Dinner Meeting — March 2023
The Philadelphia Member Chapter hosted a dinner meeting on Tuesday, 21 March 2023, at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pa., USA. It was the last Member Chapter stop of his presidency for 2022–2023 AIST president Keith J. Howell, chief operating officer, ArcelorMittal North America. Howell gave a keynote presentation to the 27 members and guests in attendance.  |  | 1. Two presidents were in attendance at the Philadelphia Member Chapter meeting in Bethlehem, Pa., USA, on 21 March 2023: 2022–2023 AIST president Keith Howell (left) and AISE 1997 president Tim Lewis (right). 2. Philadelphia Member Chapter officers welcomed Howell to the chapter event (left to right): chapter vice chair Andrew Palmer; Lewis; Howell; chapter chair Rich Smith; AIST executive director Ron Ashburn; and chapter secretary Jose de Jesus. |
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Dinner and Tour — April 2022
2021–2022 AIST president Steven J. Henderson, vice president west division, Commercial Metals Company, continued his tour of AIST Member Chapters at the Pittsburgh Member Chapter’s meeting on Monday, 4 April 2022, at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa., USA. The 75 attendees enjoyed Henderson’s keynote presentation along with dinner and networking.  | Forty-five attendees enjoyed a great tour of the National Museum of Industrial Museum History in Bethlehem, Pa., USA, hosted by the AIST Philadelphia Member Chapter on 5 April 2022. |  |  | 1. AIST Philadelphia Member Chapter officers welcomed 2021–2022 AIST president Steven J. Henderson to the chapter events on 5 April 2022 in Bethlehem, Pa., USA (left to right): 1997 AISE president Tim Lewis, Mike Zaia, Henderson, chapter secretary Jose de Jesus, chapter chair Amy Beard, chapter papers chair Rich Smith and chapter vice chair Andrew Palmer.
2. AIST Pittsburgh Member Chapter Young Professional chair Nicole Sitler presented a plaque to Steven J. Henderson following the chapter’s 4 April 2022 dinner meeting at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa., USA. |
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Webinar — December 2021
On Tuesday, 7 December 2021, the Northern and Philadelphia Member Chapters hosted a combined lunchtime webinar.
Bryan Webler, associate professor materials science and engineering department, Carnegie Mellon University, presented “Current and Future Research Trends in the Steel Industry” to the 107 registrants. |
Trivia Night — January 2021
On Wednesday, 27 January 2021, the AIST Philadelphia Member Chapter hosted a trivia night. Chapter chair Amy Beard, Quaker Houghton; secretary-treasurer Jose de Jesus, Xtek Inc.; and Rich Smith, Carpenter Technology Corp., conducted the virtual event. Attendees networked and enjoyed five rounds of trivia with questions ranging from steel to sports. |
Dinner Meeting — March 2019
The Philadelphia Member Chapter met on Monday, 18 March 2019, at the Hilton Harrisburg in Harrisburg, Pa., USA. William Herbert, director of additive manufacturing technology at Carpenter Technology Corp., served as keynote speaker for the dinner. Herbert offered a brief introduction to additive manufacturing, a snapshot of where the technology is today and the expected growth, as well as how Carpenter Technology Corp. is positioning itself as a leading producer of metal powders. A robust discussion followed the presentation, which included topics such as grain structures and other process challenges.
The meeting ended with the AIST Member Chapter Outstanding Service Award being presented to Trevor Shellhammer, Shellhammer Consulting, for his years of service to the Philadelphia Member Chapter and his role in establishing the Philadelphia Member Chapter Scholarship.  | AIST Philadelphia Member Chapter officers presented the AIST Member Chapter Outstanding Service Award to Chapter scholarship chair Trevor Shellhammer, Shellhammer Consulting (left to right): Chapter secretary-treasurer Jose de Jesus, Xtek; Richard Smith, Carpenter Technology Corp.; Shellhammer; Chapter chair Amy Beard, Quaker Chemical Corp.; and Chapter vice chair Calum Learn, ArcelorMittal Steelton. |
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Annual Meeting — September 2018
The AIST Philadelphia Member Chapter held its annual meeting Sunday-Tuesday, 14–16 September at Heritage Hills Golf Resort & Conference Center in York, Pa., USA.
