U. S. Steel’s Goodish to Retire; Executive Transitions Announced
12/03/2010 - United States Steel Corp. announced that Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John H. Goodish has elected to retire effective Dec. 31, 2010, after 40 years of service with the company. The company announced several executive transitions effective Jan. 1, 2011, following Goodish's retirement.
United States Steel Corp. announced that Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John H. Goodish has elected to retire effective Dec. 31, 2010, after 40 years of service with the company.
Goodish, 62, joined U. S. Steel in 1970 as an accounting management trainee in Pittsburgh. After 17 years of advancing through positions in the audit, accounting, and finance areas of the company at locations in Pittsburgh and Indiana, he accepted an appointment as Division Manager – Coke and Chemicals at Gary Works in Gary, Ind., embarking on a 23-year operations career at facilities across the company.
Among the roles Goodish held during that time, he served as the operational head of the company's Gary Works and Mon Valley Works facilities in Pittsburgh before relocating to Slovakia in 2000 to lead U. S. Steel Kosice, the company's newly acquired and first Central European steelmaking operation. He was elected an officer of the company in March 2003 upon his return to the United States, serving as Executive Vice President – International and Diversified Businesses. He was appointed Executive Vice President – Operations in June 2003 and assumed his current position in 2005.
"John's impact on our company will be felt and seen long after he retires, particularly in the influential leadership role he played in transforming our safety performance since 2003,” said U. S. Steel Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John P. Surma. “The significant improvements we have made in this area are a direct reflection of his firm belief in safety as a core value and are reflected in every facet of the way we lead and operate our business.
“John's leadership in a series of acquisitions during the last decade has positioned our company for continued growth in North America and Central Europe and in the critically important tubular products sector, which includes the emerging shale basin developments,” Surma continued. “He has been among our most effective advocates for employee development, the evidence of which is apparent in the strong group of talented leaders who succeed him. We celebrate his many contributions to our company and industry."
U. S. Steel announced several executive transitions effective Jan. 1, 2011, following Goodish's retirement.
George F. Babcoke, who currently serves as Senior Vice President – European Operations and President – U. S. Steel Kosice, will be returning to the United States from Slovakia to assume the new role of Senior Vice President – European Operations and Global Operations Services. In addition to maintaining executive responsibility for the company's European operations, Babcoke will assume global oversight of safety and industrial hygiene; research and development; engineering; procurement; materials management; raw materials; logistics services; real estate development; and corporate marketing.
Babcoke, 53, joined U. S. Steel in 1976 at Gary Works' general services department in Gary, Ind. He moved into management in 1981 and advanced through increasingly responsible positions in operations at Gary Works and the former USS/KOBE joint venture in Lorain, Ohio. In 2001, he was appointed General Manager of Gary Works, and in 2004, he was named Managing Director – Engineering and Technology for the company. Babcoke was elected Vice President – Plant Operations in 2005 and named to his current position in March 2008.
Senior Vice President – North American Flat-Roll Operations Michael S. Williams and Senior Vice President – Tubular Operations Douglas R. Matthews will maintain their current individual responsibilities for the company's North American flat-roll and tubular organizations, respectively. Babcoke, Williams, and Matthews will report directly to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John P. Surma effective Jan. 1, 2011.
Williams, 50, began his U. S. Steel career in 1992 as a senior process control engineer at the company's Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh and advanced through operations roles there and at Gary Works. In 1999, he joined Ormet Corp. and was named President and Chief Executive Officer in 2004; he subsequently served as Vice President – Commercial Products for Cleveland, Ohio-based Special Metals Corp. Williams returned to U. S. Steel in 2006 as General Manager – Gary Works, and in 2008 was elected Vice President – Operations, Midwest. He advanced to his current post in April 2009.
Matthews, 45, joined U. S. Steel in 1988 as a management associate at Mon Valley Works' Edgar Thomson Plant. During the next 10 years, he progressed through increasingly responsible managerial roles at Edgar Thomson Plant and Mon Valley Works' Irvin Plant and managed the installation and commissioning of the company's PRO-TEC Coating Co. joint venture in Leipsic, Ohio. From 1998-2003, Matthews held operations positions at the former USS/KOBE joint venture and Gary Works. He was named General Manager – Blast Furnace Engineering and Technology in 2005, Vice President and General Director of U. S. Steel Serbia in 2006, and President and General Manager of U. S. Steel Canada in 2007. Matthews was elected Vice President – Tubular Operations and President – U. S. Steel Tubular Products in February 2009 and was named Senior Vice President in November 2010.
In addition, David J. Rintoul has been elected Vice President – European Operations and President – U. S. Steel Kosice. He will oversee U. S. Steel's two European operations: U. S. Steel Kosice in the Slovak Republic and U. S. Steel Serbia in the Republic of Serbia. He will relocate to Slovakia and will report to Babcoke.
Rintoul currently serves as General Manager of Great Lakes Works, an integrated steelmaking facility outside Detroit, Mich., and President of the company's U. S. Steel Canada subsidiary. A successor for those roles will be named at a later time.
Rintoul, 53, joined U. S. Steel in 2007 as General Manager-Granite City Works in Granite City, Ill., after spending 30 years advancing through increasingly responsible management roles at Algoma Steel Corp. in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.; Rouge Steel Corp. in Dearborn, Mich.; Acme Steel Co. in Riverdale, Ill.; and North Star BlueScope Steel in Delta, Ohio. In 2008, he advanced to General Manager – Great Lakes Works in Ecorse and River Rouge, Mich. In March 2009, he was appointed President – U. S. Steel Canada Inc., adding management oversight for all U. S. Steel Canada operations to his existing responsibilities at Great Lakes Works.
"U. S. Steel has substantial bench strength and these appointments are evidence of the leadership capability within all of our operating units,” Surma said. “I have worked closely with George, Doug, Mike, and Dave in recent years, and I know that their deep steelmaking and commercial expertise, strong commitment to our safety values, strategic orientation, and ability to work collaboratively across our company will contribute to our continued success."
