Ryerson Holding Corp

Ryerson Holding Corporation (“Ryerson Holding”), a Delaware corporation, is the parent company of Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, Inc. (“JT Ryerson”), a Delaware corporation. Affiliates of Platinum Equity, LLC (“Platinum”) own approximately 3,924,478 shares of our common stock, which is approximately 11.5% of our issued and outstanding common stock.

We are a leading value-added processor and distributor of industrial metals with operations in the United States ("U.S.") through JT Ryerson and other U.S. subsidiaries, in Canada through our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary Ryerson Canada, Inc., a Canadian corporation (“Ryerson Canada”), and in Mexico through our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary Ryerson Metals de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V., a Mexican corporation (“Ryerson Mexico”). In addition to our North American operations, we conduct metal processing and distribution operations in China through an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Ryerson China Limited, a Chinese limited liability company (“Ryerson China”). Unless the context indicates otherwise, Ryerson Holding, JT Ryerson, Ryerson Canada, Ryerson Mexico, and Ryerson China together with their subsidiaries, are collectively referred to herein as “Ryerson,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company.”

Our Company

We are one of the largest value-add processors and distributors of industrial metals in North America measured in terms of sales. We have approximately 4,600 employees across 110 facilities in North America and four facilities in China. Through this network we serve approximately 40,000 customers across a wide range of manufacturing end-markets. Our customers range from local, independently owned fabricators and machine shops to large, international original equipment manufacturers. We carry a full line of approximately 75,000 products in stainless steel, aluminum, carbon steel, and alloy steels and a limited line of nickel and red metals in various shapes and forms. In addition to our metals products, we offer numerous value-added processing and fabrication services, and nearly 80% of the products we sell are processed to meet customer requirements.

Our business strategy includes providing a superior level of customer service and responsiveness, technical services, and inventory management solutions while maintaining low operating costs in order to maximize financial results. Our growth strategy is based on increasing our operating results through organic growth activities and strategic acquisitions.

To that end, we continue to focus on our interconnected network, systems, and enhancing our value-added services and online presence to provide increased access, functionality, and flexibility to our customers. We are using advanced analytics to improve pricing and inventory utilization. Our service centers are strategically located near our customers, which permits us to quickly process and deliver our products and services, often the day after receiving an order. We own, lease, or contract a fleet of tractors and trailers, allowing us to efficiently meet our customers’ delivery demands. Our range of products together with our breadth of services allows us to service a diverse customer base and to create long-term partnerships with our customers and enhances our profitability.

We focus on strategic acquisitions that complement and enhance our product, customer, and geographic diversification. Ryerson’s M&A strategy includes both transformative turnaround acquisitions and value-add, bolt-on acquisitions. Recently, Ryerson has focused on bolt-on acquisitions. In 2023, Ryerson's acquisitions included BLP Holdings, LLC, Norlen Incorporated, TSA Processing, and Hudson Tool Steel Corporation. Please refer to the Section titled “Acquisitions” of Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations,” and Note 2 — “Acquisitions” of Part II, Item 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" for further information regarding all acquisitions made in 2023.

Industry Overview

Metals service centers serve as key intermediaries between metal producers and end users of metal products. They purchase in scale and sell in smaller quantities. End-users often look for “one-stop” suppliers that offer lower order volumes, shorter lead times, more reliable delivery, and processing services. Metal producers mainly sell metals in the form of standard-sized coils, sheets, plates, structurals, bars, and tubes in large quantities, with longer lead times, and limited inventory. Metal service centers serve as key intermediaries closing the gap between metal producers’ supply and end-users’ demand.

By aggregating end-users’ demand and purchasing metal in bulk to take advantage of economies of scale, metals service centers may purchase, process, and deliver metal to end‑users in a more efficient and cost‑effective manner than the end‑user may achieve by dealing directly with the primary producer. Further, specialized metals processing equipment is costly and requires high‑volume production to be cost effective, and many customers are not able or willing to invest in the necessary technology, equipment, and warehousing of inventory to efficiently and effectively perform metal processing for their own operations. Due to this, many customers have reduced their in-house processing capabilities, opting to source processed metal from service centers like us. This saves our customers time, labor, and expense, reducing their overall manufacturing costs, while permitting us to increasingly focus on value-added services and expanding our mix of fabrication products, which typically sell at higher margins. This supports our capital expenditures on processing equipment to grow annual gross profit margin.

