APEX Annual Meeting Keynote Featured Cleveland Cliffs’ President and CEO

Thursday, March 21, 2019

On January 15, APEX hosted the organization’s Annual Meeting at the Kitchi Gammi Club. The crux of the meeting centered around the important connection between industry and the Duluth economy.

APEX was pleased to welcome Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. (Cliffs) as the featured guest speaker. Goncalves shared insights and opportunities for clean steel manufacturing and how Minnesota plays an important role in this effort, both nationally and globally.

 

Left to Right: Brian Hanson with APEX, Brian Maki with Lakehead Constructors, Inc., Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. and Brian Thun with maurices

Left to Right: Brian Hanson with APEX, Brian Maki with Lakehead Constructors, Inc., Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. and Brian Thun with maurices

 

Cliffs has long been a global leader in the production of environmentally friendly iron ore pellets and produces high-grade customized pellets which are fed directly into blast furnaces by their steel customers. The mining and processing of iron ore ensures American steel will continue to be made with American iron feedstock. The American Iron and Steel Institute reports that in 2017, the iron and steel industry generated more than $520 billion in total economic output and nearly two million American jobs paying over $131 billion in wages and benefits.

“Cleveland-Cliffs’ iron ore pellets, made right here in Minnesota, enable production of the most environmentally compliant steel in the world,” said Goncalves. “We hold ourselves to a high standard because we mine responsibly and safely. We are committed to being good stewards of Minnesota’s natural resources and the environment.”

Clean manufacturing starts at the source, with sustainable iron-ore mining practices. Nowhere is the iron ore mining process more streamlined, more regulated and more perfected than it is in northern Minnesota. Our state’s high standards and unwavering regulatory compliance set an incredibly high bar for the rest of the world.

Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.

Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.

“In Minnesota, we believe that responsible mining can and does coexist with protecting our environment,” said Brian Hanson, APEX President and CEO. “We’ve worked tirelessly to grow our industrial economy smartly and responsibly. Successful iron ore operations like Hibbing Taconite, United Taconite and Northshore Mine have paved the way for new opportunities to mine safely in Minnesota.”

Managing emissions is one of the American steel industry’s top concerns. Manufacturing steel is an inherently energy-intense process, but the industry has made great strides to reduce its overall environmental impact over the past few decades.

Cliffs operates with a commitment to being environmental stewards. The company believes in social responsibility and operates in a way that minimizes impacts and preserves the environment for future generations. Cliffs’ safe mining and pelletizing operations in Minnesota and Michigan and its new hot briquette (HBI) plant being built in Toledo are just a few examples of the company’s dedication to protecting the environment.

APEX would like to thank Executive Committee member, Brian Maki of Lakehead Constructors, Inc. for helping make the connection with Lourenco Goncalves.

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