From The Editor

During the February 10 METALCONLive! webinar titled “Trends in Metal Construction and Design for Q2 and 2021,” METALCON co-founder Frank Stasiowski predicted that 2021 will usher in what he called “the roaring 20s.” His optimism about 2021 and beyond stemmed from his perception that a boom will take place in the metals and construction industry.

No one is going to look back fondly on 2020, a year that will be remembered for months of social unrest, a contentious presidential election and aftermath and a virus that seized the global economically and socially for closing in on 12 months now.

The first two panels at the virtual Tampa Steel Conference featured leading voices on the subject of foreign trade of steel products. Following remarks by AISI President Kevin Dempsey, John Packard welcomed in SMA President Philip K. Bell, Trade Attorney Lewis Leibowitz and Chris Shipp, vice president of two Priefert companies, which serve both distribution and manufacturing functions.

If there was a single jaw-dropping moment during Tuesday’s Tampa Steel Conference, Walter Kemmsies delivered it. The managing partner for The Kemmsies Group was offering a macroeconomic outlook on the North American steel industry, with a special focus on his area of expertise: ports, rail and infrastructure.

Paragon Steel, on the campus of Steel Dynamics Inc. in Butler, Ind., is a leading Midwestern distributor and processor of hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated flat-rolled steel. The facility is adding a new ultra high-strength Braner/Loopco slitting line. The installation will be complete by the end of the first quarter. The new line will be Paragon’s fourth slitting line at the company’s Plant One.

With the brutal slog that was 2020 behind us, we’re undoubtedly looking for any signs of good news. We got such a report Tuesday with the release of the Institute for Supply Management’s monthly PMI for December.

Tearing out the final page on the old calendar always gets us thinking broadly about the year ahead.

Of all the features I work on over the course of a typical year at Metal Center News, the year-end Executive of the Year is easily my favorite. This year’s profile of Eddie Lehner and Ryerson is absolutely no exception.

This week’s installment of eMCN will be the last of the year. I think I speak for everyone associated with our publication, plus the entire metals supply chain and the rest of the civilized world when I say, “Bring on 2021.”

The past year was one of the most challenging on record for every service center executive. The pandemic created issues and concerns never seen by any living distributor. Couple that with a contentious presidential election and a summer with widespread protesting, and you have the recipe for a most difficult environment for any business leader to navigate.