People Feature
Over the course of more than four decades at Worthington Steel, Mike Pekan has helped shape how safety is approached across the Company, contributing to reduced injuries and stronger processes. But the most important part of his work has been the impact he’s made on people through safety.
In his role as regional environmental, health and safety manager at TWB Company, a Worthington Steel joint venture, that focus has guided everything he does and helps ensure employees go home the same way they arrive.
Pekan has witnessed firsthand how safety has evolved not only at Worthington Steel but in the industry — from a time when basic protections, like required safety glasses, weren’t always the standard, to leading efforts that have significantly improved safety performance across facilities in the U.S. and Mexico.
Humble Beginnings
When Pekan first started at a former Worthington Steel facility in Chicago at just 19 years old, building wood pallets, he wasn’t thinking about a long-term career — he just needed a job. Instead, he found opportunity.
After a few promotions into roles operating machinery and taking on new responsibilities, he transferred to Porter, Indiana, and later to Monroe, Michigan, where he stepped into a plant superintendent role. It was there that his career began to shift toward safety.
“At the time, safety became part of my responsibility pretty quickly,” he said.
With little formal experience early on, Pekan leaned on those around him and learned along the way. What started as an added responsibility soon became a strength. By the time he left the facility, the team had achieved more than 800 days without a recordable injury — a notable milestone in the early 2000s, when safety programs were still evolving across the industry.
“I remember I had a jacket that said, ‘800 and some days’ injury free,’” Pekan said. “We worked really, really hard, and over time, safety became something I really connected with.”
Pekan, featured third row far right, at Worthington Steel's former Chicago facility.
Scalable Impact
As Pekan’s career progressed, so did the scale of his impact.
While supporting TWB’s three facilities in Mexico, he worked closely with teams to implement Worthington Steel’s safety programs and strengthen day-to-day practices. At the time, equipment such as welding lines lacked proper guarding, creating preventable risks. By introducing safeguards and reinforcing a culture of safety, those risks were significantly reduced.
Across his career, Pekan has helped improve safety at more than 10 facilities, reducing total injuries and lowering overall recordable rates. At TWB’s Monroe, Michigan, facility, he helped lead changes that reduced the recordable rate by 89%, later applying those learnings at other facilities.
For Pekan, safety has always been about people.
“Work boils down to relationships,” he said. “At the end of the day, that’s what makes my career rewarding. You don’t realize it, but you touch a lot of lives.”
That belief has shaped his approach: building safer workplaces through trust, accountability and a shared commitment to looking out for one another.
“I always say if there’s no people, there’s no TWB and there’s no Worthington Steel,” he said. “I’m lucky to work for a company that really means it when they talk about safety.”
41 Years of Keeping People Safe
Those who have worked with Pekan admire his dedication and the impact he’s made.
“Mike’s energy behind everything he does is unmatched,” said Brad Ranly, vice president of operations at TWB. “He does it because he cares about our company, he cares about our people and always leads through Our Philosophy. I am proud to have him on our team.”
Now, as Pekan prepares for retirement, he’s looking forward to spending more time with his family, slowing down after years of travel and enjoying life boating and fishing.
He takes pride in the role he’s played in improving safety across facilities, helping reduce injuries, strengthening safeguards and building a culture centered on protecting people.
He credits much of his success to the opportunities he was given and the effort he put into making the most of them.
“Work hard. Good things happen when you take advantage of opportunities,” Pekan said. “Worthington Steel kept giving me opportunities, and I’d like to think I worked hard to earn them.”
After 41 years, the impact of his work will continue through the teams he’s supported and the culture he’s helped build — one that ensures employees go home safely at the end of each day.