Business View Magazine | December 2020

73 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020 AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE T he American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) has a rich history. Steel built this country and our association has been involved since the 1800s. In 1855, the precursor to AISI − called the American Iron Association − was launched by ironmasters, mainly in the east, “to take all proper measures for advancing the interests of the trade in all its branches.” In 1864, with the introduction of the Bessemer steelmaking process in the United States, the Association, then headquartered in Philadelphia, changed its name to the American Iron and Steel Association (AISA). Early in the twentieth century, as the industry experienced explosive growth, its leaders saw the need for an organization to supplement the largely statistical activities carried on by AISA. That led to the founding of the American Iron and Steel Institute in 1908, with Elbert H. Gary as its first chief executive. An interesting and historical component of AISI is our steel industry trademark, the “Steelmark.” The Steelmark was developed by U. S. Steel in the 1950s and was later given to AISI to promote steel made in America. The three hypocycloids mean: steel lightens your work, brightens your leisure, and widens your world. They also represent the three materials used to produce steel: yellow for coal, orange for iron ore, and blue for steel scrap. In the 1960s, in collaboration and with permission from the AISI, the Pittsburgh Steelers adapted the logo to use for their NFL team. AISI serves as the voice of the American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances AT A GLANCE AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE (AISI) WHAT: Leading association representing steel producers in America WHERE: Washington, DC WEBSITE: www.steel.org BEST-IN-CLASS ADVOCACY