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Instructors
Mario Briccetti

Mario Briccetti Principal of Briccetti and Associates - a supply chain consulting firm

Most recently he was VP of Purchasing for Metal Sales Mfg. Previously he was VP of Purchasing for Gibraltar Strip Steel and Director of Supply Chain for Nordyne. Mario has an MS in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University and has 15 years of experience in buying steel and 20 years of experience in mechanical and electrical engineering.

Chris Shipp

Chris Shipp

Born and raised in Texarkana TX, Chris Shipp joined the U.S. Navy in 1988, serving for 22 years in Special Operations primarily deploying on submarines most of his career.  He led over 28 missions supporting the Global War on Terrorism and other combat military operations.  After retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2010, he worked for over 11 years at Priefert Manufacturing in Mount Pleasant TX, serving multiple roles including Vice President of Global Supply Chain for Priefert as well as Vice President of Sales for Priefert Steel Service Center. He joined Reibus in Jan 2022 and is current serving as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. He joined Reibus in January 2022 but now works as an independent training contractor for CRU.  

Becca Moczygemba

Becca Moczygemba

Is a reporter for Steel Market Update (SMU). She has been in the steel industry since 2017, specializing in flat-rolled products, and is a member of the AWMI Texas Chapter. Prior to joining SMU, she held positions at Mitsui & Co. and Kloeckner Metals. Becca has a BA in Organizational/Corporate Communication from the University of Houston and an MBA from Norwich University.

Roger Walburn,

Roger Walburn, General Manager

Sales & Metallurgical Services at Blair Strip Steel (formerly at NLMK). Having a unique blend of a metallurgical engineering background combined with a deep passion and connection to customers and their needs has afforded Roger the chance to develop a specialized perspective in the steel industry. Roger is also no stranger to consulting, teaching and lecturing, having produced courses on metallurgy as well as steel production processes. He has taught at Carnegie Mellon and NLMK, directly at customer’s facilities as well as around the world at various steel industry training events.

Chuck McDaniels

Chuck McDaniels

Chuck McDaniels is Principal of Mica Metal Solutions, LLC - a consulting firm in the field of metallurgy and quality assurance, along with sales and marketing. He held numerous positions over the years with International Steel Group/ArcelorMittal Sparrows Point, Severstal, and RG Steel. Chuck has 40+ years of steel experience in operations, metallurgy, sales and marketing.

Michael Cowden

Michael Cowden Senior editor for Steel Market Update (SMU)

Cowden has covered the steel industry since 2007. He has since 2014 specialized in flat-rolled steel but has previously reported on steel long products, steel pipe and tube as well as aluminum. Before joining SMU, Cowden held reporting jobs at Fastmarkets AMM in Chicago - where he was involved in launching AMM's daily hot-rolled coil index, the Associated Press in Pittsburgh, and the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. He has also worked as a copy editor and in marketing at the University of Chicago Press. Cowden has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Contact him at Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com.