U. S. Steel Announces Executive Appointments in Strategic Planning, Commercial Organizations
05/29/2008 - United States Steel announces the appointment of J. James Kutka Jr. to the position of Senior Vice President—Strategic Planning & Business Development, with Joseph R. Scherrbaum Jr. succeeding him as Vice President—Sales & Customer Service, North American flat-roll operations.
United States Steel Corp. Chairman and CEO John P. Surma announced two executive appointments in the company's strategic planning and commercial organizations, including the appointment of J. James Kutka Jr. to the position, Senior Vice President—Strategic Planning & Business Development. Kutka will report to Surma and join U. S. Steel's Executive Management Committee.
Kutka will be succeeded by Joseph R. Scherrbaum Jr., who has been named Vice President—Sales & Customer Service, North American flat-roll operations. Scherrbaum will report to David H. Lohr, Senior Vice President—North American flat-roll operations. The changes are effective June 1.
In his new role, Kutka, 59, will oversee the development of initiatives that will support the company's business strategy. “The strategic planning and business development functions are key components of steel companies around the world as our industry continues its dynamic evolution,” said Surma. “Jim's broad range of experience during his more than 40 years of service with our company will be a great asset to our efforts in this critical area.”
Kutka joined U. S. Steel in 1967 as a production worker at the company's former Canton Roll & Machine Works. After earning a degree in accounting from the University of Akron in 1970, he joined the Canton Works accounting staff, later holding accounting posts at the former Lorain-Cuyahoga Works, the Haverhill chemicals plant, Gary Works, and several departments at Pittsburgh headquarters.
Kutka later became General Manager of Southern Area Purchasing in Houston, Texas; Manager of Business Planning at the former Geneva-Pittsburg Works in Provo, Utah; and District Sales Manager for U. S. Steel in Detroit. He returned to Pittsburgh headquarters in 1993 as General Manager of Human Resources, and subsequently became General Manager of Business Process Reengineering, and General Manager of Marketing & Planning for Sheet Products before returning to the Detroit area in 1997 as General Manager—Automotive.
Kutka returned to Pittsburgh in 2001 as Vice President—Commercial and assumed the additional role of President of United States Steel International, Inc. in 2002. In 2005, he was appointed Senior Vice President—Commercial and assumed his most recent position, Senior Vice President—Sales & Customer Service, in March 2008. He will continue to be based at U. S. Steel's Pittsburgh headquarters.
Scherrbaum, 51, who already oversees U. S. Steel's North American flat-rolled sales organization, will add customer service functions to his area of responsibility. “Joe understands the important role customer relations plays in our overall success,” Surma explained, “and his demonstrated commercial expertise, product knowledge and leadership skills make him an ideal fit for this role.”
Scherrbaum's U. S. Steel career began in 1979 at the Lorain-Cuyahoga Works outside Cleveland, where he held several supervisory positions in production and business planning. In 1985, he was named Senior Sales Representative for Tulsa, Okla., and in 1987, Senior Sales Representative for Atlanta. He became Product Manager for oil country tubular goods at the company's Pittsburgh headquarters in 1989, and was named Manager—Commercial in a reorganization of the tubular products staff in 1994. He was appointed General Manager—Tubular Products in 1996.
Scherrbaum was transferred to Chicago in 1999 to serve as General Manager—Service Centers, Electrical, Agricultural and Industrial equipment. In 2002, he was named Vice President—Commercial, U. S. Steel Kosice, in Kosice, Slovakia, where he played a key role in growing U. S. Steel's presence in the European marketplace. He returned to the United States in 2005 when he was appointed Vice President—Sales, and assumed his most recent role, Vice President—North American Sales, in March 2008.
Scherrbaum earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1979 and a master's degree in business administration from Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, in 1984. He also attended the Executive Program at the University of Michigan Business School. Scherrbaum will continue to work from the company's headquarters in Pittsburgh.