The meeting kicked off on Sunday, 14 September, as 38 attendees networked at the vendor fair and welcome reception. On Monday,
15 September, the following technical presentations were given: “Systems and Quality Collaboration in the U. S. Steel Fairless Hills Galvanizing Line,” by Marc Newbould, United States Steel Corporation. “Investigation of Slab Cracking in Third-Generation Advanced High-Strength Steels,” by Rafael Coura Giacomin, Carnegie Mellon University. “Pennsylvania Department of Transportation — Multi-Modal Deputate,” by Michael Sorbo, PennDOT Bureau of Rail Freight, Ports and Waterways. “Disruptive Technologies and Big Data are Broadening Infrastructure Opportunities Beyond Bricks and Mortar: The Information Revolution Continues Value Creation Kick-Started by the Industrial Revolution 200 Years Ago — Engineering Growing Young,” by Becky E. Hites, Steel-Insights LLC. “Preventive Maintenance Procedures for Solid-State Induction Melting Systems,” by Charles Fink, Inductotherm Corp. “Developments in Federal and State Procurement Policy” by Riley Ohlson, Alliance for American Manufacturing. “The Day We Will Remember,” by Ricky Rollins, Ricky Rollins Safety Speeches.
The keynote presentation, “The State of the Industry and U. S. Steel’s Asset Revitalization Program,” was given by James F. Dudek, vice president — Asset Revitalization and Manufacturing Excellence, United States Steel Corporation, and 2018–2019 AIST president.
A tour of Harley-Davidson York Plant was held on 16 September 2018. Twenty-two attendees visited the plant. |
Annual Meeting — October 2017
The AIST Philadelphia Member Chapter held its annual meeting Sunday, 8 October–Tuesday, 10 October, at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center in Syracuse, N.Y., USA. The meeting kicked off on 8 October as 53 attendees networked at the vendor fair and welcome reception. On Monday, 9 October, the following technical presentations were given: “Changing Unsafe Attitudes and Behaviors,” by Donald Theune, principal, Donnic Consulting Group. “Raw Material (Scrap) Inspection and Radiation,” by Rachel Palmer, quality coordinator, Nucor Steel–Auburn. “Scrap Selection for Quality Steels,” by Dennis Rodal, director of technical research and development, ELG Haniel Metals Corp. “Increasing EAF Efficiency at Nucor Steel Arkansas,” by Tim Tirabassi, EAF 1 helper lead/operator, Nucor Steel–Arkansas. “Induction Melting Furnaces,” by Charles Fink, vice president customer relations and training, Inductotherm Corp. “Nucor Auburn’s Finishing End,” by Jarrod Prill, rolling mill supervisor, Nucor Steel–Auburn. “Upgrading and Recycling ‘Metallic’ Steelmaking Slag Fine,” by Naiyang Ma, scientist, ArcelorMittal USA Global Research and Development. “Automated Billet Tagging,” by Chris Gibbs, meltshop superintendent, Gerdau Long Steel North America Sayreville Mill. “Industrial Gases in Steelmaking,” by Greg Buragino, senior applications engineer, Air Products & Chemicals Inc. “Advantages of Rubber-in-Compression Couplings,” by Keith Sowers, general sales director, Renold Inc.
Dinner with a keynote presentation by Drew Wilcox, vice president and general manager, Nucor Steel–Auburn, was held on Monday evening. The event concluded with an informative plant tour and lunch at Nucor Steel–Auburn.
