On May 4-6, AISI held its 116th General Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz. in conjunction with the Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI). This was our fifth year meeting with MSCI—and was very well attended—not a surprising fact given the steel industry is now in its fifth year of strong performance. AISI attendance grew 20 percent, with Associate Members participation up 40 percent. Total attendance was about 670, including MSCI and AISI producer members and their spouses, associate and affiliate members, allied professional organizations, and media representatives.

M. Robert Weidner, III, Andrew G. Sharkey, III, and Norman Gottschalk, Jr.

The Opening Ceremonies were different from previous years—taking pause to recognize Andrew G. Sharkey, III, AISI's president and CEO of 15 years (and previous chief executive of Steel Service Center Institute-now MSCI), who will be retiring in the coming months. Ward J. (Tim) Timken, AISI's immediate past chairman, and chairman, The Timken Company, in speaking about Andy, said: "In preparing for this session, I polled my fellow directors and found that the language used to describe Andy and his role in the industry was very consistent. Professionalism, grace under fire, vision, leadership, steadfastness, selflessness, dedication, thoughtfulness and above all - integrity." In thanking Andy Sharkey on behalf of the members, Timken said: "Andy, thank you for your personal commitment to the industry, the leadership that you have exhibited in making it globally competitive and above all else, thank you for your friendship." Bob Weidner, MSCI president and CEO, and Norman Gottschalk, Jr., chairman of the MSCI Board of Directors and president of Marmon Keystone, presented Sharkey with an Honorary lifetime membership to MSCI.

Andrew G. Sharkey, III and Ward J. "Tim" Timken

The general buzz in the air about the two-days' program was that the content was strong—more to come once the evaluations come back from attendees. For now, here are some highlights:

Next, a group of industry CEOs, moderated by Andrew G. Sharkey, III, president and CEO of AISI, discusses The Global Steel Battleground: Raw Materials, Energy and Climate Change. Dan DiMicco, chairman, president and CEO, Nucor Corporation, Steven Leer, chairman and CEO, Arch Coal, Inc., José Martins, executive director - ferrous, Vale, Michael Rippey, president and CEO, ArcelorMittal USA, and John Surma, chairman and CEO, United States Steel Corporation, participated on the panel discussion about iimportant steel industry issues.

Following his remarks, Busse recognizes several individuals for their outstanding leadership. Andrew G. Sharkey, III, president and CEO of AISI, receives the distinguished Gary Memorial Medal, awarded by the Institute for his remarkable lifelong contributions to the North American steel industry (see related article in this issue).

The following individuals were recognized for their roles as chairmen of AISI committees:

	Michael Meyers of United States Steel Corporation for his role as Chairman of the Construction Market Committee
	Philip Morgan of Morgan Construction Company for his role as Chairman of the Associate Members Committee
	Jeff Wetzel of ArcelorMittal USA for his role as Chairman of the Manufacturing Committee on Tin Mill Practices.

Several additional retiring chairmen were unable to attend, including:

• Michael Amann, ArcelorMittal-Sparrows Point, Manufacturing Committee on Metallurgy Tin Mill Practices
• Robert Bly, Steel Dyanmics, Inc., Manufacturing Committee on Hot Strip Mills
• James Boggs, Severstal North America, Inc., Manufacturing Committee on Refractories
• James Buhl, Nucor Steel Seattle, Inc., Manufacturing Committee on Rod and Bar Mills
• Ronald Cerminaro, United States Steel Corporation, Energy Committee
• Patrick Cummings, ArcelorMittal-Indiana Harbor, Manufacturing Committee on Packaging, Shipping and Transportation Methods
• Owen Decker, Jr., ArcelorMittal-Indiana Harbor, Manufacturing Committee on Metallic Coated Sheet Practices
• James Fittipaldo, ArcelorMittal-Warren, Coke By-Products Subcommittee and Manufacturing Committee on Coke Oven Practices
• Bill Jones, United States Steel Corporation-Granite City Works, Manufacturing Committee on Metallurgy Steelmaking and Casting
• Christopher Kristock, Severstal North America, Inc., Committee on Manufacturing Technology
• Jeff Powers, Nucor Steel-Berkeley, Manufacturing Committee on Strand Casting
• Joseph Ryan, Severstal North America, Inc., Manufacturing Committee on Primary and Secondary Oxygen Steelmaking
• William Sherwood, WCI Steel, Inc., Manufacturing Committee on Ironmaking
• Thomas Sneeringer, United States Steel Corporation, Council of U.S. Producers
• Joe Stacey, ArcelorMittal-Dofasco, Manufacturing Committee on Metallurgy Steelmaking and Casting
• Scott Starr, California Steel Industries, Inc., Manufacturing Committee on Sheet Mill Practices
• Nicholas Valentine, The Timken Company, Manufacturing Committee on Strand Casting
• Mark Wellensiek, ArcelorMittal-Indiana Harbor, Manufacturing Committee on Sheet Mill Practices.

Following the Awards Ceremony, attendees hear from panelists for the AISI General Session titled, Addressing Climate Change with Global Solutions: What's on the Horizon in Breakthrough Technologies? Panelists included Ian Christmas, secretary general, International Iron and Steel Institute, Donald Sadoway, John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Chemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and H.Y. Sohn, professor, metallurgical engineering and chemical engineering, University of Utah.

Moderated by Scott Salmon, general manager, United States Steel Corporation, the session offers panelists' perspectives on the critical issue of climate change and the steelmaking technologies being researched that will address this critical issue within the steel industry.