A Note from Kevin Brown (CEO)
Team,
After two years as the leader of Omaha Steel, I’ve spent many nights reflecting on just how far we have come and looking forward towards the road we still must pave for tomorrow. While many of our markets served have faced economic challenges, Omaha Steel has weathered the storm incredibly well. Unlike many of our competitors, whose businesses have continued to decline, Omaha Steel has continued to add new customers while strengthening our relationships and brand with existing customers.
Why has this occurred? For me, it ties back to the team building at Omaha Steel and in trusting one another and having employees who are constantly striving to improve and expect more from one another. I remember a year ago, several individuals thought it was impossible to get our scrap levels below double digits marks that we had seen historically. Even though there were naysayers, everyone has worked tirelessly to achieve these goals and the quality goal and pay-out was earned for each quarter during 2016!
I trust in the foundation being established with our tooling modifications, process instructions and most importantly, the team working diligently to raise the bar. Fortunately, we had many employees asking good questions, such as “Why are we spending money on the solidification software to understand the filling of castings that we have been producing for years? Why take the time to document our processes on the plant floor? Why are we piping in liquid argon on the melt deck?” The answer is that each of these foundational items helps the organization improve our quality and our brand with each casting that leaves Omaha Steel’s dock doors. The entire team has worked tirelessly to improve our quality with each mold, each pour, and each casting in our cleaning department.
Two years ago I stated that will give Omaha Steel every ounce of my fiber and being to lead our company and instill a culture that expects teamwork, accountability, safety and respect. This applies to everyone, without exception. With a company and team willing to do everything possible to develop Omaha Steel for the future, I can confidently state that it has been an honor to lead our and be a part of an organization that wants the best for one another. I continue to come back to one of our company values, Stewardship. Stewardship means that we will leave the company in a better place each shift and each day we exit the building. Many of the items are noticeable, with new records being set daily on the safety front, customers investing in new tools and parts with Omaha Steel, and our continuous improvements and the feedback provided by all.
We have a greater distance to travel and should continue to asked the question daily – To What End? What do we need to do each and every day to become the foundry we are striving to become? What do we expect from our co-workers? Our next achievements will only occur as a team, with each member pushing to raise the bar on what we each should expect from one another. If we all are constantly pushing to create an even stronger company than what we have today, just imagine what Omaha Steel will look like a year from now! I am excited about what lies ahead and I appreciate the effort and dedication from everyone on the team.
Kevin Brown, CEO