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Special bar-quality steelmaker Gerdau Special Steel North America has a new president in place: Rodrigo Belloc was appointed the new president of the Jackson, MI-based organization, to replace Mark Marcucci, who will retire at the end of this year after 28 years with the company and 43 years in the steel industry.
In its announcement, Gerdau Special Steel North America that Belloc prioritize “a safe and health working environment, as well as promoting the division’s strategic roadmaps and meeting clients’ long-term demands.”
“My mission is to translate trade challenges, providing support to the business transformation and fully meeting our customer´s demands. I take on this challenge to head the American division of this big and prestigious company, aiming to expand our operational excellence and keep empowering people who build the future,” according to Rodrigo Belloc.
Gerdau Special Steel North America produces special steel for the automotive and commercial vehicle industries, as well as agricultural, construction, distribution, and energy markets. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gerdau, the largest steel producer in Brazil and one of the world’s largest special steel suppliers.
The North American organization has three mini-mill operations (Jackson and Monroe, MI, and Fort Smith, AR), and a steel heat-treatment plant in Huntingdon, IN.
"We are confident that Belloc will be successful in leading the special steel business in North America and help us continue building a strong presence in the region,” stated Gerdau CEO Gustavo Werneck. “We also thank Marcucci for his leadership and dedication, and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Belloc is the former CEO of Gerdau Diaco, in Colombia, and Gerdau Metaldom, in the Dominican Republic. According to the announcement, he is recognized for having “broad business vision, which allows him to build strategic action plans, focusing on the most relevant aspects of the business divisions he served.”
Belloc joined Gerdau in 1990 and held several positions in its Brazilian steelmaking operation, including industrial manager, and in Spain. After leading the company’s Ouro Branco mill, Belloc served for four years as executive industrial director of Gerdau’s plants in Brazil, including long- and flat-steel operations
In 2017, Belloc was named CEO at the company’s joint-venture operation in Colombia and the Dominican Republic.
He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Metallurgical Engineering from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil, as well as a Sloan master’s degree in business from Stanford University and in advanced management from Harvard University.
