June 14, 2017

(Chicago, IL) - The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Leon Topalian, executive vice president of Nucor Corporation; and Glenn R. Tabolt, PE, president of STS Steel, Inc., Schenectady, N.Y.

“The AISC Board had two mid-year vacancies to fill, and we were extremely fortunate to have two great candidates for the positions,” said David Zalesne, president of Owen Steel Company, Inc., Columbia, S.C., and chair of the AISC committee on director nominations. “Leon Topalian understands both the fabrication business and the important relationship between fabricators and producers, and will be an excellent liaison between Nucor and the AISC Board. Glenn Tabolt also has a broad perspective on the structural steel industry, both from the many projects he has built with STS Steel, and through his leadership roles in planning numerous outstanding NASCC conference programs. The nominations of Leon and Glenn continue to build on the talent and leadership of the AISC Board, and I look forward to working with both of them on the issues that are important to maintaining a strong structural steel industry.”

Topalian joined Nucor 20 years ago as a project engineer at Nucor Steel Berkeley in Huger, S.C., and was quickly promoted to cold mill production supervisor. From 2002 to 2009, he held various leadership positions throughout Nucor in Australia, at Nucor Steel South Carolina and at Nucor Steel Kankakee. In 2011, he was promoted to general manager of Nucor Steel Kankakee, and to vice president two years later. Most recently, he served as vice president and general manager of Nucor Yamato Steel Company and was appointed executive vice president of Nucor Corporation last month. He serves as a board member for Nucor-Yamato Steel Company and the Arkansas State Chamber, and he is an advisory council member of the University of Arkansas Engineering Department. He graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Tabolt started his career at Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Corporation (PDM) in 1978 with assignments in general engineering, field construction and plant engineering. Four years later he joined General Steel Fabricators in Latham, N.Y., where he managed various structural steel building projects. In 1984, he co-founded STS Steel with Jim Stori and is involved in all aspects of managing the company. He served on the AISC / SSPC Joint Task Committee to create a joint certification standard for shop application of complex protective coating systems and currently serves on the NASCC: The Steel Conference Planning Committee. He is a licensed professional engineer in New York State and Connecticut. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Clarkson University and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.

View the full list of AISC's Board of Directors here.  

Leon Topalian	Glenn R. Tabolt