Our industry is highly fragmented with the largest companies accounting for only a small percentage of total market share. The majority of metals services companies have limited product lines and inventories, with customers located in a specific geographic area. In general, competition is based on quality, service, price, and geographic proximity. We primarily compete with other metals service centers and to a lesser extent with metal producers.

The metals service center industry typically experiences cash flow trends that are counter-cyclical to the revenue and volume growth of the industry. During an industry downturn, companies generally reduce working capital assets and generate cash as inventory and accounts receivable balances decline, and as a result, operating cash flow and liquidity tend to increase during a downturn.

Competitive Strengths

Leading Market Position in North America.

Based on sales, we are one of the largest service center companies for carbon, stainless steel, and aluminum in the North American market where we have a broad geographic presence with 110 facilities.

Our service centers are located near our customer locations, enabling us to timely deliver to customers across numerous geographic markets. Additionally, our widespread network of locations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico helps us to utilize our expertise to efficiently serve customers with complex supply chain requirements across multiple manufacturing locations. We believe this is a key differentiator for customers who need a supplier that can reliably and consistently support them. Our ability to transfer inventory among our facilities better enables us to timely and profitably source and process specialized items at regional locations throughout our network than if we were required to maintain inventory of all products and specialized equipment at each location.

Broad Geographic Reach Across Attractive End Markets.

Our operations serve a diverse range of industries including commercial ground transportation, metal fabrication and machine shops, industrial machinery and equipment manufacturing, consumer durable equipment, HVAC manufacturing, construction equipment manufacturing, food processing and agricultural equipment manufacturing, and oil and gas. We believe this broad range of industries in which we sell our products and services reduces our risk related to a downturn in a specific industry. We believe that our ability to quickly adjust our offerings based on regional and industry specific trends creates stability while also providing the opportunity to access specific growth markets. We are focused on expanding our presence within growing, secular markets, including electric vehicles and renewable energy.

Established Platform for Organic and Acquisition Growth.

Our growth strategy is based on increasing our operating results through organic growth activities and strategic acquisitions that enhance our service, product, customer, and geographic diversification. Our strategies include investing in value-added processing capabilities, analytically targeting attractive customers and end markets with our supply chain optimization service model, industry consolidation through targeted M&A, and providing customers faster and easier solutions to their metal needs, which we believe will provide us with growth opportunities.

Given the highly fragmented nature of the metals service center industry, we believe there are numerous additional opportunities to acquire businesses and incorporate them into our existing infrastructure. When integrating acquired businesses into our operational model, we may draw on our large scale and geographic reach to improve operational and financial performance through greater purchasing power, improved expense and working capital management, increased access to additional end markets, and broadening product mix.

Extensive Breadth of Products and Services for Diverse Customer Base.

We believe our broad product mix and marketing approach provides customers with a “one-stop shop” solution few other metals service center companies are able to offer. We provide a broad range of processing and fabrication services to meet the needs of our approximately 40,000 customers and typically fulfill approximately 1,000,000 orders per year. We provide supply chain solutions, including just-in-time delivery and value-added processing, to many original equipment manufacturing customers.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, no single customer, including their subcontractors, accounted for more than 8% of our sales, and our top 10 customers, including their subcontractors accounted for less than 16% of our sales.

Strong Relationships with Suppliers.

We are among the largest purchasers of metals in North America and have long-term relationships with many of our North American suppliers. We believe we are frequently one of the largest customers of our suppliers and that concentrating our orders among a core group of suppliers is effective for obtaining favorable pricing and service. We believe we have the opportunity to further leverage this strength through continued focus on price and volume using an analytics-driven approach to procurement. In addition, we view our strategic suppliers as supply chain partners. We focus on logistics, lead times, rolling schedules, and scrap return programs to drive value-based buying that is advantageous for us. Metals producers worldwide are consolidating, and large, geographically diversified customers, such as Ryerson, are desirable partners for these larger suppliers. Our relationships with suppliers often provide us with access to metals when supply is constrained. Through our knowledge of the global metals marketplace and capabilities of specific mills, we believe we have developed an advantageous global purchasing strategy.

