Industry Leadership Forms a Vision for a Metals Innovation Ecosystem

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In September 2022, leaders from eight Kentucky metals companies in aluminum, stainless steel, and copper came together at our inaugural strategy session with the express purpose of forming the Metals Innovation Initiative and establishing its formative strategy.

The heart of the organization was formed at that event as well: the Metals Leadership Council, or MLC. This Council is composed of a leader from up to 15 member companies, as selected by current membership.

The MLC is a separate entity from MI2’s board of directors. The board is focused on the governance of the organization as a nonprofit with a mission to ensure that Kentucky’s ecosystem partners are coming together to make Kentucky the preeminent destination for metals innovation.

Meanwhile, the MLC sets strategic priorities for MI2 on an annual basis, driven by industry-identified needs. The chair of the MLC also sits on the MI2 board of directors, to ensure that the perspective of the MLC is reflected in board decision-making.

“We heard from our leaders throughout the rest of our innovation ecosystem–in government, in higher education, in K-12 education, in our entrepreneurial communities, and in our economic development nonprofits–that this needed to be an industry executive-led endeavor, so that all those organizations have a clear understanding of what matters to the metals industry here,” said MI2 CEO Vijay Kamineni. “Our metals industry leaders here in Kentucky stepped up to provide that leadership.”

The MLC is chaired by Novelis Director of Strategy Zak Chehab. Its other current members include Wieland North America President of Recycling Matt Bedingfield; Logan Aluminum President Mike Buckentin; Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products Vice President Chris Boggs; River Metals Recycling General Manager Bob Eviston; North American Stainless CEO Cristobal Fuentes; Tri-Arrows Aluminum Vice President of Business Development Andy Ishmael; and Nucor Steel Gallatin General Manager Scott Laurenti.

The MLC had its initial meeting at that September strategy session. In it, they confirmed their governance structure, chose Chehab as MLC Chair, and established four strategic focus areas for the organization. Those areas are:

1. 1. developing the workforce through supporting and attracting talent
   2. supporting environmental sustainability research and development
   3. sharing the story of the Kentucky metals ecosystem, and
   4. working with partners to secure federal grants and other funding for metals innovation work.

“The MLC represents the ‘voice of the customer’ of sorts for MI2,” said Chris Conrardy, MI2’s Director of Strategic Initiatives. “They collectively set the high-level strategic priorities for our strategy groups and our core team, upon which our strategies, projects, and initiatives are based–and around which we can then build detailed execution plans that we know match the needs and wants of the industry.”

At that September meeting, leaders were also established for four strategy groups assigned against those focus areas. Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products’ Chris Boggs was chosen as the head of the Talent Attraction and Development strategy group. River Metals Recycling’s Bob Eviston was chosen as the head of the Branding strategy group. Tri-Arrows Aluminum’s Andy Ishmael was chosen as head of the Sustainability strategy group. And Wieland North America General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Joseph Stutz was asked to head the Grants and Funding strategy group. Meanwhile, as MLC Chair, Chehab has worked with MI2 staff to lead efforts to further think about the strategy and structure of the MLC.

“The Metals Leadership Council ensures that MI2's agenda reflects the needs and opportunities the metal industry faces,” Chehab said. “It provides the crucial guidance from industry leadership that can shape the innovative projects and initiatives that come out of MI2.”

In the six months since that September meeting, each of those strategy groups have formed, with direction from the MLC-appointed leaders of each strategy group. MI2 staff has assisted those strategy group leaders in identifying a cross-section of members from the metals innovation ecosystem–from metals companies and strategic partners alike–to populate strategy groups that help shape the projects and initiatives that MI2 will be involved in–and will invest in–matched to those four strategic focus areas.

The result are projects and initiatives which reflect the values of MI2–to provide an environment for open, collaborative, precompetitive, de-risked innovation.