SMDI Names Lifetime Achievement Award Winners

Retiring Committee Chairman Also Recognized

Roger Brockenbrough, P.E. (center) accepts the SMDI Lifetime Achievement Award from AISI Chairman John Ferriola (left) and AISI President and CEO Thomas Gibson (right), who is holding the award commemorating Brockenbrough's decades of service as chairman of AISI’s Committee on Specifications.
Jerry Shick from ArcelorMittal (second from left) accepts the SMDI Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Alexander Wilson. Jim Baske, CEO of ArcelorMittal North America (second from right), holds the award commemorating Wilson’s decades of service as chairman of SMDI’s Steel Bridge Task Force. The awards were presented by AISI Chairman John Ferriola (far left) and AISI President and CEO Thomas Gibson (far right).
Richard Haws (center) from Nucor Buildings Group accepts an award commemorating 13 years of service as a founder and chairman of the AISI Committee on Framing Standards. The award was presented by AISI Chairman John Ferriola (left) and AISI President and CEO Thomas Gibson (right).

Washington, DC - The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), presented Alexander D. Wilson from ArcelorMittal (retired) and Roger L. Brockenbrough, P.E. from R. L. Brockenbrough & Associates Inc. with SMDI Lifetime Achievement Awards for their lasting contributions to the steel construction market. The awards were presented by AISI Chairman John Ferriola, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Nucor Corporation, during the 124^th AISI General Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“The SMDI Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest award we give,” said Lawrence W. Kavanagh, president of SMDI. “It recognizes significant contributions made by individuals over the course of their careers in advancing the competitive use of steel in the marketplace in direct support of the construction, automotive and container industries. This year, we are pleased to honor Alex and Roger, and deeply appreciate their commitment and contributions to our industry. ”

Brockenbrough is chairman of AISI’s Committee on Specifications for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members, which develops national design standards for the application of cold-formed steels in buildings and other construction applications. Under Brockenbrough’s leadership, six editions of the Cold-Formed Steel Specification were published, including the “harmonized North American standard,” which raises cold-formed steel design technology to the same level in the United States, Canada and Mexico and is used as the basis of many design standards throughout the world. He has chaired the committee for more than 25 years and will retire from that position in September.

Wilson was instrumental in the development and testing of new technologies for the bridge industry, including weathering steel and High-Performance Steel, which are now commonly used in bridge construction. He served as chairman of SMDI’s Steel Bridge Task Force, a group representing the top steel bridge design experts in the United States, for more than two decades. He also provided expertise to SMDI’s Corrosion Advisory Group and Welding Advisory Group, which collectively have contributed to innovations in welding, steel production and steel bridge design.

Additionally, Richard B. Haws from Nucor Buildings Group was recognized as a founder and retiring chairman of the AISI Committee on Framing Standards. The committee, which Haws chaired for 13 years, initiates research and develops standards for the cold-formed steel framing market. Under his leadership, the suite of AISI cold-formed steel framing standards became North American in scope, making them available for adoption and use in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The suite of standards also broadened its focus to include requirements for wall, floor, roof and lateral system design; provisions for quality control and quality assurance; and a code of standard practice.

About The Steel Market Development Institute

SMDI increases and defends the use of steel by developing innovative materials, applications and value-added solutions for customers in the automotive, construction and packaging markets. For more information on SMDI, visit www.smdisteel.org or follow @SMDISteel on Twitter.

About The American Iron And Steel Institute

AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. For more information, visit www.steel.org.