The Sault Star reported that the eighth chief executive officer in two decades at the sprawling Sault Ste Marie steelworks is no stranger to the industry.

Unlike the sixth CEO Mr Denis Turcotte, a veteran of the forestry sector with no steel background, Mr James Hrusovsky has experienced nearly all aspects of steelmaking in his nearly three decades on the job.

The Essar Steel Algoma board of directors announced earlier this week that their nearly six month search for a new top guy had ended with the pending appointment of Mr Hrusovsky, subject to regulatory approval.

The new CEO arrives from Mississippi after a more than three year run as CEO and president of Severstal Columbus, considered one of the most efficient and technologically advanced steel mills in the United States.

Severstal Columbus, the former SeverCorr, with the capacity to produce up to 1.43 million tonnes of automotive quality flat rolled steel, went operational in late 2007 and within a few months, Mr Hrusovsky was at the helm. He arrived at the Mississippi mini mill, which produces liquid steel with an electric furnace, not blast furnace style like Essar Algoma, after more than a year as chief operating officer of Severstal North America, November 2006 through December 2007.
According to Essar Algoma, the new CEO's background includes research, quality, product development, engineering, capital projects, sales and profit centre management.

(Sourced from www.saultstar.com)