ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Metals industry CEOs face myriad staffing issues today: a lack of skilled workers, concern over succession planning and “building a strong bench” so that the company can continue successfully when current management retires. Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI), a metals industry trade association, saw a need for an executive education program specific to their industry that would raise up leaders and created Strategic Metals Management. Developed in partnership with Washington University’s Olin School of Business, the program lasts 18 months and requires participants to commit to five weeks of on-campus learning spaced throughout that time period. Registration is currently open for Group 9.
M. Robert Weidner, III, MSCI president and CEO, has seen a wide swath of people and companies attend in past years, “To date more than 260 have graduated from the program and many have been promoted to senior leadership roles. The companies represented are a variety of mills and service centers, big and small, publicly-held and family-owned.”
“We all need to plan for succession,” comments David Hannah, chairman and CEO Reliance Steel & Aluminum. “It’s an important consideration at all levels.” His company has used the program to groom up-and-coming executives.
According to Washington University’s Assistant Dean Executive Programs Samuel Chun, the course sequence itself is important and lays the foundation for leadership development. “It begins with strategic organization and leadership, which are two different sides of the same coin. Module 2 covers market focus, followed by operational excellence, accretive growth and coming full circle to leadership.” Chun also emphasizes that the metals industry is not static but constantly changing, and the program is adjusted to help students manage new challenges, too.
The class size is capped at 40, giving participants an opportunity to network and interact with others from all perspectives of the metals industry who are also likely to fill the higher-level positions of their organizations.
“Many of our graduates have already progressed and are doing great things in the industry,” comments Chun.
About:
Founded in 1909, the Metals Service Center Institute is a non-profit association based in Rolling Meadows, Ill., serving the metals industry. It has over 400 members operating from more than 1,500 locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and throughout the world. A recent study shows the American metals industry accounts for nearly 2.5 million jobs and the economic contribution of the industry is more than $552 billion or more than 3.5% of the nation’s gross domestic product.
For more information, visit www.MSCI.org. Like us on Facebook at Metals Service Center Institute, follow us on Twitter @MSCITweets, and connect with us on LinkedIn at Metals Service Center Institute.
