Our Leadership
We believe that leadership is a team effort built upon mutual respect and fair treatment along with strong relationships developed through honesty, accountability, and camaraderie. Everyone at Reliance has the opportunity to lead by example and work together to contribute to the success of our company.
Executive Officers
Karla R. Lewis
Chief Executive Officer
Karla R. Lewis
Karla Lewis started her career as a public accountant with Ernst & Young (Ernst & Whinney). In 1992, Ms. Lewis left EY to join Reliance as the company’s first Controller. When Reliance became a public company in 1994, Ms. Lewis designed and implemented the financial controls and reporting to meet SEC and other requirements. She was promoted to Vice President in 1995, to Chief Financial Officer in 1999, to Executive Vice President in 2002, and to Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer in 2015. In 2017, Ms. Lewis further undertook operational responsibility of a number of Reliance subsidiaries and in January 2021, she was promoted to President and appointed a member of the Reliance Board of Directors. Ms. Lewis was named CEO & President of Reliance effective January 1, 2023. She served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Metals Service Center Institute from 2009 to 2020 and has served on the Board of Directors of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. since 2021. Ms. Lewis earned a BS degree in Business from The Ohio State University.
Stephen P. Koch
Chief Operating Officer
Stephen P. Koch
Stephen P. Koch was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in July 2022 after having served as Senior Vice President, Operations since April 2010. From July 2007 until he joined Reliance Corporate Operations, Mr. Koch was president of Chapel Steel Corp., a subsidiary of Reliance. Prior to that he held various positions at Chapel Steel Corp., from sales manager to vice president, to executive vice president. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Shippensburg University.
Arthur Ajemyan
Chief Financial Officer
Arthur Ajemyan
Arthur Ajemyan became Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in February 2022, having been promoted from Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, a position he held since January 2021. He had been Corporate Controller since August 2012. From 2005 to 2012, Mr. Ajemyan held various positions in the accounting and finance department at Reliance, including Group Controller and Director of Financial Reporting. Prior to joining Reliance, Mr. Ajemyan, a certified public accountant, held various professional staff and manager positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP from 1998 to 2005.
Suzanne M. Bonner
Chief Information Officer
Suzanne M. Bonner
Suzanne M. Bonner became Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer in February 2022, having been promoted from Vice President, Chief Information Officer, a position she held since July 2019. Prior to that time, Ms. Bonner served as Executive Director of Reliance Technology Solutions ("RTS"). Ms. Bonner earned her B.A. and M.B.A. from UCLA and worked in various finance, accounting, and systems positions before joining Reliance in 2009.
Jeffrey W. Durham
Operations
Jeffrey W. Durham
Jeffrey W. Durham became Senior Vice President, Operations in January 2019. From 2014 until he joined Reliance, Mr. Durham was Vice President, Merchandising at EMJ. Mr. Durham joined EMJ in 1985 and throughout his career there held various leadership roles in sales, general management and purchasing. Mr. Durham was also responsible for the opening of EMJ's Malaysia operation. He holds a BA degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Michael R. Hynes
Operations
Michael R. Hynes
Michael R. Hynes was promoted to Senior Vice President, Operations in July 2022. He has had a 17-year career at Reliance, beginning at Reliance Metalcenter Union City, then Phoenix Metals, where he served as President since 2019. For 17 years prior to his time at Reliance, Mr. Hynes held various roles in the metals service center industry, from test report clerk to inside and outsides sales, to management. He has a wealth of industry and product knowledge in many of the key end markets in which Reliance operates, with an exceptional focus on customer service. Mr. Hynes has demonstrated strong leadership as President of Phoenix Metals – one of Reliance’s largest subsidiaries – especially in the areas of safety and organic growth. He holds a BS degree in Business Administration, Marketing from Rockhurst University.
