According to an announcement Tuesday, Hoffman will conclude his tenure as chief executive officer (CEO) on 31 December. Afterward, he’ll serve as senior adviser to the CEO until his retirement in December 2023. Hoffman will be succeeded by company president Karla R. Lewis, who is being promoted into the role. 

“Reliance’s Board of Directors extends its sincere thanks and gratitude to Jim for his long and distinguished service to our company,” said Reliance board chairman Mark V. Kaminski. 

“As CEO, Jim guided Reliance through the pandemic while maintaining focus on operational excellence. His commitments to operations and customer service throughout his career have earned the respect of our customers, suppliers, stockholders and employees. Jim’s significant contributions are reflected in Reliance’s culture of safety and corporate integrity, as well as record revenues, profitability and earnings per share achieved during his tenure.”  

Lewis’ new responsibilities, which take effect 1 January 2023, are the result of a “strategic, deliberate and well-executed long-term succession planning process,” the company said. 

Lewis joined Reliance in 1992 as corporate controller. She served as chief financial officer from 1999 until January 2021, and was promoted to senior vice president in 2000, executive vice president in 2002 and senior executive vice president in 2015. 
She was appointed a director and president of Reliance in January 2021. 

“Karla has been an integral part of Reliance’s executive management team for 30 years and brings unique, firsthand knowledge of Reliance’s operations, financial position and strategic vision,” Kaminski said. 

“She is a recognized and highly respected leader in the metals service center industry with a proven record of raising and deploying capital to promote stockholder value. All of our stakeholders will benefit from Karla’s many years as a Reliance executive and we are confident that she will expand upon her record of accomplishments while strengthening Reliance’s position as the premier metals service center company in North America.”