“Our hearts go out to Dave's wife, Daphne, and their entire family. Dave was a blessing to our company and his positive impact on the growth of Nucor is a tremendous legacy,” said Leon Topalian, current chair, chief executive officer and president of Nucor.

Aycock began his career with Nucor as a welder in 1954, eventually becoming president and chief operating officer in 1984. While he retired in 1991, he continued to serve on Nucor’s board of directors. He returned to the management team in 1998 to serve as chairman and in 1999 and 2000 respectively, became president and chief executive officer. During his tenure, he implemented several key initiatives including a process for selecting the next chief executive officer. He retired from the board in 2001. 

“Dave was the perfect embodiment of our Nucor culture, as his career showed that there are no limits on what a teammate can accomplish at Nucor,” said Topalian.

Aycock, working together with Ken Iverson and Sam Siegel, built the company on a recycling-based production process instead of utilizing blast furnaces, which was the dominant production process at the time. Nucor began operating its first steel mini-mill with the recycling-based process in Darlington, S.C., USA. Now, that process accounts for over 70% of steel production in the U.S. 

“Dave Aycock was part of the foundation of leaders that built Nucor into one of the most successful steel companies in the world,” Topalian said.