5 March 2014
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Holman Head, currently President and Chief Executive Officer of O’Neal Steel, is being promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of O’Neal Industries, Inc. (ONI), the parent company of O’Neal Steel and numerous other leading brands in the metals industry. Concurrently, Stephen Armstrong, now Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at O’Neal Steel, will become President and Chief Executive Officer of that company. Both changes will be effective April 1, 2014.
Head is originally from Montgomery, AL and is a graduate of Washington & Lee University. A veteran of O’Neal Steel since 1980, he has worked in inside and outside sales, corporate marketing, specialty products, district management, regional management, purchasing, product development, and executive management. In 2009, following the formation of O’Neal Industries, he became President and CEO of O’Neal Steel, as well as Executive Vice President of ONI. During his tenure as O’Neal Steel President, he led the company through a major reorganization resulting in a re-focus on metals distribution and the formation of O’Neal Manufacturing Services as a freestanding company. He has also played a key role on the ONI Executive Leadership Team, setting overall corporate policy, strategy, and vision.
In his new position as President and COO of ONI, Head will have direct responsibility for the Marketing and Business Development Department and the organization’s Industrial Metals Group, which includes O’Neal Steel, O’Neal Manufacturing Services, O’Neal Flat Rolled Metals, and Leeco Steel. Commenting on Head’s promotion, ONI Chairman and CEO Craft O’Neal said, “Holman’s 34 years of experience, covering nearly every facet of our business from working on the sales desk to leading our largest company, have uniquely prepared him for his new role. Having worked through some of the best and worst cycles of the economy, his perspective on industry leadership and success will be invaluable.”
Armstrong joined O’Neal Steel in 2006 as Financial Planning and Analysis Manager following 10 years at BellSouth, where he held positions in operations, marketing, and management. After leading an O’Neal initiative to implement activity-based costing, he joined the Marketing Department as Manager of Sales and Marketing Analysis. In 2010, he was promoted to Vice President of Administration with responsibility for oversight of critical administrative functions, ultimately including accounting, credit, information services, human resources, analytics, and strategic planning. In 2012 he was promoted to Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Armstrong is a graduate of Auburn University with a degree in electrical engineering, and also earned an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“Stephen has been instrumental in creating and refining the modern vision of O’Neal Steel as well as our leadership and management processes,” said Holman Head. “Through employee teamwork, empowerment, and development, he has made every area of his responsibility better and more customer focused. I’m confident that trend will continue in his new leadership role at O’Neal Steel.”