Executive Management
Craft O'Neal
Chairman of O'Neal Industries
Craft O'Neal, Chairman of O'Neal Industries and grandson of company founder Kirkman O'Neal, was born and raised in the steel business in Birmingham, Alabama. Following graduation from Baylor School in Chattanooga, he earned a B.A. degree from Birmingham-Southern College, where he majored in business and economics.
In 1984, he began his career at O'Neal as a member of the Birmingham District's Inside Sales Department. From there, Craft moved to the Atlanta area, and during the next five years worked as Inside Sales Representative, Outside Sales Representative, and Assistant District Manager. In 1990 he was appointed District Manager of the Houston facility, followed by being named District Manager of O'Neal-Birmingham, the company's oldest, largest, and most complex operation. In 1995, Craft was promoted to Vice President, Birmingham District, then Senior Vice President of the Southern Region in 2000. In 2003, he took on still more responsibilities with a promotion to Senior Vice President of Sales, Purchasing, and Product Development. In December 2004, Craft succeeded his father Emmet O'Neal as Chairman of O’Neal Industries.
Holman Head
President and Chief Executive Officer
Holman Head, President and CEO, is a native of Montgomery, Alabama, and a graduate of Washington & Lee University with a B.A. degree in economics.
Holman began his career at Vulcan Materials Corporation, where he worked for two years in Outside Sales. He then joined O'Neal in 1980 as an Inside Sales Representative for the Birmingham District and later moved to Outside Sales at O'Neal-Memphis. In 1984, he returned to Birmingham to work in O'Neal's Marketing Department. Then in 1990, he was named Director of the Specialty Products Department, which was responsible for providing marketing, sales training, and direct-mill purchasing support to the O'Neal district sales teams. In 1994, Holman became District Manager of the Birmingham District, and the next year was promoted to Vice President of Purchasing and Product Development. In 2003, he was named Senior Vice President for the Southern Region, and then Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2006. With the formation of O’Neal Industries in 2009, Holman became President and Chief Executive Officer of O’Neal Steel and Executive Vice President of O’Neal Industries.
Stephen Armstrong
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Stephen Armstrong, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and holds a B.A. degree in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Stephen began his career at Bellsouth in 1996 as Network Manager. In 1998, he became Finance Manager, then moved to Strategic Pricing Manager in 2001. In 2006, he joined O’Neal Steel as Financial Analysis Manager where he created and led the Financial Analysis department and Policies and Procedures department. He then became Manager of Sales and Marketing Analysis, and Vice President of Business Administration in 2010. He was promoted to his current role in 2012. Stephen oversees Accounting, Information Services, Credit, Corporate Analytics, and Human Resources.
Tom Ballou
Vice President of Supply Chain Management
Tom Ballou, Vice President of Supply Chain Management, is a native of Bloomington, Indiana and holds a B.S. degree in Marketing from Indiana University.
After college, Tom served his country in the United States Navy. He then joined U.S. Steel Corporation, serving in a number of sales and management positions. He came to O’Neal Steel in 1985 to lead the marketing efforts of the company’s participation in Tuscaloosa Steel (now Nucor-Tuscaloosa). After serving as a general manager at O’Neal in Toledo and opening O’Neal’s Pittsburgh district, Tom came back to Birmingham to what is now the Supply Chain Management group (formerly called Purchasing) as a Director responsible for carbon plate and flat rolled products. In August 2008 he was promoted to his current position.
Mitchell Harrison
Vice President of Operations
Mitchell Harrison, Vice President of Operations, is a native of Lexington, KY. He began his career in the metals industry with Shelby Steel (later acquired by O’Neal Steel) in 1978. He then moved to a sales role in Nitro, WV before taking an office manager's position in Louisville. He transferred to Greensboro in 1989.
In 1995, Mitchell moved to Birmingham to manage the Corporate Processing Department. He returned to Greensboro in 2000 as Assistant General Manager with responsibilities in both operations and sales. In 2005, he became the General Manager of Greensboro. In 2009, he was promoted to the position of Vice President of Operations. In this position, Mitchell is responsible for providing assistance and oversight to O’Neal Steel’s operations through best practices, safety programs, quality programs, operational process improvement (lean), operations technology and corporate processing sales support.
Jeff Stephen
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Jeff Stephen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and holds a B.S.degree in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University.
He began his career with Shelby Steel (later acquired by O’Neal Steel) in 1978 at the Ft. Wayne location. He has held roles of increasing responsibility, including Inside Sales Representative, Outside Sales Representative, Outside Sales Manager, Sales Manager, Assistant General Manager, and in 2003, General Manager of the Fort Wayne location. In 2010, Stephen joined the corporate sales group as Director of Sales, National Accounts. He was promoted to his current role in 2012. Jeff is responsible for product development, pricing strategies, development of sales processes and procedures, and overall management of customer relationships.
Steve Coulter
Regional Vice President of the Southwest Region
Steve Coulter, Regional Vice President of the Southwest region, is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University with a B.S. degree in Business Management.
Although a native of Ohio, Steve now considers himself a Texan since he has lived in the Dallas area since 1967. He came to O’Neal Steel in 1993 as an Inside Sales Representative in Dallas. Since then he has held the positions of Office Manager, Sales Manager, Assistant General Manager, General Manager, and Regional Manager.
Gary Gray
Regional Vice President of the Southern Region
Gary Gray, Regional Vice President of the Southern Region, is a native of Birmingham, Alabama.
He began his career in 1976 in the Birmingham warehouse, and moved to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1985 as Plant Superintendent. In 1990, he moved back to Birmingham for six years before moving to Jackson again as General Manager. In 2008, Gary returned to Birmingham as General Manager. He was promoted to Regional Manager of the Southeast in 2011, and Regional Vice President of the Southern region in 2012.
Jeff Robertson
Regional Vice President of the Midwest Region
Jeff Robertson, Regional Vice President of the Midwest region, is a native of Galveston, Indiana, and a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology.
He joined O’Neal in 1996 as a Sales Manager, and then became District Manager in 1998. In 2009, Jeff became the General Manager of the Shelbyville location. He was named Regional Manager of the Midwest in 2011, and Regional Vice President of the region in 2012.