The Philadelphia Member Chapter appreciates the sponsors, exhibitors, presenters and attendees who made the annual meeting a success, as well as Nucor Steel–Auburn for hosting the plant tour. |  |  |  | 1. The current Philadelphia Member Chapter officers were in attendance (left to right): Amy Beard, vice chair, Quaker Chemical Corp.; Jose de Jesus, secretary-treasurer, Xtek Inc.; Richard Smith, papers chair, Carpenter Technology Corp.; and Trevor Shellhammer, past chair, Shellhammer Consulting. 2. Amy Beard (right) presented a plaque of appreciation to Rachel Palmer (left), Nucor Steel–Auburn, for hosting the plant tour. 3. Amy Beard (right) presented a plaque of appreciation to Drew Wilcox (left), Nucor Steel–Auburn, for his keynote address at the annual meeting. 4. Attendees from two Nucor plants, Auburn and Arkansas, enjoyed Drew Wilcox’s keynote presentation on 10 October 2017 (left to right): Wally Schatt, Jim Biernet and David Vensel, Nucor Steel–Auburn; Sean Najafi and Tim Tirabassi, Nucor Steel–Arkansas; Wilcox; along with Dewayne Willard, Mark Henshaw and Chad Casey, Nucor Steel–Arkansas. 5. The Philadelphia Member Chapter annual meeting concluded with a tour of Nucor Steel–Auburn on 10 October 2017. |
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Annual Meeting — October 2016
The Philadelphia Member Chapter held its annual meeting Sunday, 30 October–Tuesday, 1 November 2016 at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort and Conference Center in York, Pa., USA. The meeting kicked off on Sunday, 30 October, as 41 attendees networked at the vendor fair and welcome reception. On Monday, 31 October, the following technical presentations were given: “Managing Reheat Furnace at Gerdau Sayreville,” by Arun Ram, Gerdau Long Steel North America Sayreville Mill. “Graphite Electrodes — How They Are Made and How They Should Be Handled,” by Phelan Cox and Jeff Pastorius, Showa Denko Carbon Sales Inc. “Reheat Furnace Refractory,” by Daniel Silva, Magnesita Refractories. “Smart Data: Taking Big Data the Extra Mile,” by Jerrod Bolz, Falk PLI. “Modeling Reactions Between Steels, Slags, Refractories and Inclusions,” by Deepoo Kumar, Carnegie Mellon University. “Surface Oxidation of Advanced High-Strength Steels,” by Mary Story, Carnegie Mellon University. “Strategies to Reduce Cost of Ownership for Below-the-Hook Lifting Equipment,” by Scott Salisbury, Bradley Lifting. “Case Studies — Improving EAF Operations by Utilizing ALXTM Graphite Electrodes and the Architech™ Furnace Evaluation System,” by Bryan A. Chiappelli and William A. Davies, GrafTech. “Fundamentals of Caster Strand Speed Increase,” by Chris Gibbs, Gerdau Long Steel North America Sayreville Mill.
Mark Loeffelholz, vice president, Magnesita Refractories Co., presented an overview of the Magnesita York facility in the morning. A keynote speech by Wendell Carter, vice president and general manager,
ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor, and AIST 2016–2017 president, capped off the dinner on Monday evening.
The event concluded with an informative plant tour of Magnesita Refractories facility, including a trip to the quarry where the group was treated to the opportunity to witness three blasts. The Philadelphia Member Chapter appreciates the sponsors, exhibitors, presenters and attendees who made the annual meeting a success. The chapter thanks Magnesita Refractories Co. for hosting the plant tour. |
| |  | | | AIST president George Koenig (right), Hatch Associates Inc., and Gerry Kane (center), AIST senior sales representative, caught up with Tim Lewis (left), former president of Bethlehem Steel’s Bethlehem, Pa., USA, plant (then called the Structural Products Division) and AISE (AIST’s predecessor organization) president in 1997 at the Philadelphia Member Chapter meeting on 4 April 2016. |
Plant Tour and Dinner Meeting — April 2016
AIST’s Philadelphia Member Chapter hosted a plant tour and dinner meeting on Monday, 4 April 2016 in Bethlehem, Pa., USA. A group of 30 took part in a self-guided tour and presentation of the former Bethlehem “SteelStacks” plant in the afternoon. A dinner was held that evening at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, during which a keynote presentation was delivered by AIST president George Koenig, director — global business and technology development, Iron & Steel, Hatch Associates Inc. He addressed the crowd of nearly 60 attendees. |
Scholarship Fund
The AIST Philadelphia Member Chapter has established a scholarship fund with an endowment of US$20,000 from the chapter and a matching fund of another US$20,000 from the AIST Foundation Matching Funds program. The scholarship is intended for full-time student(s) who have completed their first-year academic requirements and are enrolled at an accredited North American university. More details about the Philadelphia Member Chapter Scholarship will be announced soon. |
AIST Foundation Donation for Scholarship Fund
The Philadelphia Member Chapter has established a scholarship fund within the AIST Foundation, with a starting donation in the amount of US$20,000. The AIST Matching Funds Program will match the donation, bringing the total beginning balance of the scholarship fund to US$40,000. The chapter’s executive committee is currently working to establish guidelines and eligibility requirements for a scholarship that will be administered within the Philadelphia area. |
Vendor Fair and Dinner — April 2015
The Philadelphia Member Chapter held its annual meeting on Monday, 6 April–Wednesday, 8 April 2015 at the Hilton Harrisburg in Harrisburg, Pa., USA. The event began on Monday, 6 April with a welcome reception and vendor fair, which featured 12 exhibiting companies. On Tuesday, 7 April, the program included the following technical presentations: • “ Jersey Shore Steel — Roll Shop Practices,” by Dick Delaney, vice president, manufacturing, Jersey Shore Steel Co.