Experienced Management Team with Deep Industry Knowledge.

Our senior management team has extensive industry and operational experience and has been instrumental in optimizing and implementing our strategy. Our senior management has an average of more than 30 years of experience in the metals or service center industries. Our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and President, Mr. Edward Lehner, who joined the Company in August 2012 as Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) and became CEO in June 2015, has 32 years of experience, predominantly in the metals industry. Mr. Mike Burbach, our Chief Operating Officer, has over 40 years of experience with the Company and previously served as the President of the North-West Region of the Company. Mr. Jim Claussen, Executive Vice President & CFO, has 29 years of industry experience.

Industry Outlook

The Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (“PMI”) reported contracting factory activity throughout 2023 with readings consistently below the growth threshold of 50. The contractionary trend indicated by PMI began with readings dropping below 50 starting in November 2022 and continuing through December of 2023, marking 14 consecutive months, with the most recent reading of 47.4 for December 2023. The PMI measures the economic health of the manufacturing sector and is a composite index based on five indicators: new orders, inventory levels, production, supplier deliveries, and the employment environment. PMI readings can be a good indicator of industrial activity and general economic growth.

The Department of Commerce announced that real GDP increased 2.5 percent in 2023 and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia projected that the median growth rate in real GDP would be 1.7 percent, 1.8 percent, and 2.1 percent for 2024, 2025, and 2026, respectively.

Steel demand in North America is largely dependent on growth of the automotive, industrial equipment, consumer appliance, and construction end markets. Our end markets reflect the performance of the manufacturing economy, and according to the latest Livingston Survey, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, U.S. industrial production is expected to have expanded by 0.3 percent in 2023 and is further expected to grow by 0.5 percent in 2024 and 1.4 percent in 2025.

Products and Services

We carry a full line of carbon steel, stainless steel, alloy steels, and aluminum, and a limited line of nickel and red metals. These materials are stocked in a number of shapes, including coils, sheets, rounds, hexagons, square and flat bars, plates, structurals, and tubing.

We also provide a wide variety of processing services to meet our customers’ needs. Most of the products that we carry require expensive specialized equipment for material handling and processing. We believe few of our customers have the capability to process metal into the desired sizes, forms, or finishes or they are unwilling to incur the significant capital expenditures to acquire the necessary equipment. We are growing and diversifying our product mix mainly as a result of our targeted growth strategy to provide increased levels of value-added processing services. We believe our enhanced processing capabilities will increase our ability to sell higher-margin metals processing services to a larger group of customers. We expect this, together with our focus on maintaining pricing discipline related to our processing services, will increase our gross profit margin.

We had capital expenditures of $358.1 million in the five-year period ended December 31, 2023. We are increasing our investments in processing equipment to offer more value-added processing to our customers in an effort to increase our margins and profitability. We currently perform processing services on nearly 80% of the materials sold by us.

The following pie charts show our percentage of sales by major product lines for 2023 and 2022:

We are not dependent on any particular customer group or industry because we process and distribute a variety of metals. This diversity of product type and material reduces our exposure to fluctuations or other weaknesses in the financial or economic stability of particular customers or industries. We are also less dependent on any particular suppliers as a result of our product diversification. See pie charts showing our sales by metal consuming industry within “Customers and Markets” discussion below.

Customers and Markets

Our customer base is diverse, numbering approximately 40,000 in a variety of industries, including metal fabrication and machine shops, industrial machinery and equipment, commercial ground transportation, consumer durable, food processing and agricultural equipment, construction equipment, HVAC, and oil & gas. Although we sell directly to many large original equipment manufacturers, the majority of our sales are to smaller customers, including small machine shops and fabricators, in small quantities with frequent deliveries, helping them manage their working capital and credit needs more efficiently.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, no single customer, including their subcontractors, accounted for more than 8% of our sales, and our top 10 customers, including their subcontractors, accounted for less than 16% of our sales. Substantially all of our sales are attributable to our U.S. operations and substantially all of our long-lived assets are located in the U.S.

The following pie charts show the Company’s percentage of sales by metal consuming industry for 2023 and 2022:

Our customers are primarily located throughout the U.S., but we also have international customers. Our decentralized operating structure and facilities located near or close to most of our customers enable an efficient delivery system capable of handling a high frequency of short lead time orders. We transport our products directly to customers via our in-house and dedicated truck fleet, which further supports the just-in-time delivery requirements of our customers, and via third-party trucking firms.

