In an announcement Monday, SDI said it has hired industry veteran Miquel Alvarez to take on the newly created role of senior vice president for southwest U.S. and Mexico. In that position, he’ll be responsible for developing business and forming partnerships in that region, both in steel and recycled metals, in collaboration with other SDI senior leaders. 

Alvarez had been with Australia’s BlueScope Steel since 2000 and had served as president of its North American metal buildings business. Prior to that, he led North Star BlueScope Steel, the company’s EAF-based sheet mill in Ohio. 

"Miquel has extensive leadership experience within the steel and metal buildings industries in both the U.S. and Mexico. We are excited to have him join the Steel Dynamics team,” said SDI chief executive Mark Millett. 

Also, SDI senior vice president Glenn Pushis, who had overseen the company’s long products mills, will move into the newly created position of senior vice president for special projects. In that role, he’ll oversee construction of SDI’s proposed sheet mill, plans for which were revealed late last year. The mill is to be built somewhere in the southwestern U.S. and will serve that market along with Mexico. 

Pushis has been with SDI since its earliest days and has been instrumental in bringing many of its construction projects to fruition, the company said. 

Pushis will be succeeded in his current role by another longtime SDI executive, Christopher Graham, who serves as senior vice president for downstream manufacturing and as president of New Millennium Building Systems. Graham will now become the senior vice president of the long products group and oversee the company’s four long products mills. 

His current duties will be handed to New Millennium chief operating officer James Anderson, who will become vice president for steel fabrication and president of New Millennium. 

The changes will take effect 1 February.