Sean M. Mollins
Operations
Sean M. Mollins
Sean M. Mollins became Senior Vice President, Operations in July 2021. From 2015 until being promoted to Senior Vice President, Operations, Mr. Mollins served as President of PDM Steel Service Centers, Inc., a subsidiary of Reliance. Mr. Mollins joined the Reliance family of companies in 2008 and has held leadership positions in sales and general management. Mr. Mollins began his career at Kaiser Aluminum Corp. where he gained significant experience and knowledge of aluminum products and their key end markets as well as an understanding of mill operations. Mr. Mollins holds a Bachelor of Science degree in in business from Loyola Marymount University.
William A. Smith II
Counsel and Corporate Secretary
William A. Smith II
William A. Smith II was appointed Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in May 2015. He joined Reliance as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary following Reliance’s acquisition of Metals USA in April 2013. During his time at Metals USA Holdings Corp., beginning in August 2009, Mr. Smith served as senior vice president, chief legal officer and secretary. Prior to that, Mr. Smith served as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary and director or corporate development of Cross Match Technologies, Inc., and he was a partner in the corporate and securities practice group of the international law firm of DLA Piper. Mr. Smith earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his A.B. from Georgetown University.
Corporate Officers & Subsidiary Presidents
Our corporate officers manage the overall direction of the company, maintaining legal compliance and leveraging Reliance’s size, strength, and reputation to the advantage of every subsidiary and employee. Meanwhile, each subsidiary president is on location to ensure business quality and growth. Together, this extended leadership team embodies over a century of experience in the metals industry and professional fields.
Corporate Officers
Vandy C. Lupton
Vice President, Health & Human Resources
Brenda S. Miyamoto
Vice President, Corporate Initiatives
John A. Shatkus
Vice President, Enterprise Risk
Brian M. Yamaguchi
Vice President, Supplier Development
Silva Yeghyayan
Vice President, Tax
Board of Directors
Reliance’s Board of Directors is comprised of established and respected professionals whose independent career experiences have well prepared them to represent Reliance shareholders and maintain accountability of our executive and corporate leadership. Their diverse perspectives result in well-rounded oversight and a strategic, forward-looking path as Reliance works towards achieving our mission and goals.
Lisa L. Baldwin
Lisa L. Baldwin
Lisa Baldwin joined our Board of Directors in October 2019 and is a member of our Audit Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Baldwin has over 24 years of experience in the information technology field. She currently serves as Managing Director of Elliott Management Corporation. From 2013 until 2021, she served as the Chief Information Officer of Tiffany & Co., after having served as Vice President Strategic Services there from 2011 to 2013. Prior to joining Tiffany, Ms. Baldwin served as Vice President Information Services at Coach Inc., worked at International Business Machines as an information technology consultant, and was a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Baldwin received a Bachelor of Science in Education from Georgia State University.
Karen W. Colonias
Karen W. Colonias
Karen W. Colonias was appointed a director of Reliance in October 2016. She currently serves as Chair of our Compensation Committee and is a member of our Audit Committee. Ms. Colonias is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Simpson Manufacturing Company Inc. (“SSD”), a position she held since January 2012, and has served on SSD’s board of directors since 2013. Prior to joining SSD as CFO in 2009, Ms. Colonias was Vice President of SSD’s subsidiary, Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc., a company she had joined in 1984 as a Research and Development Engineer. A licensed professional civil engineer, Ms. Colonias received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from California State University, Sacramento and a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, East Bay.
Frank J. Dellaquila
Frank J. Dellaquila
Frank J. Dellaquila was appointed a director of Reliance in October 2021 and is a member of our Audit Committee. Mr. Dellaquila is the senior executive vice president and chief financial officer of Emerson Electric Co., a technology and engineering company providing solutions across a broad range of industries and markets. He joined Emerson in 1991 and previously held other executive positions with the company before being named CFO in 2009. Mr. Dellaquila earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Fordham University and a Masters of Business Administration in finance from Columbia University.
