April 18, 2006 — Mittal Steel USA will help to re-open a hurricane-damaged baseball field in Long Beach, Miss., on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, 2006. Several middle school baseball teams will participate in Babe Ruth league games throughout the day at Skellie Field, one of many casualties of Hurricane Katrina in Long Beach last August.
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Mittal Steel USA announced its adoption of Long Beach, Miss., last October, after company executives toured the area looking for ways to assist after Katrina destroyed much of the Gulf Coast.
Volunteers from the company are working with individuals, churches, communities, local companies and organizations in partnership with Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and the mayor of Long Beach, Billy Skellie, to rebuild the community.
“Site by site, we're leveraging our expertise in logistics, engineering and procurement to help support reconstruction of key facilities in Long Beach,” said Bill Ball, Director of Engineering for Mittal Steel USA. “This is the work we know best, and being able to deploy our resources and talent to help Long Beach families enjoy a favorite pastime is very rewarding.”
Mittal Steel USA has also committed to an ongoing contribution of materials, people and capital for the long-term reconstruction project.
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Mittal Steel USA helped to accelerate the re-opening of Skellie field for Earth Day by providing seed money toward the purchase of lighting fixtures and steel cross-bar supports. The company also arranged for and donated the labor costs for their installation. On April 22, company representatives will provide event support, concession stand staffing and souvenirs for local residents and league participants, including baseballs and hats.
Representatives of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) also will participate in the event and provide information about the North American steel companies' joint initiatives to help rebuild Gulf Coast communities. In keeping with Earth Day, they also will provide information on environmental building solutions and strong, durable steel construction. More steel is recycled in North America each year than all other materials combined, including aluminum, glass and paper.
"Getting the ball field back up and running is a great example of our involvement with Long Beach," said Bill Ball, Director of Engineering for Mittal Steel USA. "Site by site, we're leveraging our expertise in logistics, engineering and procurement to help support reconstruction of key facilities in Long Beach. This is the work we know best, and being able to deploy our resources and talent to help Long Beach families enjoy a favorite pastime is very rewarding."
"On behalf of AISI, we commend the stronger-than-steel spirit of the people of Long Beach. We look forward to working with the people of Mittal Steel USA and the other North American steel companies to help the local communities rebuild the Gulf Coast," said Andrew G. Sharkey III, President and CEO of AISI. "AISI, Mittal Steel USA and 11 other participating companies who are all part of the Gulf Coast Steel Initiative, share a vision of rebuilding stronger with steel, and a goal of educating the public about the benefits of steel framing, roofing and construction."
Mittal Steel USA, with its affiliates, is the largest steel producer in North America and the largest integrated steel producer in the United States. It serves a broad U.S. manufacturing base. The company was formed in April 2005 and consists of the former Ispat Inland Inc. and the former International Steel Group. It has operations in 12 states of the United States.
Mittal Steel Co. is the world's largest and most global steel company, with operations in 16 countries on four continents. Mittal Steel encompasses all aspects of modern steelmaking, to produce a comprehensive portfolio of both flat and long steel products to meet a wide range of customer needs. It serves all the major steel consuming sectors, including automotive, appliance, machinery and construction. For 2005, Mittal Steel had revenues of US $28.1 billion and steel shipments of 49.2 million tons.
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) is a non-profit association of North American companies engaged in the iron and steel industry. The Institute serves as the voice of the North American steel industry, speaking out on behalf of its members in the public policy arena and advancing the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice.
The Gulf Coast Steel Initiative (GCSI), through a business plan put together by AISI, is supported by 12 North American steel companies with a commitment to provide steel-based solutions to the rebuilding challenges in the Gulf Coast region. Along with Mittal Steel USA, the supporting companies are: AK Steel Corp.; California Steel Industries, Inc.; Dofasco Inc.; Imsa Acero, SA de CV; Ipsco Inc.; Nucor Corp.; Shenango Inc.; Steel Dynamics, Inc.; United States Steel Corp.; USS-Posco Industries; and Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. GCSI is working with affected communities to support the use of state-of-the-art design and construction practices, partnering with local contractors and technical schools to train workers on how to build homes using steel framing and roofing, encouraging the introduction of insurance and lending programs that promote the use of durable construction materials, and facilitating steel product recycling throughout the region.