Our Management Team

Salem Steel North America, llc is led by 4 key individuals who have a total of 150 years experience in the tubing industry.

Ronald S. Herman

President

Ron attended Villanova University, and served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He has over 40 years experience in the imported steel industry, including the past 24 years, which have been focused on Tubular products. His expertise is vast and probably unmatched in the United States, and he is intimately knowledgeable in every aspect of the imported and tubular steel business. His ideas relating to the importation and distribution of cold drawn tubing, are imaginative, innovative and most importantly, add to the “bottom line” of Salem’s customers. He is the founder of Salem Steel North America and remains actively at the helm.

Gerald Zohfeld

Executive Sales

Jerry began his career in the tubing industry immediately after graduation from Northern Illinois University in 1973. He spent the bulk of his career (1975-1993) at various Marmon/Keystone locations in a variety of positions including inside sales, purchasing, operations management, traffic manager, outside sales, adminstrative manager and sales management. In 1993 he joined Norfolk Iron and Metal as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He has represented Salem Steel for a number of years.

Jerry’s understanding of the needs of our distributor customers comes from hands on personal experience in every phase of the distribution business. He has the technical expertise and product knowledge that distributors and OEM’s alike can draw on when choosing the best product for your application.

Jerry lives in Central Illinois with his wife Jackie who was also in the tubing business prior to their marriage in 1993.

Mark Jones

Executive Sales

Mark's career in the steel tubular products industry commenced in 1970, while still pursuing his college degree from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA.

Mark has spent his entire professional career involved in the steel and aluminum tube industry. Mark has worked for industry leaders on both the production, and the distribution segments of the industry. His background affords him a unique blend of talents and experience to serve customer's needs,  from both a commercial and technical standpoint.

Mark has performed in a variety of positions, starting in inside sales. advancing to outside sales, then promoted into management positions in the purchasing, product and sales of our business at local, regional and national levels. He has been part of the Salem team since 2003.

His insight, garnered from his varied background, affords him unique perspective of Salem's customer's needs and requirements.

His core values of a strong work ethic, honesty and integrity, in conjunction with his industry experience and product knowledge, allows him an unparalleled perspective in addressing and solving customers requirements from steel service center, to OEM applications in his market.

Mark has been a resident of Valparaiso, IN for the past 12 year, and has spent portions of his life and career in various parts of the United Sates., including New York/New Jersey, Oklahoma, Illinois,Texas and Ohio, which enhances his rich and unique professional experience.

Mark Otis

V.P. Production & Quality

Mark has been employed by Salem Steel since 2002. He began his tubing career in 1967 at Pacific Tube Company, Los Angeles, California, and during his 34 years tenure at Pacific Tube, his responsilbilties were numerous, including, Traffic Supervisor, Manufacturing Supervisor, Hazardous Waste/Safety Manager and Plant Superintendent.

Mark is extremely knowledgeable in all seamless and ERW manufacturing procedures, including; pickling and lubrication, heat treating (to achieve required physical properties), cold drawing, round and shaped tubing including, hexagon, rectangles and streamlines. At the mills we represent, Mark has implemented several in process inspection procedures at the drawnbenchs and straightening line, 100% final dimensional and visual inspections, to insure the highest levels of quality.

Mark works very closely with both our producing mills and customers, assisting them with technical and quality issues. He is one of the top experts in the field anywhere on the globe.