-: Jordan Burkholder.
I am a Regional Sales Manager for Steel Dynamics
based out of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
So, I work in rail so I sell rail to the major Class One
railroads, so obviously that goes into the railroad track.
Structural products goes into high rises, non-residential
construction and we also have flat roll which can go
into automobiles, dishwashers, washing machines,
all host of other products.
So, like I said, I sell rail to the Class One railroads
and that includes CSX, Norfolk Southern, BNSF Railway,
Union Pacific, kind of the household names in the rail
industry that have been around for 100, 104 years
and I manage relationships on the commercial side,
on the engineering side.
So, we work together with people at SDI to sell rail
to these Class Ones and it's really a long selling cycle,
so to go to get qualified with your different rail grades,
that can take some time, take years actually and then,
on the commercial side to put together the right package
with delivery, pricing, all the customer service
that goes into play there.
It can take years before you fully sell that Class One.
So, with the Class Ones it is repeat business.
It's all about signing a long term contract,
so with Norfolk Southern, CSX those are some recent
accounts that we signed long term contracts with
and when I say long term, anywhere between like three years,
five years historically has been the contract length.
So, the goal is to lock up that volume for the future
so that you can fill the mill and then also focus
elsewhere and really focus on expanding market share
in other areas.
So, it's important to lock up and do well with your
accounts because let's say you don't do well,
you don't deliver what you say, your competition
could come in and scoop up the business for three
to five years and boom, you're on the outside lookin' in.
So, with only seven customers that I deal with that I have
it's very important to follow through on what you say
you're gonna do.