PITTSBURGH, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TMS International Corp. (NYSE: TMS), the parent company of Tube City IMS Corporation, a leading provider of outsourced industrial services to steel mills globally, today announced that it has opened trading offices in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Miami, FL, and Austin, TX.
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These offices mark the company's first formal trading group presence in Brazil and Florida, said J. David Aronson, President and Chief Operating Officer of the company's Raw Material and Optimization Group, noting the offices are in strategic geographies from which the company can better serve both its domestic and international customers and partners.
"The opening of the office in Brazil is a key step in TMS International's increasing globalization. We look forward to better serving Brazil's rapidly increasing demand for raw material and steel mill services," Mr. Aronson said.
Leading the Belo Horizonte office is Carlos Crego as General Manager of the company's Raw Material and Optimization Group in Brazil. Mr. Crego has more than 25 years of trading experience in iron ore, pig iron and scrap. He will be responsible for trading and expanding the company's trading operations in Brazil. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Crego was a partner at Ironmar Exports and Logistics Ltda in Brazil. He has also worked at Acesita and at Ferrobrasil Trading S.A., in Brazil. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais in Brazil.
"Carlos has a wealth of experience in trading and the steel industry and we welcome him to the company," Mr. Aronson said.
Mr. Aronson said the Miami office will support the company's offices in Belo Horizonte, Monterrey, Mexico, and throughout Latin America. The Miami office is led by Hideto Hata, Director of Outsource Purchasing and Sales for Central and South America.
Leading the Texas office is Rick Groenert as Trader. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Groenert worked at several large U.S. metals trading companies. He attended the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, IN.
"The Texas office is integral to the company's initiatives to expand its market in the Southwest U.S.," Mr. Aronson said. "Rick will be responsible for strategic planning, procurement and business development in the region and will also support the company's trading offices in Granite City, IL; Fairfield, AL; Salt Lake City, UT; and Monterrey, Mexico. He is an experienced trader, and we are pleased to welcome him to the team."
About TMS International Corp.
TMS International Corp., through its subsidiaries, including Tube City IMS Corporation, is the largest provider of outsourced industrial services to steel mills in North America as measured by revenue and has a substantial and growing international presence. The company provides mill services at 82 customer sites in 11 countries and operates 34 brokerage offices from which it buys and sells raw materials across five continents.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain information in this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the company's financial condition, results of operations or business or its expectations or beliefs concerning future events. Such forward-looking statements include the discussions of the potential new debt refinancing, the company's business strategies, estimates of future global steel production and other market metrics and the company's expectations concerning future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity and capital resources. Although the company believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements may be preceded by, followed by or include the words "may," "will," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "could," "might," or "continue" or the negative or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, estimates and assumptions that may cause the company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different. Additional information relating to factors that may cause actual results to differ from the company's forward-looking statements can be found in the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and elsewhere in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any of these forward- looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any such statement to reflect new information, or the occurrence of future events or changes in circumstances.
SOURCE TMS International Corp.