Heenan to Step Down After Nearly 40 Years in Steel Industry

The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) (Washington, DC) has announced that Steel Recycling Institute (SRI) president William M. (Bill) Heenan, Jr. is stepping down due to health reasons after a distinguished career in the steel industry, including 20 years with SRI and 19 years with United States Steel Corp. SMDI also announced the appointment of Gregory L. Crawford as executive director of the SRI, succeeding Heenan Jr.

“Bill’s service to the steel industry over the last four decades will have an impact at least that far into the future,” Lawrence W. Kavanagh, president of the SMDI, said. “Building SRI from the ground up and establishing steel as the world’s most recycled material together are tremendous career accomplishments for one individual. However, Bill’s contributions to the industry go beyond these successes. His tireless work has positioned our industry to meet the increasing global demand for sustainable materials. We appreciate all that Bill has accomplished during his career and we wish him all the best for the future.”

In announcing Crawford’s appointment, Kavanagh said: “Greg brings a broad range of technical and managerial expertise in both recycling and sustainability to his new position. This will be important, as the mission of the SRI broadens to include the exceptional life cycle performance of our material. We see this shift in focus as critical in helping the steel industry and its customers meet the changing needs of society and the marketplace.”

As SRI’s vice president of operations, Crawford worked with private-sector and local/federal government managers on steel recycling issues. He has been active with the technical and marketing considerations for sustainability for many years. In 1990, he joined the original ASTM E50 Committee on Environmental Assessment. In August 1995, he participated in the first Big Sky, MT, meeting of the then-fledgling U.S. Green Building Council. Crawford is also the executive director of the Cool Metal Roofing Coalition and secretary for the California-based Cool Roof Rating Council. In addition, he is on the board of the Athena Institute and is a member of the California Association of Building Energy Consultants. He is immediate past chairman of the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council.

“I am excited about this new responsibility with its many challenging aspects,” Crawford said. “Fortunately, the SRI can draw upon its many steel partners, both domestically and worldwide, in its efforts to shape a more promising future through technical innovation and conservation.”

Crawford holds a bachelor’s of science degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), grows and maintains the use of steel through strategies that promote cost-effective solutions in the automotive, construction and container markets, as well as for new-growth opportunities in emerging steel markets.

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