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U. S. Steel Names New General Manager-Sales

12/10/2008 - ABSTRACT: United States Steel announced the appointment of newGeneral Manager - Sales to replace Don L. Cook Jr., who will retire after 43 years of service with the company.

United States Steel Corp. announced the appointment of Robert Y. Kopf III as General Manager—Sales effective Jan. 1. He replaces Don L. Cook Jr., who will retire after 43 years of service with the company.
 

As the new General Manager—Sales, Kopf succeeds Don L. Cook Jr., who is retiring after 43 years of service with the company.
 
"Don dedicated his entire career to ensuring steel remained the material of choice in a wide variety of applications, and his efforts during his 43 years with our company have yielded outstanding results," said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John H. Goodish.
 
Cook, 67, has spent his entire career in sales. He began his U. S. Steel career in Pittsburgh in 1965 as a Senior Order Detailer. He was transferred to the Buffalo District Sales Office in 1966, where he advanced from a Service Representative Trainee to a Senior Service Representative.
 
Cook returned to Pittsburgh in 1973 as Staff Assistant–Price Planning for bar, semi-finished and railroad products. From 1978 to 1997, he held increasingly responsible sales positions in Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. In 1998, he was advanced to the position of General Manager–Commercial, East and transferred to U. S. Steel headquarters in Pittsburgh.
 
Cook was named General Manager—Appliances, Containers and Converters in 1999. He assumed additional responsibility as Vice President–U. S. Steel International in 2003, and in 2004 became General Manager–Construction and Converters, a position he held until his retirement.
 
Cook earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Grove City College in 1963.
 
 
In his new position, Kopf will be responsible for sales activities related to North American flat-rolled products customers in the appliance, electrical, construction, sheet converter, tin and container markets. He will also oversee semi-finished product sales as well as sales of North American flat-rolled products outside the United States. He will report to Joseph R. Scherrbaum Jr., Vice President—Sales and Customer Service, North American flat-roll operations.

 
"Rob's direct experience with and knowledge of customers in numerous industries will play an important role in our company's efforts to build on the foundation laid under Don's management and further advance the use of steel among end users," said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John H. Goodish.
 
Kopf, 42, joined U. S. Steel in 1988 as a Management Associate in the sales organization. Over the next 12 years, he progressed through a series of increasingly responsible sales and customer service management positions in the construction, appliance, service center and automotive markets at U. S. Steel sales offices in Columbia, S.C., Cincinnati, Ohio, Chicago, Ill., and Troy, Mich.
 
Kopf advanced to the position of Manager—Facility Marketing for Gary Works in 2000, based at the company's Pittsburgh headquarters. He returned to the Chicago-area sales organization in 2002 when he was named Manager—Sales and Service, and relocated to Slovakia in 2004 when he was appointed Managing Director—Sales and Marketing for U. S. Steel Kosice. Kopf returned to Pittsburgh in 2007 to serve as Manager—Sales in the appliance, tin and container sales organization, assuming additional responsibilities as Director—International Sales in March 2008.
 
Kopf graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in communication. He is a member of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and currently serves as chairman of the Steel Packaging Council, an AISI Steel Market Development Institute committee.