• “ Continuous Casting Tundish Washout Prevention,” by Christopher Gibbs, routine facilitator, Gerdau Long Steel North America Sayreville Mill.
• “ Non-Metallic Inclusions: Characterization and Manipulation,” by Bryan Webler, assistant professor, Carnegie Mellon University.
• “ Ladle Slag Engineering,” by Dominik Roos, technical assistant, and Daniel Silva, assistance manager, Magnesita Refractories.
• “ Effects of Modified Cooling Slot Design in Slab Caster Mold Plates,” by Asish Sinha, research specialist, U. S. Steel Research and Technology Center.
• “ Evolution of Anthracite — Facts of ‘Hard Coal,’” by Melissa Jones, steel division manager, Reading Anthracite Co.
• “ Fundamentals of Vacuum Heat Treating,” by Tim Steber, regional sales manager, Solar Atmospheres.
• “ State-of-the-Art Solutions for Safety and Material Tracking Systems for the Iron and Steel Industry,” by Edgardo La Bruna, partner, Janus Automation.
• “ Bridging the Gap,” by Bill Crosby, project engineer, Falk PLI.
• “ Collaborative Creativity Spurs State-of-the-Art Descaling System,” by Corbitt Lewis, project manager, ArcelorMittal Americas, and David Sawhill, applications engineer, CHL Systems.
• “ Initial Solidification During One Cycle of Mold Oscillation,” by Edward Szekeres, consultant, Casting Consultants.
• “ ArcelorMittal Safety and Plant Overview,” by Jason McCullough, business manager — rail, ArcelorMittal Steelton.  That evening, attendees participated in a networking reception and a dinner. The keynote presentation at dinner was delivered by Tony Frey, director of rail sales for ArcelorMittal Long Carbon North America. Also at the dinner, Megan Preston Watson was recognized for her service to the Philadelphia Member Chapter as the past secretary-treasurer and also as the recipient of the 2013 Philadelphia Member Chapter Outstanding Service Award. On Wednesday, 8 April 2015, ArcelorMittal Steelton hosted a plant tour for the meeting attendees. Sixty individuals participated in the meeting, including one student from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The student was funded by the AIST Foundation’s Steel to Students Training program.
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Holiday Social — December 2014
On Wednesday, 10 December 2014, the Pittsburgh Member Chapter hosted its annual holiday social at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Pa., USA. There were 120 attendees at this year’s event. |
Joint Meeting and Tour with AWMI — September 2014
The Philadelphia Member Chapter held its first joint event with the Philadelphia Chapter of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) on 17 September 2014. The two groups met at Quaker Chemical Corp. headquarters in Conshohocken, Pa., USA, where they were given an overview of the company, followed by tours of the product development, testing and analytical labs. After the tour, the attendees enjoyed lunch and networking. |
Annual Meeting — April 2014
The AIST Philadelphia Member Chapter hosted its annual meeting at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport, Pa., USA, on 6–8 April 2014. The event opened on Sunday, 6 April with a networking reception and vendor fair. On Monday, 7 April, the morning began with a breakfast and continuation of the vendor fair, followed by technical presentations.
Presentations included: • “ Stir Gas Control and Mathematical Simulation Technology for Steel Ladles — Safety and Metallurgical Advantages,” Daniel Claudio de Silva, technical assistance manager; and Vladimir Mathias de Abreu, technical assistant — flow control, Magnesita Refractories
• “ Installation of Stands for Accepting Larger Section Billets at Gerdau Sayreville Rolling Mill,” Dave Kulcsar, engineer IV; and John Trusheim, manager — engineering, Gerdau Sayreville Mill
• “ Aspects of Cast Quality for Pipe and Tube Applications,” Scott Story, research consultant, U. S. Steel Research & Technology Center
• “ When Oxygen Makes Sense,” Greg Buragino, senior applications specialist, Air Products & Chemicals Inc.
