The AISC Board of Directors is pleased to announce the election of David Zalesne, president of Owen Steel Company, Inc., Columbia, S.C., as its new chair; Jack Klimp, vice president and general manager of Cianbro Fabrication and Coating Corporation, Georgetown, Mass., as vice chair; and Dan Kadrmas, president of TrueNorth Steel, West Fargo, N.D., as treasurer. In addition, the board welcomes a new director, Tyler R. Owen, general manager of Paxton & Vierling Steel, Structures Division, and president of Owen Industries Inc., Carter Lake, Iowa. All were elected to serve two-year terms at AISC’s annual meeting in September in Chicago.
Zalesne previously served as vice chair of the AISC board and succeeds James G. Thompson, president of Palmer Steel Supplies, Inc., McAllen, Texas, as chair. Zalesne has served on the AISC board for more than 10 years and chaired its government relations committee. He is also currently a vice chair of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee for the steel industry (ITAC-12). Prior to becoming president of Owen Steel Company in 2004, he practiced law as a partner in the Litigation Department of Klehr, Harrison in Philadelphia, and worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the eastern district of Pennsylvania. He has also served on the boards of several local business and community organizations. He received a bachelor’s degree in international relations and finance from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and earned a law degree from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta.
“I am honored by the AISC board to be elected to serve as its chair, and look forward to building on the great work that AISC has done to lead the American structural steel industry for nearly 100 years,” said Zalesne. “With a rich history and a bright future, structural steel is a core American industry, and AISC is committed to maintaining its excellent brand in the marketplace; promoting the continued use of structural steel in America’s skylines, infrastructure networks, bridges and other great projects; and supporting opportunities for American jobs and workmanship in the steel industry. Our fabricator members deserve the best representation and advocacy for our industry, and I look forward to working with the AISC board and our outstanding staff to meet those expectations.”
Klimp joined the AISC board in 2001 and has served terms as chairman of the National Steel Bridge Alliance and president of the Steel Fabricators of New England. Prior to joining Cianbro in 2008, he worked for L.B. Foster Company and Bethlehem Steel Corporation. He earned a bachelor of science degree in metallurgical engineering from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich., and an MBA at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
"I am looking forward to an active and productive term with incoming Chair, Dave Zalesne; AISC president, Charlie Carter; and the entire AISC team," said Klimp. "I'm very excited to be working with such a great group and look forward to continuing to promote the use of structural steel. Following closely behind outgoing Chair Jim Thompson's leadership, Dave and I will be seeking to continue to further update and strengthen the really broad range of tools AISC has developed over the years, from the quality of our technical specs and literature, to the creativity of our steel solutions center and steel marketing teams."
For more on the new board elections, see AISC’s announcement.