DECEMBER 2017

Making More Meaningful Meetings“Increased communications, more information, and a feeling of enhanced connectedness to the co-op,” recalled Mike Wagner, President, when explaining what many members have requested from NASA and its leadership. “Providing a variety of communications forums is one way we can help answer the needs of our members,” Wagner added.

To that end, a new Small Group meeting format was rolled-out in Chicago at the Fall Conference. In addition to the one-on-one sessions that we host at our annual meeting, members were given the opportunity to meet in small groups with a supplier. “This format was designed to allow suppliers to meet with more members and tap into hot topics,” noted Randy Haas, Director Marketing & Program Development. The small group sessions were well attended and will continue at future Fall Conferences, added Haas. “We will continue to hold the one-on-one sessions at our Annual Meeting, so suppliers can meet directly with members to help manage their mutual success,” reported Wagner.

To facilitate exchange of information between members and suppliers, NASA also hosted two regional meetings and one metals meeting in 2017. “These meetings are designed to engage members and suppliers on key issues relating to their specific region,” explained Wagner.

In 2018 communications and meeting formats will include regional meetings, one-on-one sessions at the Annual Meeting (spring), and small group meetings at the Fall Conference. “NASA is not an organization for ‘silent partners.’ Our members and suppliers, collectively, are a wealth of information. And we are developing a number of ways for this information to be shared,” assured Wagner.

Respondents to the Fall Conference survey provided their feedback to the Small Group meetings:

“It was a little awkward being in a small session with competitors at first. But it gave the mills a chance to highlight some of their activities and reach out to a group of 15-20 members. I enjoyed the sessions.”

“This was a great idea. In contrast with the one-on-one meetings, it was helpful to hear other members’ questions and the mill responses.”

“It made me aware of the improvements and new equipment that the suppliers will or are being implemented or installed.”

Meet Deana LecyNASA Network sat down with the newest member of the NASA team, Deana Lecy, Director of Metals Programs. Here she tells us more about herself and her experience in the metals industry.

Q. What attracted you to the NASA position? A. I have spent over 25 years in the metals industry, selling product, managing commercial processes, and most recently working on the equipment and engineering side. I saw the NASA opportunity as a great way to capitalize on these untraditional experiences while being able to maintain the relationships and networks that have shaped my career thus far.

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Q. What will your responsibilities be? A. As Director of Metals Programs I will work with the NASA team, metals suppliers, and members to maximize the value to the entire NASA community. The 20-year history and success of the co-op provides a great foundation for moving forward.

Q. What is your background and some of your previous positions? A. I began my career as a Bethlehem Steel “sales looper” in the Chicago sales office and held many sales and marketing positions at Burns Harbor before leading the automotive efforts for ISG Steel. For the past decade, I was the Director of Sales & Marketing for a privately held engineering company that specialized in precision equipment alignment and installation, working directly for equipment OEMs, industrial contractors, and steel companies.

Q. How did you get interested in the steel industry? A. I entered the steel industry right out of college and spent approximately a year in training—learning about products, operations, and customers. I always had an interest in manufacturing. If STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum) had existed when I was in school, I would have probably become an engineer.

Q. You attended the Fall Conference, what were some of your impressions after that event? A. The Fall Conference was a great opportunity for me to reconnect with friends and customers from my days in direct metals sales. I was impressed with the engagement of the members in the strategic initiatives and the investment they have in the success of the program.

Feedback to Fall Conference

Thank you to all members (over 70%) who completed the survey

following the October Fall Conference in Chicago. Your input is

helping us continue to improve our events, venues, and meeting

agenda! Here’s what one attendee had to say about the event: “I

got more rooted in the idea that NASA member competition is the

consolidators (not each other) and the more I can do to drive tons

to the NASA suppliers, the happier about their rebate positions

they’ll be. I’d also like to drive more business to our operational

suppliers—they are a great resource to the co-op.”

Birthplace = “I was born in a small town,”

Seymour, Indiana home of John Cougar Mellencamp.

Education = Valparaiso University, business degree and Loyola University-

Chicago MBA

Hobbies = Running, yoga, and knitting—it is the only thing that truly slows me

down!

Favorite steel application = I have always been drawn to art

fabricated from steel and secretly would love to take a welding class.

Personal Motto = I have always been an athlete and had an incredible coach in high school that taught me how to set goals for myself. Today my

motto (or mantra as it is called in yoga) is to be strong and flexible. This allows me to take risks that

build on my strengths, but remain flexible enough to know that

things are not always going to work out the way I want.

Fall Conference

Survey Says:

(on a scale of 1 to 4 where 4 is Very Satisfied)

2014 2.90

2015 3.06

2016 3.20

2017 3.23

Overall meeting content

Industry Best Practices

2014 2.90

2015 3.22

2016 2.78

2017 3.26

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Best Practice: New Technology Helps Reduce Logistics HeadachesThe shortage of CDL drivers across North America is making it increasingly difficult for members to effectively manage the freight and logistics aspect of their business. The best practices portion of the Fall Conference offered some insight into this major industry challenge with comments from both an operational supplier and a member who is using technology to leverage the limited resources available in the freight world.

Jacque Morrow, from PLS Logistics Services, put the driver shortage front and center; “For every truck out there, there are 42 loads for that truck.” Morrow suggested members look closely at their transportation and logistics efforts. “If this is not part of your core competency either invest in your people (so it becomes a core competency) or hire an outside firm that excels in this area,” Morrow advised. He also reminded members that the new electronic logging devices (ELD) ruling, which went into effect December 18, 2017, puts even more pressure on drivers. “Look at how fast your team can load/unload a truck. See if you can help the driver take off the tarps, offer them coffee and a break area if they have to wait for another truck to load/unload,” Morrow said. “These may seem like little things, but anything you can do to keep a driver coming back is a benefit,” Morrow added.