James D. Hoffman
James D. Hoffman
James D. Hoffman is the former Reliance Chief Executive Officer since December 31, 2022 and will remain a director of Reliance and Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer until December 31, 2023. Mr. Hoffman was appointed a director in October 2019 and became Chief Executive Officer in January 2019. From March 2016 until his promotion to President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Hoffman served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Hoffman was Reliance's Executive Vice President, Operations since May 2015, and Senior Vice President, Operations since 2008. He was executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of our subsidiary, Earle M. Jorgensen Company ("EMJ"), from April 2006 to September 2008. Mr. Hoffman was appointed Executive Vice President of EMJ in 2006, having been a Vice President of EMJ since 1996. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising/Marketing from West Virginia University. Mr. Hoffman is also a director at the Metals Service Center Institute.
Mark V. Kaminski
Mark V. Kaminski
Mark V. Kaminski is our non-executive Chairman of the Board, a role to which he was elected in July 2016 after having served as Lead Director since January 2015. He is also currently a member of our Audit Committee. Mr. Kaminski was appointed an independent director of Reliance in 2004. Mr. Kaminski serves asExecutive Advisor and a member of the audit, nominating and governance, and compensation committees of Graniterock, and during 2012 served as Graniterock’s CEO. He was president and CEO and a director of Commonwealth Industries Inc. (now Aleris International, Inc.) from 1991 until his retirement in June 2004. Mr. Kaminski had served in other capacities with Commonwealth Industries Inc. since 1987. He received a BS degree in Business from Indiana University and an Advanced Management degree from Harvard Business School.
Karla R. Lewis
Karla R. Lewis
Karla Lewis started her career as a public accountant with Ernst & Young (Ernst & Whinney). In 1992, Ms. Lewis left EY to join Reliance as the company’s first Controller. When Reliance became a public company in 1994, Ms. Lewis designed and implemented the financial controls and reporting to meet SEC and other requirements. She was promoted to Vice President in 1995, to Chief Financial Officer in 1999, to Executive Vice President in 2002, and to Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer in 2015. In 2017, Ms. Lewis further undertook operational responsibility of a number of Reliance subsidiaries and in January 2021, she was promoted to President and appointed a member of the Reliance Board of Directors. Ms. Lewis was named CEO & President of Reliance effective January 1, 2023. She served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Metals Service Center Institute from 2009 to 2020 and has served on the Board of Directors of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. since 2021. Ms. Lewis earned a BS degree in Business from The Ohio State University.
Robert A. McEvoy
Robert A. McEvoy
Robert A. McEvoy joined our Board of Directors in October 2015. He is a member of our Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. McEvoy retired from The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. in April 2014, where he served as a managing director focused on the materials and industrials sectors. From 1989 to 2001, he held various positions with the investment banking firms of DLJ and Credit Suisse Boston. Mr. McEvoy’s investment banking and equity investment background, including his particular focus on the metals and mining industry and prior investment banking and analyst experience covering Reliance, enables him to assist the Board and the Company with the benefit of his knowledge of our Company, our industry and competitors, capital markets and financing strategies.
David W. Seeger
David W. Seeger
David W. Seeger was appointed a director of Reliance in July 2021. Mr. Seeger served on the Board of Directors of Zekelman Industries (formerly JMC Steel Group) from 2014 to 2021 and as President from 2010 to 2016. Mr. Seeger has held numerous leadership positions in the metals industry throughout his career, including President of Atlas Tube, a division of JMC Steel Group, from 2005 to 2009. Mr. Seeger received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Michigan State University and a Masters of Business Administration from Loyola University Chicago.
Douglas W. Stotlar
Douglas W. Stotlar
Douglas W. Stotlar became a director of Reliance in October 2016. He serves as a member of our Compensation Committee and the Chair of our Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. Stotlar also currently serves as a director at AECOM and LSC Communications, Inc. He was vice president at large and a member of the executive committee of the American Trucking Association and as a director for the Detroit branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from December 2014 until December 2016. Mr. Stotlar was the president, CEO, and director of Con-way Inc. from April 2005 until October 2015. Beginning in 1997, he held various executive positions at Con-way Transportation Services Inc. (“CTS”), a subsidiary of Con-way Inc., ultimately serving as president and CEO of from 2004 until 2005. Mr. Stotlar received a Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio State University.