Mittal Steel USA CEO elected AISI chairman

Louis L. Schorsch, president and chief executive officer of Mittal Steel USA, will become chairman of the American Iron and Steel Institute April 1.

The board of directors of AISI, the trade organization of North American steelmakers, chose Schorsch to succeed John Surma, president and CEO of U.S. Steel Corp.

Mittal Steel USA, with its affiliates, is the largest steel producer in North America and the largest integrated steel producer in the U.S. It is a division of Mittal Steel Co., the world's largest.

As chairman, Mr. Schorsch will support the role that AISI provides in driving initiatives that are best done through the collective focus of a strong trade association. One is the Gulf Coast Steel Initiative, an effort announced Feb. 16 on behalf of 12 North American steel companies to help rebuild the U.S. Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The joint Initiative's goal is to "rebuild stronger with steel."