Western Conference—November 2022
The Northern Pacific and Southern California Member Chapters hosted the Western Conference at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage, Calif., USA, on 6–7 November 2022. The biannual conference, held in conjunction with the AIST Leadership Conference, returned after a six-year hiatus.
As a lead-in to the conferences, the Southern California Member Chapter hosted its annual holiday dinner dance on Saturday, 5 November, at the resort where 100 attendees enjoyed the festive evening. The conference kicked off on Sunday, 6 November, when 80 golfers hit the greens under the sunny California skies. Later that evening, attendees of both the Western and Leadership conferences networked at the vendor fair and rooftop welcome reception. On Monday, 7 November, the day was filled with technical presentations and discussions.
Presentations:

• “High-Value, Easily Implemented Productivity and Sustainability Solutions,” by Tim Kuzmicky, USS-UPI and Carl Nicolia, PSNergy LLC.

• “Steelmaking Decarbonization and Oxy-Fuel Combustion Installations for Steelmaking,” by Todd Nelson and Joe Maiolo, Linde.

• “Econiq Green Steel,” by Victoria Morton, Nucor Corp.

• “Replacement of Saturable Reactors With Solid-State, SCR-Based Valves, Yields Efficiency Improvements and Environmental Benefits,” by Rick Ferguson, USS-UPI; Jeff Greenwald, Exise Inc.; Bernardo Sainz, AMI Automation; and Frank Taylor, Ashton Atlantic Inc.

• “Slab Yard 2.5,” by Keith Gallup, and Alvin Munoz, California Steel Industries.

• “Specialty Cold Mill and New CGL at Nucor Arkansas,” by Igor Vieira, Nucor Steel–Arkansas.

• “Potential Benefits of Q-One Energy Supply System,” by Nathan Ozment, CMC Steel Arizona.

• “Confined Space Entry and Permitting,” by Robbie Woods, California Steel Industries.

• “Hot Mill Reheat Furnace Improvement,” by Colin Welshymer and Keith Inouye, California Steel Industries.

1. A team of four from Red Pointe Roofing enjoyed a morning of golf at the Western Conference on 6 November 2022 (left to right): Bryce Clifford, Tony Clifford, Mike Lyon and Don Magno. 2. The second day of the Western Conference was filled with technical presentations and discussions such as “Confined Space Entry and Permitting,” presented by Robbie Woods, California Steel Industries.

Golf and Dinner—October 2021
The Chapter’s 77th golf tournament and dinner took place on Friday, 15 October 2021, at Lone Tree Golf Course in Antioch, Calif., USA.
A total of 108 golfers enjoyed getting back in the swing and reconnecting with fellow members and friends

Northwest and San Francisco Member Chapters Merge to Create Northern Pacific Member Chapter
Over the past few years, AIST has made multiple attempts to generate support and restore activity on the West Coast. The Chapters have struggled to program and at the recommendation of the Chapter officers and approval of the AIST Board of Directors, the Northwest Member Chapter and San Francisco Member Chapter have merged. The newly formed territory is now called the Northern Pacific Member Chapter.
AIST appreciates the rich history of both chapters and the involvement of its many dedicated members. The proceeds from both Chapters will be combined and utilized by the new Chapter for scholarships and programming. AIST extends a special thanks to Jim Peterson and Pat Jablonski from Nucor Steel Seattle Inc. for their many years of service to the Northwest Member Chapter.