WCI Steel, Inc. announced today that James F. Walsh has been named Vice President—Operations, effective July 1, 2005.

Walsh has served as a consultant to WCI since April 2005 and has worked in a wide variety of managerial and officer-level positions in the steel industry for 30 years.

Patrick G. Tatom, WCI's President and CEO, said that Walsh's broad background in steel operations will be invaluable to WCI as it emerges from Chapter 11 reorganization. "Jim's diverse experience will greatly assist WCI as we implement new work systems that will significantly improve our operating efficiencies and costs," Tatom said. "We are fortunate to have someone with Jim's expertise and acumen become part of the WCI team."

Walsh began his steel industry career in 1975 as a Management Trainee at U.S. Steel Corp.'s Gary Works, progressing through first- and second-level management positions to Senior Area Manager of Melting and Casting. He left U.S. Steel in 1987 to become marketing director for Emeryville, Ca.,-based Qualimatrix, Inc., where he was subsequently appointed Vice President and Operations Director. Walsh joined AK Steel Corp. in 1993, holding various upper-level positions, including Manager of Maintenance Technology, Vice President of Research and Design Engineering, Vice President of Manufacturing, and Vice President of Corporate Development, before being named Executive Vice President of GS Industries in Charlotte, N.C., in 1999. Following the sale of GS Industries, Walsh led North Star Steel's flagship operations in Monroe, Mich., until the sale of that entity in 2004.

Walsh, 51, served as President of the former Association of Iron and Steel Engineers in 2000. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1975 and earned a master's degree in business administration from Indiana University-Northwest in 1982.

WCI is an integrated steelmaker producing more than 185 grades of custom and commodity flat-rolled steel at its Warren, Ohio, facility. WCI's products are used by steel service centers, convertors and the automotive and construction markets. The company has approximately 1,650 employees.