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SMA Presents Annual Awards for 2015

SMA Chairman Dick Teets, Executive Vice President & COO of Steel Dynamics, and Philip K. Bell, SMA President, presented the awards during SMA’s Annual Members Conference at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.

SMA’s highest safety award is the Don Daily SMA Achievement in Safety.  The 2015 award was presented to ArcelorMittal LaPlace.  The facility was recognized for its High Angle Confined Space Rescue program.  ArcelorMittal hired certified rescue trainers to train an in-house team in the performance of confined space and high angle rescue of injured or incapacitated individuals.  This program has the potential to be replicated at numerous other facilities.   Recognition in Safety was presented to Nucor Steel Gallatin for its Remember Your Lock Ribbon project and to TMK IPSCO Koppel for its Zero is Achievable initiative.

The 2015 SMA Achievement in Environmental Stewardship and Recycling Award was presented to Gerdau for its Tundra Take Back project.  The company was recognized for its commitment to provide training, enhance capacity and develop a model for materials recovery to remove decommissioned vehicle waste from northern and remote regions of Canada.  This extensive project promotes efficiency, recycling, and the SMA principles of sustainability.

The 2015 SMA Achievement in Innovation Award was presented to Jeff Barber and the Steel Dynamics, Inc. – Structural and Rail Division.  The caster “shooter gates” project involved the design and development of pushing arms and rods to address pinch points that had been created with the installation of new mill equipment.  This proactive solution improved workplace safety and demonstrated both the individual’s and the company’s commitment to innovation.

The 2015 SMA Achievement in Community Involvement Award was presented to CMC Steel South Carolina for its Project LongNeck. This program used recycled steel scrap to create sculptures of giraffes for the entrance to the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens. Employees were tasked with finding parts to construct the giraffes and with creating art to be enjoyed by millions of visitors.  Recognition in Community Involvement was presented to Cascade Steel Rolling Mills for its McMinnville Works Internship Program and to Nucor Steel Nebraska for the Ken Iverson Project and Stuff the Bus.

The award ceremony concluded with a statement from SMA Chairman Dick Teets.  He said: “We are very proud of the EAF steel industry’s achievements in safety, community involvement, environmental stewardship, and innovation, and are pleased to recognize these individuals and companies for their continuous efforts.”


SMA is the primary trade association for North American electric arc furnace steel producers.  SMA’s 30 member companies account for over seventy-five percent of total domestic steel production.  For more information, please visit the SMA’s website: www.steelnet.org.