WAI’s four chapters that offer scholarship programs have reported the winners for 2024. Below are the names of the recipients from the Midwest Chapter and the Ohio Valley Chapter. Of note, scholarship fund raising efforts have found strong support over the years, and not just from members that have a potential recipient.

Lake Cable’s Cooper Runzel said that he is a believer in the Midwest Chapter’s college scholarship program, and he would like to see it evolve more so there is even more support. That could involve sponsorships from outside chapter membership and may focus even more on candidates that intend to pursue careers in industry.

The Ohio Valley, which became the fourth WAI chapter to have a scholarship program, gave out its first-ever award. “The OVC was honored to join the other chapters and award a scholarship to a very deserving individual, Katherine Maxwell,” said Stephen Wright of Blachford Corp. “We look forward to more individuals joining the OVC in order to take part in this scholarship opportunity.”


Midwest Chapter Winners - $1,500:

Jaida Bender is the daughter of Robert Bender, operations manager, Worth Steel & Machinery, Inc. She is attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she majors in nursing.

Jack Dickerson is the son of Peter Dickerson, president, MidWest Wire Works. He is attending Bradley University, where he majors in game design.

Logan Wilson is the son of Margaret Wilson, account executive, ShapedWire-Liberty Steel. He is attending Northern Illinois University, where he majors in mechatronics. 

Ohio Valley Chapter Winner - $1,500:

Katherine Maxwell is the daughter of Tom Maxwell Jr., president, Die Quip Corporation. She is attending the University of Kentucky, where she majors in architecture.

Insteel Industries, Inc., announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Insteel Wire Products Company, has acquired Engineered Wire Products, Inc. (EWP) for $70 million in an asset transaction subject to certain adjustments.

A press release said that Liberty sold EWP, a manufacturer of welded wire reinforcement products for use in nonresidential and residential construction, with primary manufacturing facilities located in Upper Sandusky and Warren, Ohio. The EWP plants have approximately 120 employees, who now work for Insteel. EWP, a subsidiary of Liberty Steel, is a manufacturer of welded wire reinforcement products for use in nonresidential and residential construction.

“We are pleased to complete the acquisition of EWP,” Insteel President and CEO H.O. Woltz III said in a statement that noted that the move will expand Insteel’s geographic footprint and bolster its competitive position in the Mid-west market. “The acquisition of EWP will enhance our customer service capabilities and drive down operating costs through operational synergies.”

 Insteel is the largest U.S. manufacturer of steel wire reinforcing products for concrete construction applications. It manufactures PC strand and welded wire reinforcement, including engineered structural mesh, concrete pipe reinforcement and standard welded wire reinforcement. Headquartered in Mount Airy, North Carolina, Insteel operates 12 manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

Nexans announced that it has entered into an industrial partnership agreement with Italy’s Continuus-Properzi, a specialist in continuous casting technologies, that will build an innovative copper production and recycling plant at the Nexans site in Lens, France, for 2026.

A press release said that global demand for copper is continuing to increase, as is recycling, which led to the strategic decision. “Based on the operational expertise of the Nexans site, founded in 1971 in the industrial center of Lens, and the technological expertise of Continuus- Properzi, the objective is to continuously produce wire rod from recycled copper, through a state-of-the-art refining method using up to 100% of recycled metal, while optimizing water and energy consumption.”

Continuus-Properzi is a supplier of complete installations for the production of ETP (Electrolytic Tough Pitch) and FRHC (Fire Refined High Conductivity) wire rod. The Lens plant is the only copper rod foundry in France, and the investment of more than €90 million will increase its wire rod production capacity by over 50%, and boost its copper scrap recycling capacity to manage up to 80,000 metric tons per year.

“I feel extremely proud to have signed this strategic agreement with Nexans, a highly prestigious name in cable manufacturing,” said Continuus-Properzi President Giulio Properzi. “In compliance with the exacting requirements of Nexans engineering and the Lens site in particular, we have configured an installation that will meet the highest standards in years to come in terms of industrial performance, energy savings and environmental footprint.”

“By choosing to increase its recycling capacity, Nexans is proving that it is possible to reconcile industrial performance with the preservation of biodiversity,” said Nexans CEO Christopher Guérin. “Through this investment in (our) historic Lens plant, Nexans is ensuring its strategic independence and staying ahead of the raw materials crisis, serving its customers and partners.”

Nexans is already actively involved in cable recycling through Recycâbles, a joint venture set up with Suez in 2008. With this new initiative, the Group has become a key player in the circular economy of the European copper industry. Implemented for the first time in France, this process will help to create a circular model by collecting waste from different sectors of industry across France and reusing it virtuously for new finished products.

Nexans is vertically integrated, and the Group is entirely self-sufficient in terms of the copper supplies required for its entire cable production value chain. This key strategic advantage will be consolidated by the new plant, which will allow the Group to recycle more cables from construction sites or “urban mines.”

Nexans’ ambition is to adapt the life cycle of its products, reducing their carbon content, while also decreasing the carbon footprint of the cable industry as a whole. This investment is also part of the Group’s efforts to raise the proportion of recycled copper in its cables to 30% by 2030.