• “ Astralloy V — Longer Life Through Better Metallurgy,” Eva Malcom, purchasing and sales manager, Astralloy Steel Products Attendees then enjoyed a lunch with a keynote presentation by Terry Fedor, 2013–2014 AIST president, and executive vice president, U.S. Iron Ore Operations for Cliffs Natural Resources. Fedor’s presentation included information about opportunities in shale gas, as well as an update on AIST’s programming, membership and future plans. Following lunch, technical presentations resumed for the afternoon session and included:
• “ Various Refractory Repairs to Jersey Shore Steel’s Reheat Furnace,” Dick Delaney, vice president, manufacturing, Jersey Shore Steel Co.
• “ 3D Printing — A World of Possibility,” Matt Szajna, associate design engineer/QA manager, Hydro East Inc.
• “ An Overview of the Manufacturing of Wire Rope Products for Major Market Applications,” Jim Klepfer, regional sales manager, Wirerope Works Inc.
• “ High Conductivity Copper in Metallurgical Vessels,” Trevor Shellhammer, consultant, Shellhammer Consulting. After a short break, attendees reconvened for a networking reception, continuation of the vendor fair and a dinner with keynote presentation by Jack Schultz, president and CEO of Jersey Shore Steel Co. Schultz provided an overview of the 76-year history of Jersey Shore Steel, a family-owned and -operated facility that manufactures high-strength rail steel angles from re-rolled T-rails. Also at the dinner, Rich Smith of Carpenter Technology Corp. and Christopher Carr of Heraeus Electro-Nite Co. were each recognized for their terms as chair of the Philadelphia Member Chapter. On Tuesday, 8 April, attendees were transported by a special passenger train to a plant tour of the Jersey Shore Steel Co. Special thanks to the 50 attendees, eight exhibitors, event sponsors and plant tour host, Jersey Shore Steel Co., for not only supporting and participating in this event, but also for continuing to assist with the growth of the Philadelphia Member Chapter. |
Annual Meeting — April 2013
The Philadelphia Member Chapter hosted its second annual meeting at the Hilton Woodbridge in Iselin, N.J., on Thursday, 11 April–Saturday, 13 April 2013. The meeting began with a plant tour of the Gerdau Sayreville facility on Thursday morning. Following the tour, participants attended a reception with vendor exhibits and dinner with a keynote presentation by Norman “Trip” Whitehouse, controller, Gerdau Sayreville Mill. On Friday, 12 April, technical presentations were given throughout the morning and afternoon. Presentations included: “Lean Maintenance/Reliability at Carpenter,” by Kurt Krammes, general manager — maintenance, Carpenter Technology Corp.; “Engineering Tools for the Mill Environment,” by Mark Leer, chief engineer, CHL Systems; “Jersey Shore Steel’s Road to Going Green,” by Dick Delaney, vice president — manufacturing, Jersey Shore Steel Co.; “Upgrade of the Burns Harbor Plate Heat Treat Line,” by Barry Felton, senior project manager, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor; “Development of an Alloy Model in United States Steel Corporation,” by Yun Li, senior research consultant — steelmaking and casting/process technology — research, United States Steel Corporation Research and Technology Center; “Advanced Technology and the Manufacture of Complex Geometry Parts,” by Chris Fowler, service center engineer, Hydro East Inc.; “Technologies for Reheating Steel in Intermediate and Finished Product Forms,” by Tony Palermo, director — metals markets, Linde LLC; “CONSTEEL Operation at Sayreville — Past, Now and Future,” by P.K. Ghosh, senior process engineer, Gerdau Sayreville; “Reducing Energy Demand and Environmental Emissions in Secondary Steel Processing by the Use of Modular Dry Mechanical Pumping Systems,” by Graham Legge, market development manager, Edwards Vaccuum. The meeting concluded on Saturday with a golf outing at the Ash Brook Golf Course in Scotch Plains, N.J. |