We process our metals to specific customer orders as well as for stocking programs. Many of our larger customers commit to purchase on a regular basis at agreed upon or indexed prices for periods ranging from three to twelve months. To help mitigate price volatility risks, these price commitments are generally matched with corresponding supply arrangements, or to a lesser degree by commodity hedges. Customers notify us of specific release dates for processed products. Customers typically notify us of release dates anywhere from on a just-in-time basis to one month before the release date. Consequently, we are required to carry sufficient inventory to meet the short lead time and just-in-time delivery requirements of our customers.

We have international facilities located in Canada, Mexico, and China. Net sales of our international locations (based on where the shipments originated) accounted for 9.1% of our consolidated 2023 net sales, or $466.4 million. See Note 13 — “Segment information” of Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for further information on U.S. and foreign revenues and assets.

Customer demand may change from time to time based on, among other things, general economic conditions and industry capacity. Many of the industries in which our customers compete are cyclical in nature. We believe that our various and diverse offerings, ways-to-market, and end markets reduce the volatility of our business in the aggregate, thus somewhat reducing earnings volatility. A portion of our customers experience seasonal slowdowns. Our sales, as measured in tonnage sold, in the months of July, November, and December traditionally have been lower than in other months because of a reduced number of shipping days and holiday or vacation closures for some customers. Consequently, our sales in the first two quarters of the year are usually higher than in the third and fourth quarters.

Suppliers

We purchase the majority of our inventories from key domestic metals suppliers. Because of our total volume of purchases and our long‑term relationships with our suppliers, we believe that we are generally able to purchase inventory at the best prices offered by our suppliers.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, our top 25 suppliers, including their subcontractors, accounted for approximately 78% of our purchase dollars. We are generally able to meet our materials requirements because we use many suppliers, there is a substantial overlap of product offerings from these suppliers, and there are several other suppliers able to provide identical or similar products. While the metals producing supply base has experienced significant consolidation and supply interruptions in the past, we believe both our size and our long-term relationships with our suppliers has enabled us to meet our material requirements and will continue to allow us to do so in the future.

Sales and Marketing

We maintain our own professional sales force. In addition to our office sales staff, we market and sell our products through the use of our field sales force that we believe has extensive product and customer knowledge and offers a comprehensive catalog of our products. Our office and field sales staff, which together consist of approximately 850 employees, include technical personnel. Additionally, we offer our customers the ability to purchase our products through our e-commerce website.

Because much of our business is relationship-based, we operate under many different trade names. Businesses we acquire often have strong customer relationships and solid reputations, and we will often continue to use the acquired business name to maintain existing customer relationships.

Capital Expenditures

In 2023, we continued to focus on organic growth by expanding and modernizing existing facilities, adding new state-of -the-art facilities, and adding processing equipment to support value-added business. Investments by us in property, plant, and equipment, together with asset retirements for the five years ended December 31, 2023, excluding the initial purchase price of acquisitions are set forth below. The net capital change during such period aggregated to an increase of $223.2 million.

The net reductions in 2019 and 2021 are related to sale lease-back transactions. See Part II, Item 8, Note 5: Property, Plant, and Equipment for additional information on the 2021 sale-leaseback transactions. The lower amount of additions in 2020 was caused by capital expenditures deferred to 2021 and 2022 as spending was reduced due to uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. We currently anticipate capital expenditures, excluding acquisitions, of up to approximately $110 million for 2024, much of which is related to purchases geared towards highly accretive strategic initiatives, IT infrastructure investment, and growth, along with maintenance projects. We expect all of the 2024 capital expenditures to be funded using proceeds from the cash generated by operations. We will continue to evaluate and execute each growth project in light of the economic conditions and outlook at the time of investment and may significantly reduce our capital expenditures if economic conditions warrant a more conservative approach to capital allocation. For the long term, we expect capital expenditures to normalize to a rate that approximates depreciation.

