Final Thoughts

The 2021 SMU Steel Summit started with a bang on Monday morning. Turns out it was a transformer that blew. Just as the opening video and music was revving up and host John Packard was getting into his opening remarks, the Georgia International Convention Center was plunged into darkness save for some emergency lighting. Thinking on his feet, showman that he is, John quickly decided the show must go on and he introduced the first speaker, popular TV and radio host Michael Smerconish, who wowed the crowd without skipping a beat.

One doesn’t have to look very hard to spot an apt analogy here. COVID almost turned the lights out on the U.S. economy and the steel industry a year ago, and yet we persevered. America emerged from the shadows stronger than ever. Steel prices and profits have never been higher. It’s something to be proud of. The show must go on, indeed.