Tom Stundza to receive award at Annual Convention in April

CHICAGO, Jan. 26, 2001 – The Association of Steel Distributors (ASD) recently announced that Tom Stundza, executive editor of Purchasing Magazine, will receive the 2001 Honorary Steel Man of the Year award. ASD will present Stundza with this coveted industry distinction at a black-tie dinner on April 1, 2001, coinciding with the association’s Annual Convention at the Silverado Resort in Napa Valley, Calif., March 31-Apr. 3.

This marks the first time that the Steel Man of the Year award will be given to an individual outside of the association’s membership, earning Stundza the Honorary status.

"I am gratified and humbled that the steel distribution industry would think highly enough of my reporting and analysis of the steel market that it would be worthy of this Steel Man of the Year recognition," said Stundza. "For three decades now, my job has been a joy; I've always enjoyed being a business journalist and the opportunities to meet and learn from the people that make commodity marketplaces work, including many past and present members of the Association of Steel Distributors."

ASD members have come to expect some of the best industry coverage from Stundza. Serving as executive editor of Purchasing Magazine, the twice-monthly business newsmagazine published by the Cahners Business Information media company, Stundza is also a frequent guest speaker at industry events – including appearances at several ASD regional and annual meetings. "Stundza’s Fearless Forecast" has been a favorite session from many past ASD meetings.

Serving as Purchasing Magazine’s chief industrial commodities analyst, Stundza supervises coverage of supply, demand, delivery leadtimes, and prices of such industrial materials as metals, chemicals and plastics, wood pulp and paper products, and all scrap commodities. He coordinates Purchasing's Transaction Pricing Service, which charts monthly commodity pricing trends used by buyers, analysts and government agencies. He also is the editor of Purchasing's Buying Strategy Forecast, a bi-weekly newsletter of short-term marketplace activities, commodity forecasts, and purchasing strategies.

In addition to his work with Purchasing Magazine, Stundza writes and narrates several series of business audiotapes including "MetalsWatch!", "ChemicalWatch!", "PaperWatch!" and "Pilot Air Freight Insights".

Prior to joining Purchasing Magazine 17 years ago, Stundza wrote for American Metal Market, the daily metals industry newspaper; The Post-Tribune, a daily newspaper in Gary, Ind., and The Eagle-Tribune in Lawrence, Mass. He also has been a lecturer in journalism at Valparaiso University and the University of Pittsburgh. He has been the recipient of numerous newswriting awards and is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Journalism.

Stundza has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Education from Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. and a Master of Arts degree in Urban Sociology from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind.

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