Environmental, Health, and Safety Matters

Our facilities and operations are subject to many federal, state, local, and foreign laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment and to health and safety. In particular, our operations are subject to requirements relating to waste disposal, recycling, air and water emissions, the handling of regulated materials, remediation, underground storage tanks, asbestos-containing building materials, workplace exposure, and other matters. We believe that our operations are currently in compliance with all such laws and do not presently anticipate substantial expenditures in the foreseeable future in order to meet environmental, workplace health or safety requirements, or to pay for any investigations, corrective action, or claims. However, claims, enforcement actions, or investigations regarding personal injury, property damage, or violation of environmental laws could result in substantial costs to us, divert our management’s attention, and result in significant liabilities, fines, or the suspension or interruption of our facilities.

We continue to analyze and implement safeguards to mitigate any environmental, health, and safety risks we may face. As a result, additional costs and liabilities may be incurred to comply with future requirements, including California and the proposed SEC climate disclosure requirements, or to address newly discovered conditions, and these costs and liabilities could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows. While the costs of compliance could be significant, given the uncertain outcome and timing of future action by the U.S. federal government on this issue, we cannot accurately predict the full financial impact of current and future greenhouse gas regulations on our operations or our customers at this time. We do not currently anticipate any new programs disproportionately impacting us compared to our competitors.

Some of the properties currently or previously owned or leased by us are located in industrial areas or have a long history of heavy industrial use. We may incur environmental liabilities with respect to these properties in the future including costs of investigations, corrective action, claims for natural resource damages, claims by third parties relating to property damages, or claims relating to contamination at sites where we have sent waste for treatment or disposal. Based on currently available information we do not expect any investigation, remediation matters, or claims related to properties presently or formerly owned, operated, or to which we have sent waste for treatment or disposal would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

In October 2011, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) named JT Ryerson as one of more than 100 businesses that may be a potentially responsible party for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. See Note 12: Commitments and Contingencies in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report on Form 10-K. As the EPA has not yet allocated responsibility for the contamination among the potentially responsible parties, including JT Ryerson, we do not currently have sufficient information available to us to determine whether the Record of Decision will be executed as currently stated, whether and to what extent JT Ryerson may be held responsible for any of the identified contamination, and how much (if any) of the final plan’s costs might ultimately be allocated to JT Ryerson. Therefore, management cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter or estimate a range of potential loss at this time.

There are various other claims and pending actions against the Company. The amount of liability, if any, for those claims and actions as of December 31, 2023 is not determinable but, in the opinion of management, such liability, if any, will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. We maintain liability insurance coverage to assist in protecting our assets from losses arising from or related to activities associated with business operations.

Our U.S. operations are also subject to the Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. We operate a private trucking motor fleet for making deliveries to some of our customers. Our drivers do not carry any material quantities of hazardous materials. Our foreign operations are subject to similar regulations. Future regulations could increase maintenance, replacement, and fuel costs for our fleet. These costs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

Intellectual Property

We own several U.S. and foreign trademarks, service marks, and copyrights. Certain of the trademarks are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and, in certain circumstances, with the trademark offices of various foreign countries. We consider certain other information owned by us to be trade secrets. We protect our trade secrets by, among other things, entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees regarding such matters and implementing measures to restrict access to sensitive data and computer software source code on a need-to-know basis. We believe that these safeguards adequately protect our proprietary rights and we vigorously defend these rights. While we consider all our intellectual property rights as a whole to be important, we do not consider any single right to be essential to our operations as a whole.

Sustainability

In December 2023, Ryerson released its second Sustainability Report. The report builds on the Company’s inaugural 2022 report and provides an update on ongoing sustainability efforts, the investments being made in its people and service center network, and how it is serving its communities. Similar to the inaugural report, the 2023 edition illustrates the Company’s focus on energy and emissions reductions, sustainable products, data security, diversity, equity, and inclusion ("DEI"), and talent and future workforce while also providing updates on Ryerson’s advancement in these categories. A few achievements include Ryerson’s recognition by Forbes as one of America’s best mid-sized companies to work for, its launch of the award-winning Ryerson Illuminator app, and its continued role in the circular metals economy.

Additionally, the Sustainability Report includes important content on governance practices, including how we continuously monitor and analyze ourselves and our supply-chain relationships in order to operate with a high level of integrity and how we protect Company and stakeholder information through strong cybersecurity practices. We strive, and expect our suppliers, to comply with all applicable laws and regulations as well as Ryerson's Human Rights Policy, Conflict Minerals Policy, and Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.

