Awards & Scholarships

Richard P. Teets Jr.

Richard P. Teets Jr. (AIST)

AIME Honorary Membership in
2017

In recognition of his distinguished career in the steel industry. His entrepreneurial spirit and unrivaled enthusiasm have led to the success of numerous enterprises, particularly Steel Dynamics Inc. Throughout his nearly 30 years of AIST membership, he has contributed in all aspects of active participation and leadership, serving as AIST President, AIST Foundation Trustee, and AIST Distinguished Member and Fellow. His determined efforts to establish new AIST Foundation scholarships have opened the door for many young people to pursue a career in the iron and steel industry.

Dick Teets, Jr. is Executive Vice President of Steel Dynamics, Inc. and Chief Operating Officer for all of the company’s steelmaking divisions. He began his career in the late 1970s as a mechanical engineer for J&L Steel, which later became LTV. In the late 1980s, he joined Nucor, where he supervised the construction of the first thin-cast slab steel plant, which was one of the first large-scale mini-mill plants in the United States. He was a participant in early experiments in partnerships with Japanese steelmakers in the US, and was a witness to the accelerating encroachment of the newer mini-mills on the markets of the traditional "Big Steel" companies. In the early 1990s, Mr. Teets co-founded his own company with former executives at Nucor, called Steel Dynamics, Inc. He helped lead the company through a long period of rapid growth, helping to build and manage the capacity for manufacturing numerous different types of steel products. Today, Steel Dynamics is the fifth largest steel company in the United States.

 

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