Kloeckner Metals Corp. announces the appointments of John Ganem as Chief Executive Officer and Bart Clifford as Chief Operating Officer. Ganem and Clifford will officially assume their new positions on January 1, 2018. Ganem succeeds Bill Partalis, who has been with the company for 34 years (15 years as CEO) and will retire at the end of this year. Kirk Johnson will continue in his role as Chief Financial Officer.

“John Ganem, Bart Clifford and Kirk Johnson have the knowledge, drive, and support to continue to transform Kloeckner Metals into a highly efficient business model by reorganization of the management reporting structure and utilizing digital tools to create a ‘One U.S.’ culture,” said Partalis. “They are all passionate about our mission and team, and are committed to helping our customers succeed with a growing stable of products and services.”

Ganem transitions to CEO from the position of Executive Vice President, Corporate Purchasing where he managed a procurement organization with an annual spend in excess of $2.5 billion. His responsibilities included long-term strategic planning, networking capital management, supplier relationships, and the development of supply chain efficiencies through digital innovation. Ganem held the same position with Macsteel Service Centers USA prior to Kloeckner’s acquisition of the company in 2011. He started his career at LTV Steel in 1991 as an automotive account manager before joining Macsteel International Corporation as Vice President, Flat Products Trading in 1996. Ganem has served on the Kloeckner Metals Corp. Board of Directors since 2014. He is a graduate of Brown University and holds degrees in both Business Economics and Organizational Behavior and Management.

“First, I would like to acknowledge Bill Partalis, who has worked tirelessly to build Kloeckner Metals into the widely respected, market leading organization it is today. I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead such a great company,” said Ganem. “It has been by intentional design that we’ve established Kloeckner Metals as an innovative leader in the global steel industry predominantly through an aggressive digitalization strategy. I am excited about working closely with our exceptionally knowledgeable and highly experienced management team as we speed forward in our digital transformation.” 

Prior to his role as COO, Clifford was President of the Heavy Carbon Division for Kloeckner Metals. He has more than 28 years of experience in the metals industry and began his sales and marketing career with Ryerson Steel, a full line service center, selling 13 different product lines. While at Ryerson, Clifford held many different positions, including sales manager, merchandise manager, outside sales representative, and inside sales representative. In 1997, he joined Olympic Steel as Sales Manager for the Chicago Division, and two years later, was promoted to General Manager of that division. In 2002, Clifford joined Primary Steel as General Manager of Sales, Chicago, and in 2005, was named General Manager of the Chicago Division. Clifford graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication. He has served on the Central States board of the Metals Service Center Institute since 1999 and is a past President of the Chapter.