Annual Meeting ReminderMark your calendar for the Annual Meeting slated for April 23-25, 2018 in Key Biscayne, Florida. This is a great opportunity to learn more about what’s new at NASA while you network with fellow members and meet our suppliers! Be sure to book your hotel room before March 22, 2018 to receive the NASA discount! NASA 2018 Annual MeetingThe Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami455 Grand Bay DriveKey Biscayne, FL 33149Reservations: 800-241-3333April 23-25, 2018

Best Practices on Tap for Annual Meeting Are you doing something unique to help attract and retain employees? Are you working with a vendor who has insight regarding human resources matters? If so, please let Randy Haas know (Randy@steelalliance.com). You may be selected to share your best practice at the Annual Meeting in April.

“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.” — Douglas Conant, former President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company

50,000The United States is short nearly 50,000 CDL drivers. (American

Trucking Association)

80-90%Driver turnover in North America is as high as 80-90%. (American

Trucking Association)

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Data Analytics Moves Beyond PilotIn the past year, twelve member companies (those of the NASA board members), participated in the pilot/beta testing of the new benchmarking platform developed by CoMetrics for NASA. The process included creating a common chart of accounts and refining the dashboards. “Now we are ready to add more members,” noted Chuck Beyer, Director of Information Technologies for NASA. Fifty members are currently going through the on-boarding process with CoMetrics. “But our goal is 100% participation with every NASA member,” Beyer expressed.

The benchmarking platform was developed to provide members relative positions amongst their peers, identify areas of improvement, and set goals. Board members have been viewing the data for their respective companies for several months now. “It really got my attention when I was able to compare Scion Steel to our peers,” noted Rick Costantini, Scion Steel.

The on-boarding process begins with each member company providing an example trial balance sheet then verifying their mapping with accounts. Most members find that their initial uploading of data typically takes between two to four hours to accomplish. Once the initial upload is complete, data needs to be updated every quarter, which takes just a few minutes. As more member data is uploaded, the more impactful the information will be for each member. “It might take a few viewings to get familiar with the data and the dashboards. But each member views their own data, so the numbers should look familiar. As we get more data from other members, each company can see how they are performing against their peers,” Beyer explained. The peers, however, are given fictitious names so member confidentiality is ensured.

Gabe Siegel and the team at Service Steel Warehouse in Houston have taken a serious look at all aspects of logistics at their business. “We took a new perspective; we looked at technology as our friend,” Siegel noted. “This new attitude transformed our business.” Over the course of three years, his business secured a delivery software system that syncs with their existing ERP system. “I estimate that our old manual method of sorting and routing loads accounted for about 25% of our freight budget. Now we plug the data into the software system and routes are set in about 30 seconds. The software optimizes the loads, which means we don’t need as many trucks,” Siegel added. The software system has saved Siegel’s business as much as $12/ton.

Once the loads are built, Service Steel Warehouse posts the loads to an electronic bidding site. “We created our own profile, so the bidding is only open to the haulers we want to work with,” Siegel reported. “I strongly suggest members look into using electronic bidding. If you aren’t, you’re probably leaving 10% of your freight cost on the table.”

Feel free to contact Jacque Morrow or Gabe Siegel to get more insight into ways you can better manage freight and logistics at your business.

Jacque MarrowPLS Logistics Services

Gabe SiegelService Steel Warehouse

What Is CoMetrics?

CoMetrics is the developer of a leading platform for organizations to exchange performance metrics.

The firm currently serves over 300 organizations, including one of the largest grocery/food co-ops in North America.

The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Boston.

By using metrics, the firm can help businesses inform better decisions and increase profits. “We provide strength in numbers.”

NASA Network is published by the North American Steel Alliance and is intended for the

exclusive benefit of our members and suppliers. Feel free to share this communication with your

employees. And let us know how we are doing! If you have an idea for an article or feedback to

an item in this issue contact: Randy Haas, Director Marketing & Program Development

randy@steelalliance.comwww.steelalliance.com

Mentoring Program in DevelopmentThe Leadership Development committee is in the early stages of creating a mentoring program for NASA members and their employees. “We wanted to get input from the committee before we created a framework for the program,” noted Cindy Haverkamp, Harbor Steel. Haverkamp and Arnaud Le Chatelier, Dillon Supply, co-chair the committee. The group, which met during the Fall Conference, discussed various types of mentoring programs (peer, group, reverse, situational) as well as the benefits of participating in a mentoring program. “Mentoring can benefit not just the immediate participants, but the entire company,” pointed out Le Chatelier. “We want to be sure that the program we develop brings value to our participants and their businesses,” he confirmed.

Look for more details about the mentoring program in future issues of NASA Network.

Benefits of Mentoring

Lack of development is three times more influential than any other factor in an employee’s decision to leave their job.

Employees who are mentored are 44% less likely to leave their company over a 5 year period than their peers who are not mentored.

Mentoring helps establish trust and confidence, which can benefit the employee and the company during times of transition and promotion.

Mentoring can help extend the culture of the company.

Update Your Files!NASA Has RelocatedNASA has moved both the California and the Illinois offices to more efficient work space for our team. Please update your files with our new details:

North American Steel Alliance25231 Paseo De Alicia, Suite 130Laguna Hills, CA 92653same phone number: (949) 240-0100

Effective January 1, 2018:North American Steel Alliance2860 River Road, Suite 340Des Plaines, IL 60018same phone number: (847) 879-8776