AISI Announces 2021 Market Development Award Recipients

Washington, DC - The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has presented 2021 Market Development Achievement Awards to Richard (Rick) Haws, P.E., engineer, RBH Consulting LLC, and David Stoddard, senior applications engineer at SSAB Americas, and the Market Development Industry Leadership Award to Dajun Zhou, Ph.D., manufacturing specialist, Stellantis North America.

The awards were presented by Leon Topalian, president and CEO of Nucor and chairman of AISI, during AISI’s General Meeting held at the InterContinental Hotel–The Wharf in Washington, DC. The market development awards were established in 2007 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing the competitive use of steel in the marketplace.

“We are pleased to recognize the leadership and commitment of Rick, David and Dajun to using steel to meet marketplace challenges. Their contributions have helped enable transformative changes in the building construction, bridge and auto industries. We appreciate the lasting contributions they have made to ensuring that steel remains the material of choice in the auto and construction markets,” said Topalian.

Richard Haws (center) is with Leon Topalian (left) and AISI President and CEO Kevin Dempsey on the right.

Richard Haws retired as commercial solutions director from Nucor Building Systems in September 2021 and has launched his own company, RBH Consulting LLC. Previously, he was employed by AISI, and was responsible for the Institute’s Committee on Specifications, Metal Roofing Task Force and Residential Advisory Group from 1990 to 1997. His leadership helped advance the competitive use of cold-formed steel in a variety of construction applications, most notably light-frame construction and metal buildings in the residential, commercial, institutional and industrial markets. He helped launch the AISI Committee on Framing Standards in 1998 and set the stage for the following decades of AISI standards development.

David Stoddard has served as chair of the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) since 2016, making significant contributions to advancing the competitive use of steel for bridges less than 140 feet in length, which comprise most of the U.S. bridge inventory. Under his leadership, the use of an innovative new technology known as press-brake-formed steel tub girder (PBTG) bridges has increased to better compete with concrete bridges due its cost-effectiveness, modular design, ease of transport and ability to be installed by a local crew in one day. The web-based design tool eSPAN140 was expanded to include the addition of PBTG and non-composite rolled beam bridge solutions. Stoddard’s foresight led to the implementation of advanced steel grades and innovative coating technologies which extend the life spans of short span steel bridges to over 100 years. He also oversaw the development of a state standard in Ohio to facilitate simplified steel bridge design, with work on standards for additional states now underway. Since he became chairman, the SSSBA has increased its active membership by 50 percent and has enhanced its partnerships with related industry organizations.

Dajun Zhou’s current efforts focus on research and development projects and innovation activities for automotive stamping in Stellantis North America and many consortiums. He began his career in the metal forming industry in 1971 at the forging plant at First Auto Work (FAW) in Changchun, China. He received his bachelors and Master of Science degree in Material Science and Engineering in Changchun, China from Jilin University of Technology in 1977 and 1983. In 1993, he received his Ph. D. degree in Material Science from The Ohio State University.

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.