Chris Casey is the Executive Director of the Independent Steel Alliance, a trade purchasing cooperative formed in 2013. ISA facilitates and enhances strategic partnerships between independent rebar fabricators across the United States and Canada and their trusted supply chain partners. ISA fabricator members represent approximately 2 million tons of rebar purchased annually. Casey holds degrees in Management, Information Technology and a Doctorate in Leadership in Family Business.
Fernando Villanueva Cuéllar is the CEO of Deacero USA. He studied Industrial Engineering at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and received an MBA from this same institution. Before joining Deacero, he was Project Director at London Consulting Group. From 1994 to 2007 he served in different roles within Deacero, in 2008 he became the Procurement and Supply Chain Vice President and in 2014 was promoted to his current position. He presided on the Logistics Committee at the Mexican Iron and Steel Chamber and currently is a Board Member at the American Wire Producers Association.
Ken Simonson has been Chief Economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, the leading construction trade association, since 2001. He provides insight into the economy and what it implies for construction and related industries through frequent media interviews, presentations, and the Data DIGest, his weekly one-page e-newsletter that goes to more than 20,000 subscribers. Ken has over 40 years of experience analyzing, advocating and communicating about economic and tax issues. He currently serves as an advisor to the Census Bureau’s construction data re-engineering initiative. He is a Fellow and past president of the National Association for Business Economics, and he is co-director of the Tax Economists Forum, a professional meeting group he co-founded in 1982. Ken has a BA in economics from the University of Chicago, and an MA in economics from Northwestern University.
Mr. Murat Askin is the founder and CEO of recently established StaalX LLC, an e-commerce and international trading company that specializes in trade automation, and sales, logistics and finance optimization. StaalX's one mission is to provide value to both buyers and sellers and make the transactions easier. Prior to joining StaalX, Murat Askin has been the head of metals trading for the multinational conglomerate Tata Group in the Americas region. He has served as the president and member of the board of Tata International Metals Americas Limited (TIMAL) based in the greater Chicago, Illinois area. TIMAL specializes in physical import and export of metal products within the Americas and it is one of the largest and most recognized steel trading companies with a global network. Since joining Tata he has more than doubled the volume and tripled the sales and vastly diversified the products and geographies. TIMAL now handles 15 major product lines including all major long, flat and tubular products. Mr. Askin held various prestigious steel management positions prior to joining TIMAL. He has also served on the boards of industry associations. His career extends close to 30 years in the steel and metals industry.
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