Gilliam spent more than 40 years with the long products manufacturer and was tapped to lead the organization at the beginning of the year, following the retirement of Timothy R. Duke. Prior to that, he had served as the meltshop superintendent. 

Gilliam was the fourth generation of his family to work for Steel of West Virginia. 

“Mark believed very strongly in Steel of West Virginia and its people," Steel Dynamics Inc. senior vice president Glenn Pushis told The (Huntington, W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch. "When I asked Mark before his passing what we could do for him and his family, he said, very simply, 'Tell them to work safely and cherish their families each and every day.'"

Funeral services are scheduled for Friday afternoon.