Human Capital

In order to provide best in class customer experiences, it is crucial that we continue to work to attract and retain top talent. To facilitate talent attraction and retention, we strive to create a diverse, inclusive, and safe workplace, with opportunities for our employees to grow and develop in their careers, supported by strong compensation, benefits, and wellness programs, and by programs that build connections between our employees and their communities.

Talent and Future Workforce. Our recruitment and talent management teams lead our mission to attract, retain and develop diverse talent. These teams are organized under our Talent Management Office ("TMO"), which includes our Chief Human Resources Officer, our Director of Talent Management, and other senior leaders. The TMO is responsible for our recruiting efforts, attracting the best talent, increasing diversity and hiring efficiencies, facilitating onboarding, and continuing education opportunities to engage employees as they join Ryerson and build their careers with us.

As part of retaining and developing talent, Ryerson offers employees competitive compensation, expanded benefits including a parental leave policy, career growth through its learning platform, mentorship and tuition reimbursement programs, and engagement through all-employee surveys conducted periodically.

Diversity and Inclusion. Ryerson is embracing diversity and inclusion via our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion council ("DEI Council") that focuses on employee engagement, DEI training, and community outreach efforts with the mission of fostering an environment across the organization that values diversity of experiences and perspectives and encourages inclusivity in all aspects of the business.

In 2023, Ryerson’s DEI Council announced the establishment of three employee resource groups ("ERGs") to be available to employees in 2024: Women in Search of Excellence (WISE), Next Generation of Leaders (NextGen), and Leveraging All Diversity (LEAD). These ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that work to foster a more inclusive workplace by uniting people with common interests, identities, or backgrounds. Each of the three ERGs established is purposefully aligned with Ryerson’s DEI mission and strategic goals.

Further, Ryerson is invested in DEI training by providing employees with training on being inclusive, avoiding bias, and workplace intervention. Training is available at any time on the Company’s learning platform, where employees can select from a growing catalog of DEI courses.

Employee Health, Wellness, and Safety. Health, safety, and wellness are fundamental expectations of our Board, executives, employees, and our customers. Our safety standards, which go beyond industry standards and the minimum legal requirements, have helped protect the well-being of our people and prevent workplace injuries. Our commitment towards a zero-injury workplace is constant and driven by an Environmental, Health, and Safety policy that reinforces the goal. Our 2023 performance at our facilities, measured as the number of OSHA recordable injuries per 200,000 labor hours, was 2.26, which was better than the industry average as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

We provide our employees and their families with access to a variety of innovative, flexible, and convenient health and wellness programs, including benefits that provide protection and security so they can have peace of mind concerning events that may require time away from work or that impact their financial well-being; that support their physical and mental health by providing tools and resources to help them improve or maintain their health status, and encourage engagement in healthy behaviors; and that offer choice where possible so they can customize their benefits to meet their needs and the needs of their families.

Compensation and Benefits. We provide robust compensation and benefits programs to help meet the financial needs of our employees. In addition to salaries, we provide annual and quarterly sales incentive plans, healthcare and insurance benefits, health savings and flexible spending accounts, retirement savings contribution matching, paid time off, parental leave, employee assistance programs, and tuition assistance. Additionally, we have targeted equity-based grant programs with vesting conditions to facilitate retention of personnel, particularly those with critical skills and experience.

Employee Headcount and Unions. See Item 1A, Risks Related to Operating our Business, sub-section "Any significant work stoppages can harm our business", as well as Note 12: Commitments and Contingencies within Part II, Item 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" for further information.

Available Information

All periodic and current reports and other filings that we are required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available free of charge from the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov) or through our Investor Relations website at http://ir.ryerson.com. Such documents are available as soon as reasonably practicable after electronic filing of the material with the SEC. Copies of these reports (excluding exhibits) may also be obtained free of charge, upon written request to: Investor Relations, Ryerson Holding Corporation, 227 W. Monroe St., 27th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

The Company also posts its Code of Ethics on its website. See Part III, Item 10 for more information regarding our Code of Ethics.

Our website address is included in this report for informational purposes only. Our website and the information contained therein or connected thereto are not incorporated into this annual report on Form 10-K.