag toss and more. The events were held to raise funds for the Midwest Member Chapter scholarships. The Midwest Member Chapter would like to extend a special thanks to TAG for helping to host the event; Gary Steindler of Bemcor Inc., A Beatty International Co., who umpired all nine games; and the Railcats’ administration for all of their assistance. Congratulations to the team from Paul Wurth — the 2012 AIST Midwest Member Chapter Softball Challenge champions.

Dinner Meeting — April 2012
On Tuesday, 10 April 2012, the AIST Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind. There were 250 attendees at the dinner. Mark Schlichting, Castrip process development engineer at Nucor Steel–Indiana, presented, “Energy and Environmental Advantages With the Castrip® Process.”

Dinner Meeting — March 2012
The Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 13 March at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind. There were 310 attendees at the event, which featured a presentation by Kurt Johnson, research engineer at ArcelorMittal Global R&D. Johnson’s presentation was entitled, “Combustion Efficiency and Economics.” Also at the event, the Midwest Member Chapter selected a non-member attendee, Daniel Quinn, from the audience to receive one year of AIST membership, paid by the chapter. Midwest is currently the second largest AIST Member Chapter, with nearly 1,300 members. A member attendee, Ken Munger, was also selected from a drawing to receive a free copy of the 2012 AIST Directory Iron and Steel Plants.

Dinner Meeting — February 2012
The AIST Midwest Chapter’s 7 February meeting was also held at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind. The keynote presentation was delivered by R. Joseph Stratman, executive vice president, Nucor Corp. Stratman is also the 2011–2012 AIST president. An audience of nearly 300 people gave Stratman a standing ovation following his presentation. The AIST Reliability Achievement Gold and Bronze level awards were also presented to ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor (gold) and Steel Dynamics Inc. – Columbia City (bronze).

Dinner Meeting — January 2012
On Tuesday, 10 January, the Midwest Member Chapter hosted a dinner, which included a panel discussion on the theme, “Managing Coke and Iron,” at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Ind. The event was moderated by Stephen D. Horvath, process and operations manager — iron producing, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor. Panelists included: Timothy L. Candiano, division manager — coke plant operations, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, and Jason W. Entwistle, division manager — iron producing, United States Steel Corporation. There were more than 325 people at the dinner.