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Gerdau Knoxville Supports Amyloidosis Research

Representatives of steel recycler Gerdau’s Knoxville mill recently donated $1,500 to the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in memory of Arlan Piepho, former Gerdau Knoxville vice president and general manager.

The donation, raised through the company’s third annual golf tournament held in Piepho’s honor, supports a research team initiated by Alan Solomon, MD, Professor Emeritus, seeking to find better treatments for primary amyloidosis, a rare and devastating disease that took Piepho’s life at age 63.

“We cannot make a difference in the lives of amyloidosis patients without support from companies like Gerdau,” said Jonathan Wall, PhD, director of the Amyloidosis and Cancer Theranostics Program. “These funds will help us to find new ways to diagnose and treat the disease.”

The golf tournament was held at Egwani Farms Golf Course in Rockford and drew 44 participants.

Gerdau held a second golf tournament on May 19, at Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge. This tournament, benefiting veterans, included 40 participants and raised $1,200 for the East Tennessee Veteran’s Honor Guard. This was the first time the mill held two golf tournaments in the same year.

“The tournaments provided the opportunity for fun, camaraderie and healthy competition,” said Johnny Miller, vice president and general manager of Gerdau’s Knoxville steel mill. “More importantly, they helped us raise money for three very worthy causes.

“Based on the success of these tournaments, Gerdau plans to continue holding two annually, with proceeds from one going to Dr. Solomon’s research and the second going to a different charity each year,” Miller said.

On June 6, the Randy Atchley Memorial Bass Tournament was held in honor of former Gerdau employee and avid fisherman Randy Atchley, who died at age 51 as a result of heart problems. The tournament took place at Louisville Point Park, drew 32 participants and raised $1,000 for the American Heart Association.

Gerdau, a leading producer of long steel in the Americas and one of the largest suppliers of special long steel in the world, has a robust social responsibility program that focuses on providing community support in the locations where its business operates. Pillars under the social responsibility program are health and wellness, history and culture, education and affordable housing.

Gerdau has over 45,000 employees and industrial operations in 14 countries with operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia, which together represent an installed capacity of over 25 million metric tons of steel per year. It is the largest recycler in Latin America and around the world it transforms millions of metric tons of scrap into steel every year. Gerdau is listed on the stock exchanges of Sao Paulo, New York, and Madrid and has around 140,000 shareholders.

For more information, visit http://www.gerdau.com/northamerica.

Photo caption:
Dr. Jonathan Wall of the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine (front row) accepts a $1,500 donation from Gerdau from John Miller, the company’s vice president and general manager, on Aug. 17. The funds will be used to research diagnosis and treatment options for amyloidosis, a rare disease that claimed the life of former Gerdau Knoxville Vice President and General Manager Arlan Piepho. Also present for the check presentation are (second row, from left) Gerdau employees Ron Fritz, Don Clark, Wesley Mills, Eric Smith, Damien Rose and Gwen Reichel.


Posted August 17, 2015

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