U. S. Steel Announces Executive Appointments in North American Flat-Rolled Products Organization

PITTSBURGH, June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) today announced several executive appointments in its North American flat-rolled products organization effective July 1.  

Anton Lukac, who currently serves as vice president – supply chain & customer service, has been appointed vice president – U.S. flat-rolled operations.  Sharon K. Owen, currently general manager – Gary Works, will succeed Lukac as vice president – supply chain & customer service, and will relocate to Pittsburgh, Pa.  Both Lukac and Owen will report to Senior Vice President – North American Flat-Rolled Operations Michael S. Williams.  The company's North American flat-rolled products sales and marketing organizations, Minnesota Ore Operations, and U. S. Steel Canada will continue to report directly to Williams.  

Matthew B. Perkins will return from the Republic of Serbia, where he has served as vice president and general director of U. S. Steel Serbia, to succeed Owen as general manager – Gary Works in Gary, Ind.  Perkins will report to Anton Lukac.  

Michael S. Rhoads, who currently serves as executive director – operations in Serbia, will succeed Perkins as vice president and general director of U. S. Steel Serbia.  (Additional news release later today will provide more details.)

In his new role, Lukac will have executive oversight of the company's integrated steelmaking facilities located in the United States: Fairfield Works in Fairfield, Ala.; Gary Works, which includes three facilities in Gary, East Chicago and Portage, Ind.; Granite City Works in Granite City, Ill.; Great Lakes Works in Ecorse and River Rouge, Mich.; and Mon Valley Works, four facilities located near Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pa.  

Owen will assume executive responsibility for the company's business planning, logistics services, processed products and customer service organizations.

Perkins will have responsibility for steelmaking and finishing operations at Gary Works, tin-coated steel production at East Chicago Tin in East Chicago, Ind., and finishing operations at Midwest Plant in Portage, Ind.  

Commenting on the appointments, Williams said, "Anton's extensive experience in steel operations, as well as the business aspects associated with it, will help us take full advantage of existing synergies in our U.S. flat-rolled product facilities and identify new ways to increase cost effectiveness, efficiency and product diversity at those plants.  Sharon's strong and successful background in sales, marketing and operations will be a significant asset to the organizations she will oversee, which all deal with different, yet equally important, aspects of our relationships with our customers.  Matthew has gained valuable leadership skills during his assignments in Europe, and those skills, together with his strong and varied operations background, will serve him and our company well as he assumes responsibility for our largest integrated steelmaking facility."  

Lukac, 50, began his steelmaking career at Slovak steelmaker VSZ a.s. in 1982 as a technologist in the cold rolling mill.  Over the next 17 years, he progressed through increasingly responsible positions in a variety of departments, eventually serving as vice president of technology for VSZ.  Lukac was named vice president of strategic implementation of the newly formed U. S. Steel Kosice in November 2000.  In 2003, Lukac was appointed plant manager of U. S. Steel's Clairton Plant, a coke making facility in Clairton, Pa.  In December 2006, he advanced to plant manager of Mon Valley Works' Edgar Thomson Plant, a primary steelmaking facility in Braddock, Pa., and in January 2007, he was named general manager – Mon Valley Works.  Lukac was appointed vice president – engineering & technology in March 2008 and advanced to his most recent position, vice president – supply chain & customer service, in December 2009.  

Lukac, who is a native of Martin in the Slovak Republic, graduated from Technical University in Kosice, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in 1982.  He will continue to be based at the company's Pittsburgh headquarters.  

Owen, 56, began her U. S. Steel career at Gary Works in 1978, where she progressed through supervisory positions in the quality assurance department before serving as a customer technical services representative at several sales offices beginning in 1990.  From 1990 through 2004, she advanced through a series of increasingly responsible positions in quality assurance, steel operations, and automotive and tin product marketing and sales at several locations across the company.  In 2004, she was named general manager – automotive, a position based at U. S. Steel's Automotive Center, an automotive customer-dedicated sales and research facility in Troy, Mich.  Owen advanced to plant manager – Midwest Plant in 2005 and then plant manager – primary operations at Gary Works in 2006.  She was appointed general manager – Granite City Works in 2008 and assumed her most recent post, general manager – Gary Works, in 2009.  

Owen is a native of Gary, Ind., and earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University in 1978 and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998.  She and her husband, Robert, will relocate to the Pittsburgh area.  

Perkins, 44, worked for LTV Steel Company for 10 years before U. S. Steel acquired LTV's East Chicago Tin facility in East Chicago, Ind., where he was employed as an area manager, in 2001.  After progressing through positions at East Chicago Tin and Gary Works, Perkins transferred to Serbia in 2003 when he was named general manager – finishing at U. S. Steel Serbia's Smederevo facility.  He advanced to operations director for U. S. Steel Serbia one year later.  After serving as plant manager – primary operations at Great Lakes Works near Detroit from 2006 to 2007, Perkins returned to U. S. Steel's European operations in 2007 when he was named vice president – operations at U. S. Steel Kosice in the Slovak Republic.  He advanced to his most recent position, vice president and general director of U. S. Steel Serbia, in March 2009.  

Originally from Hamilton, Ohio, Perkins graduated from The Ohio State University in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering.  He completed his master's degree in business administration at the University of Pittsburgh in 1998.  He and his wife, Nadezda, will relocate to the Northwest Indiana area.  

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

SOURCE United States Steel Corporation