A REVOLUTION IN STEEL

CODY MACE

Roll Mill 1 Lead, Nucor-Yamato Steel

Hometown: Goshen

Age: 31

Years with Nucor: 10

BLUEPRINT: What was it like the first time you walked into the steel mill?

CODY MACE: I remember the first day like it was yesterday – walking in and being overwhelmed. Everything was so big, the equipment, the atmosphere.

BP: Where did you get your start at Nucor?

CM: I started in shipping, learning how to load rail cars, run cranes and run a tailer a little bit. Then I moved on to work in safety and in finishing steel in a roll mill a little bit as well. In finishing, you’re actually working on the inspection bin where the steel goes across the bed, and you look for any kind of defect.

BP: You were part of the steel tech internship program. What did that teach you?

CM: The great thing about being an intern is that every day you do something different. You may go, for instance, to the finishing bay or pulpit where you’re in the hot saws and you cut the steel, or you stack steel. It’s a great opportunity when you’re 18 or 19 years old to go in there and get an idea of what you really want to do as a full-time employee. And you make good money while you’re there.

BP: Did you have any mentors along the way?

CM: Mentoring happens every day out here, and it’s happened to me multiple times. I’ve got two or three guys I go to all the time with questions and any issues at all. That’s one of the things I like best about this place, the relationships you can build and the people you can trust.

BP: What do you like about the job you’re doing now?

CM: What I like about it is every day I come in and do something different. Some days are slower and other days are faster, but there’s always something going on.

BP: What’s your best advice for the next generation of workers?

CM: Stay hungry and stay motivated every day you’re out there. Never let up. If you’re an intern and people see you coming in on time every day, they see you take direction and see you’re willing to learn and they see that you like to work hard, supervisors will fight over you. Maintain that can-do attitude; positivity goes a long way out here.

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