The company was formed in 1983 by AEA Investors, Inc. and managed by CEO James Todd.
It bought steel mini-mills in Kankakee, Illinois and the mills previously run by Todd at Birmingham Bolt.
They then bought the Jackson, Mississippi-based Mississippi Steel Division of Magna Corp.
[1] In June 2002, after several consecutive quarters of losses, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
[2] Its remaining steel mills and other assets were purchased by Nucor in December 2002 for approximately $615,000,000.