Home to Fortune 500 companies, business giants and outstanding educational institutions, the Midwest houses some of the best and brightest industry leaders in the nation. Four times a year the Midwest Executive of the Quarter (MEQ) award honors a person who exemplifies these characteristics. This quarter, Kevin Brown, CEO of Omaha Steel, has been selected as the MEQ.
Through dedication, enthusiasm and results, Kevin exemplifies what it means to be a leader in the Midwest. In addition to decades of experience as an executive in the service, distribution and manufacturing industries, Brown also has an exceptional background in building extraordinary teams that share a vision and commitment to excellence. In less than two years, he built an industry leading team and realigned Omaha Steel’s strategic business initiatives to put the organization back on a path of sustainable growth.
“Our goal at Omaha Steel is to create a well diversified company, creating opportunities for each of our team members. With the move to Wahoo, we have focused our attention on growing our company while creating jobs within our community of Wahoo, Lincoln, Fremont and Omaha,” said Brown.
Before taking his position at Omaha Steel, Brown served as the CEO of RD Industries, a multinational plastics manufacturing company providing chemical containment and dilution control systems. Prior to RD Industries, he managed Nebraska Machinery’s seven Caterpillar, Claas and AGCO distribution facilities across the state. Additionally, he has spent fifteen years in IT, sales and operations leadership positions with both Omnium Worldwide and West Corporation.
Brown grew up in rural Montana and enjoys all outdoor activities. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. He holds an undergraduate degree from Creighton University and attended Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business.
About Omaha Steel
Founded in 1906 Omaha Steel is recognized in the industry as a leading producer of high-quality steel and stainless steel castings for a vast array of market serving the valve, regulator, trucking transportation, mining, defense department, oil and gas verticals. Their mission is to provide flexible, cost-effective solutions for their customers on time, every time while maintaining the highest standards of quality within the steel castings markets.
The three requirements for nominees to be considered for the MEQ Award are:
- Showing leadership within the Midwest community by focusing on strategic business initiatives that generate measurable results for their organization.
- Establishing and strengthening a strong company culture that engages employees.
- Supporting and leading the way for business education and thought leadership among their staff and community through forward-thinking notions.