U. S. Steel Announces Key Executive Changes in the United States and Europe

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John P. Surma today announced a series of management changes at its headquarters and its operations in the United States and Europe that are expected to enhance the company's ability to effectively and efficiently manage its expanded asset base around the world.

"Since late 2000, U. S. Steel has acquired 18.9 million net tons of raw steelmaking capability in the United States, Canada, Slovakia and Serbia, as well as additional iron ore mining assets, coke making facilities, and flat- rolled and tubular finishing operations," said Surma. "While we regularly review our management structure to ensure efficiency, we believe the time has come to make significant changes that will allow us to better focus our efforts in key areas and capitalize on market and operating synergies - both realized and projected -- made possible by our growth."

David H. Lohr will return to U. S. Steel's Pittsburgh headquarters from Europe to fill the new position of senior vice president-North American flat- roll operations. George F. Babcoke will succeed Lohr as senior vice president-European operations and president-U. S. Steel Kosice and relocate to Slovakia. (More detailed background on George Babcoke will be included in a subsequent press release.) They will report to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John H. Goodish.

Lohr will direct the newly divided executive oversight of the company's North American flat-rolled steelmaking operations. Anthony R. Bridge has been named vice president-operations, East, and Michael S. Williams has been elected vice president-operations, Midwest. Bridge and Williams will report to Lohr.

Lohr will also oversee two other areas: supply chain management and flat- rolled sales. John C. Price has been appointed vice president-supply chain, and J. James Kutka, Jr., who currently serves as senior vice president- commercial, will fill the redefined role of senior vice president-sales and customer service.

All moves are effective March 1.

Lohr, 55, and a native of Mt. Pleasant, Pa., began his U. S. Steel career in 1974 at the National Plant, a former pipe producing facility in McKeesport, Pa., where he progressed through a series of supervisory positions. After managing the final construction and start-up of the seamless pipe mill at Fairfield Works in Fairfield, Ala., and serving as its manager-operations, he relocated to U. S. Steel's Pittsburgh headquarters in 1994 to fill the role of general manager-tubular products.

In 1996, Lohr was named general manager of Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh and was elected vice president-operations, sheet products in 1999. In 2003, he advanced to vice president-plant operations and oversaw all of the company's U.S. plant operations and joint ventures. He assumed his most recent post, senior vice president-European operations and president-U. S. Steel Kosice, in June 2005 and was responsible for operations at U. S. Steel's two European steelmaking facilities: U. S. Steel Kosice in the Slovak Republic and U. S. Steel Serbia in the Republic of Serbia.

Lohr graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. He completed the executive management program at The Pennsylvania State University in 1998. He and his wife, Susan, will return to Pittsburgh.

Bridge, 54, will move back to plant operations after spending the last five years overseeing much of U. S. Steel's engineering and technology. As vice president-operations, East, he will be responsible for directing operations at Great Lakes Works in Ecorse and River Rouge, Mich.; Mon Valley Works, which includes the Clairton Plant, the Edgar Thomson Plant and the Irvin Plant near Pittsburgh as well as the Fairless Plant outside Philadelphia; and U. S. Steel Canada, which includes Hamilton Works in Hamilton, Ontario, and Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ontario. He will remain in Pittsburgh.

Before joining U. S. Steel in 1998 as area manager of the former No. 13 blast furnace at Gary Works in Gary, Ind., Bridge spent 19 years at Inland Steel in East Chicago, Ind., and three years at Rouge Steel in Dearborn, Mich. He advanced to division manager of iron producing at Gary Works in 1999 and to plant manager of primary operations in 2001.

In 2003, Bridge transferred to Pittsburgh headquarters when he was named managing director-blast furnace engineering & technology. He was elected to his current position, vice president-engineering & technology in 2005, with responsibility for research and development activities at three facilities as well as engineering and blast furnace engineering and technology across the company.

Bridge, a native of Vicksburg, Miss., earned a bachelor's degree in industrial management from Purdue University's Krannert Business School in Lafayette, Ind., in 1976; a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University at its Calumet Campus in Hammond, Ind., in 1991; and a master's degree in business from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind., in 2004.

As vice president-operations, Midwest, Williams will oversee operations at Gary Works, which includes the East Chicago Tin Plant in East Chicago, Ind., and the Midwest Plant in Portage, Ind.; Granite City Works in Granite City, Ill.; and Fairfield Works' flat-rolled operation. He will also be responsible for Minnesota Ore Operations, the company's iron ore mining and pelletizing facilities in Mt. Iron, Minn., (Minntac) and Keewatin, Minn., (Keetac).

Williams, 47, joined U. S. Steel in 1992 as a senior process control engineer at Mon Valley Works after holding increasingly responsible managerial positions at several companies including Koppers Corporation and Armco Steel Corporation. In 1994, he advanced to division manager-systems and process control at Gary Works before assuming oversight responsibilities for some of the facility's steel producing operations in 1996. During the next three years, he served as division manager for steel producing-South, steel producing-North and hot rolling.

In 1999, Williams accepted a position with Ormet Corporation, an aluminum producer headquartered in Wheeling, W.Va. He progressed through executive posts in both operations and sales before he was named president and chief operations officer in 2002 and president and chief executive officer in 2004. In 2006, Williams joined Cleveland-based Special Metals Corporation as vice president-commercial products. He elected to return to U. S. Steel in September 2006 as general manager of Gary Works, with responsibility for steelmaking and finishing operations in Gary, tin production at the East Chicago Tin Plant, and finishing operations at the Midwest Plant.

A native of Murrysville, Pa., Williams earned a bachelor's degree in information science in 1983 from the University of Pittsburgh. In 1998, he graduated from Indiana University at Bloomington's Executive Management Program. He and his wife, Melanie, and their five children will relocate to the Pittsburgh area.

Price, 60, will be responsible for the company's business planning, logistics services and processed products organizations and be based at the company's headquarters. The Pittsburgh native started his career with the company in 1969 as an operations trainee at Fairless Works near Philadelphia. From 1969 to 1991, he advanced through increasingly responsible positions in tin mill operations, metallurgical engineering and quality assurance at Fairless Works, corporate headquarters, Mon Valley Works' Irvin Plant and Gary Works.

In 1991, Price was named division manager of sheet products at Mon Valley Works, and two years later transferred to headquarters as district manager- customer technical services, East. He returned to Gary Works in 1994 to serve as manager of quality assurance and manager of business services, respectively, before advancing to plant manager of finishing operations in 1996. He returned to Pittsburgh headquarters as general manager-tin products in 1997.

Following the acquisition of National Steel in May 2003, Price was named general manager of the Midwest Plant and led the successful integration of that facility. In August 2005, he was named to his current position, general manager-business planning.

Price graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering.

For more information about U. S. Steel, visit http://www.ussteel.com/.

SOURCE: United States Steel Corporation

CONTACT: John Armstrong, +1-412-433-6792, or Erin DiPietro,
+1-412.433.6845, both of United States Steel Corporation

Web site: http://www.ussteel.com/

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