MI2's EOY Recap 2025

As we approach the end of 2025, we are reaching out to recap what has been a monumental year for the Metals Innovation Initiative and to set the stage for what is to come in 2026.

Three years ago, we launched MI2 as an industry-led public/private partnership. In that time, we have built the platform to enable meaningful public/private collaboration. We want to keep that momentum growing, to ensure that the platform we have built to date is utilized to move the needle on issues that matter for Kentucky’s metals manufacturing industry in 2026.

Here are 7 things we accomplished this year to further our mission to make Kentucky the destination for innovation in metals manufacturing:

1. Expanding Our Membership: We added 14 new members to our ranks in 2025 and welcomed the CEOs of our two new Executive Level members to our board—Mark Loik of Southern Coil Solutions and Cliff Nance of TungCo. We are in active conversations with several new potential members and look forward to announcing several new members in early 2026 as well.

2. Deepening Our Relationship with the Kentucky Executive Branch: This year, we continued to deepen our work with the Cabinet for Economic Development. Our second Metals Executive Roundtable with Gov. Beshear also grew considerably—moving offsite from the Capitol to accompany 20 metals industry executives, three Cabinet secretaries, and several other attendees. We also led a session at the Governor’s Conference on Energy and the Environment about metals recycling in Kentucky.

3.Amplifying Our Message to the General Assembly: In 2025, MI2 focused on deliberate communication with the General Assembly: testifying (with participation from our board chair Bob Eviston at Nucor’s River Metals Recycling) in front of the Interim Joint Committee on Economic Development & Workforce Investment on multiple occasions, partnering with the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers on a legislative reception during the Manufacturers Day at the Capitol, and investing in significant MI2 time in Frankfort.

4. Growing Kentucky’s Metals Industry Visibility: In 2025, we launched our own updated MI2 branding and website. We invested in several video stories about Kentucky’s metals manufacturing industry, featuring many of our members. We shared findings from our initial MI2 Metals Manufacturing Impact Study that opened eyes about the reach of this industry. And the metals industry—and MI2—were featured in key publications like The Lane Report, Louisville Business Journal, and Site Selection Magazine.

5. Expanding Our Annual Kentucky Industry Conference: We partnered with the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers and the University of Louisville Manufacturing Extension Program for our 2nd annual Kentucky Industry Conference, which attracted more than 525 registrants—growth funded in part by more than $100,000 in sponsorships and a 155% year-over-year increase in exhibitors. We had top-notch speakers including General Assembly leadership, Cabinet secretaries, energy sector leader Joe Craft, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft, and a candidate forum with top contenders for the 2026 U.S. Senate race. We had 15 leaders from our member companies participate as speakers or judges at the event and many others in attendance.

6. Scaling Our Annual MI2 Innovation Search: For the third iteration of MI2’s Innovation Search, we expanded for the first time to include both an industry problems and a pilot-ready solutions search. We received 65 applications overall (16 problems + 49 solutions), a 183% growth in total submissions year over year. We also received double the number of solutions from last year—from all over Kentucky; from 11 other states; and from Hong Kong, Quebec, and the United Kingdom. (And congratulations to our members Nucor, Century Aluminum, and Logan Aluminum for having problems featured in the final presentations!)

7. Refining Initiatives for Our Strategic Focus Areas: MI2 has worked to move focus into action:

• ‍Talent & Workforce: We are actively pursuing the large-scale conversations and particular local Centers of Excellence to pilot and scale a metals pathway within K-12 school systems. We’re pursuing this work with the Statewide Talent & Workforce Team and other strategic partners, and really appreciate many of your participation in the work this year that has informed our approach. ‍
• Recycling: To strengthen our raw metals security, we are actively launching expanded state programs to bring metals recycling capture and awareness to school systems and to public venues in the state, working with national partners alongside our members, as well as nonmember companies who want to participate. ‍
• Energy: We know energy needs are quickly developing into an urgent situation, and we are working alongside our partners at the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers and with the state government to move conversations toward meaningful action. In 2026, we will be working to continue to advance momentum in each of these areas.

Looking ahead to 2026, MI2 will continue building momentum across each of these priorities. Early discovery is underway to establish regional Centers of Excellence, recycling initiatives are scaling through school and community-based programs, and energy-focused collaboration is moving toward more coordinated action.

In just three years, MI2 has helped elevate awareness of Kentucky’s metals manufacturing sector—now recognized as the state’s third-largest industry. With increased visibility comes greater opportunity to drive meaningful impact. The work underway positions MI2 to help shape a nationally leading model at the intersection of industry, education, and innovation in the years ahead.

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