The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has appointed Joseph R. Vehec as Senior Director of Collaborative Research and Development. Currently AISI Director of the Technology Roadmap Program, Vehec will assume his new responsibilities on March 1.
“Joe Vehec is a proven performer who will help advance this important work through his well-honed program management skills and solid commitment to advancing technology,” said Thomas J. Gibson, AISI President and CEO. “AISI has made research and development a priority since it is key to improvements in efficiency and productivity, and in our continuing progress toward a lighter carbon footprint. Joe has been a leader in our technology initiatives and has achieved great success.”
“I’m confident that in his new position, Joe will intensify AISI’s work in this vital area of collaborative research and development,” said Larry Kavanagh, AISI Vice President of Environment and Technology. “The skills he has gained through running the Institute’s Technology Roadmap Program will be put to good use in his expanded responsibilities.”
As Director of AISI’s Technology Roadmap Program, a $38 million collaborative R&D effort between AISI and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Vehec took the lead toward achieving the common goals of 47 individual research projects dedicated to increasing the competitiveness of the U.S. steel industry, saving energy, and enhancing the environment. He was appointed to this position in 2000.
Vehec joined AISI’s Pittsburgh, Pa., office in 1993 as a contract administrator of the Advanced Process Control Program, a $27 million, 10-year collaborative R&D program between AISI and the DOE consisting of six unique research projects focused on developing systems for online control of key steps in the production of steel.
Prior to joining AISI, Vehec held positions of increasing responsibility for cost analysis, financial oversight, and administration of significant engineering and construction projects. He joined Eichleay Engineers, Inc. in 1981, serving as a financial consultant to the Duquesne Light Electric Utility Co.’s nuclear construction division. In 1989, Vehec joined Kvaerner Engineers (now Aker Solutions) and was responsible for cost analysis and controls for multi-million dollar steel industry engineering and construction projects.
Vehec, a Pittsburgh native, is a graduate from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting.
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the material of choice. It also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. The Institute comprises 24 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 138 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.