EP04: The Steel Industry Forgot How to Sell Itself... Now It Can’t Find Workers - Mike D'Alexander

The steel industry has a workforce problem... but is the real issue that it forgot how to tell its own story?In this episode of the Steel Nation Podcast, Myke Wilkerson sits down with the publisher behind Modern Metals and FFJournal to discuss more than three decades of change across steel, manufacturing, publishing, and business. They explore the rise of automation and AI, the generational transition happening inside family-owned companies, and why the industry continues to struggle to attract its next generation of skilled workers.The conversation also examines why companies that continue marketing during difficult economic periods often emerge stronger, why relationships still matter in an increasingly digital world, and what younger leaders must understand as they inherit the future of manufacturing.From carrying on a family legacy to adapting when “the old way” no longer works, this episode is a reminder that technology may transform the industry... but it can never replace the human element.