Steel plant executive offers SE Iowa promises — and hope
FORT MADISON — In a carpeted Quality Inn & Suites conference room, an executive in a navy-blue vest made promises to residents in the southeast corner of Iowa. First, Mesabi Metallics CEO Joe Broking promised the farmers, mechanics, local officials and others gathered there that his company would be transparent. Then, he promised them the world. Broking displayed a rendering of the company's plan: a sprawling industrial campus where employees will melt iron and turn it into rolled steel. He provided a long list of industries that could buy from the plant, from automakers to appliance manufacturers and construction materials suppliers. It will be “the cleanest, most environmentally friendly steel in the world at the lowest cost,” Broking said. “And we can do that right here in the U.S., right here in Iowa.” The promises kept coming. “Your schools are going to improve. Your housing market’s going to improve. Access to community amenities is going to improve,” Broking said. People in the crowd of about 100 whispered among themselves as he went on. “This is absolutely a fantastic opportunity for Mesabi Metallics and a fantastic opportunity for each and every one of you. And I can’t wait to actually come
