Olympic Steel’s Leading Ladies

Ladies who lead our industry through their participation in professional organizations.

Michelle Obama said it best: “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”
She’s right! And Olympic Steel employs a long list of women who have accomplished a lot. In our new series, “Olympic Steel’s Leading Ladies,” we’ll highlight just a few of the successful women making a mark – at our Company and in our industry.

• Sonya Malvick, Olympic Steel, Gary, IN; Shelly Cassidy, Olympic Steel, Cleveland, OH; Hannah Price, Olympic Steel, Hanceville, AL
  

This month, we give you Ladies Who Lead in Our Industry:

Sonya Malvick, Outside Sales Representative, Olympic Steel-Gary, IN

Sonya began working for Olympic Steel just over eight years ago, as an Outside Sales Representative responsible for developing the Wisconsin territory. Sonya also represents Olympic Steel as the International President for the Association for Women in the Metals Industry (AWMI) and as a member of the AWMI Wisconsin Chapter.

AWMI was started to support women in the metals industry and to Mentor, Network, Grow and Educate that same audience. Members of AWMI are provided countless opportunities for networking, education and leadership training. As President of AWMI, Sonya promotes the advancement of women in the workplace, specifically into management roles. During 4Q2020, Sonya participated in a METALCONLive Diversity Panel and was featured in a Metal Center News article, Supporting Women in the Metals Industry. 

Sonya believes AWMI is important because “it allows for both personal and professional growth, giving women the confidence needed to reach their career aspirations.”

Shelly Cassidy, Accounting Associate, Sr., Olympic Steel–Cleveland, OH

Shelly has worked in the Accounts Payable department at Olympic Steel for 30 years! In the last few years, she began exploring the opportunities within professional organizations, like those offered by AWMI. She wanted to be more involved and was looking for ways to network with other women in the industry.

After attending several events, Shelly took a big step outside of her comfort zone and accepted the board position, Member-at-Large, for the AWMI Cleveland Chapter. In that role, she helped organize several local fundraising events, namely the annual golf outing.

She is currently the AWMI Cleveland Chapter Publicity Chair and is excited to announce that she will be the Treasurer in 2021! What she likes best about being involved locally with AWMI are making plans with her AWMI chapter – plans that include new and creative ideas to bring women in the metals industry together to network, develop and grow.

Hannah Price, General Manager, Olympic Steel – Hanceville, AL

Hannah began her career with Olympic Steel as an Outside Sales Representative six years ago. She was promoted to Regional Sales Manager before moving into her current role as General Manager of the Hanceville, AL location – a location which Hannah opened and established for the Company in 2019.

Hannah joined the MSCI Mid-South Chapter Board of Directors in July 2019 as a Member Director. She’s proud to participate in an organization that shares her love of learning and promotes higher education by awarding scholarships to children with parents in the metals industry. The MSCI Mid-South Chapter raised enough funds to provide 17 scholarships last year. Since 2004, the chapter has awarded over $500,000 in scholarships!

In addition to scholarships, MSCI provides the opportunity to network with professionals in our industry. Although we have been faced with hardships this year, Hannah says, “I am excited to start the new year as President of the Metals Service Center Institute Mid-South Chapter. We are collaborating as a team to find creative ways to hold fundraisers, and we hope to be able to award the same number of scholarships in 2021 as in previous years.”

Sonya, Shelly and Hannah are just a few of the accomplished ladies giving a voice to women in our industry – still a minority group, but one that’s fast growing and shaping the future as they take on key leadership roles.

Watch for more opportunities to celebrate Olympic Steel’s Leading Ladies. Next up, the Ladies Who Lead in Building Olympic Steel’s Culture.

In the meantime, find more opportunities to shape our industry here:

• The Metals Service Center Institute – msci.org
• Association for Women in the Metals Industry – awmi.org

And, consider other ways to support smart, driven women by encouraging them to apply for roles at Olympic Steel, offering mentorship, sponsoring or advocating for them within the organization and our industry and finding ways to recognize their outstanding contributions.