CLEVELAND — Not familiar with Cleveland-Cliffs? Here's why you may have heard the name pop up recently in the news and on Wall Street.
Founded in 1847, Cleveland-Cliffs is the nation's largest and oldest independent iron ore company, as well as the largest flat-rolled steel producer. With 27,000 employees in 56 facilities across the country, it is the largest steel supplier to the U.S. auto industry.
Chris Pokorny of Cleveland was among those aware of the steel giant primarily because of the recent news cycle.
"I heard of Cleveland Cliffs because I do follow the stock market," he said. "So I heard they were putting a bid into acquiring U.S. Steel."
The bid to buy U.S. Steel would make Cliffs the only American steel maker among the top 10 steel makers in the world.
"Every single ton of steel produced in the United States goes through Cleveland Cliffs," Cleveland-Cliffs President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves told News 5 in 2018, looking south at the time from his office in the Huntington Building on Public Square towards the ArcelorMittal plant along the Cuyahoga River. Two years later, Cleveland Cliffs bought it, along with all of Arcelor Mittal's U.S. steel operations. That was six months after they purchased AK Steel.
In 2018, Goncalves said strengthening the U.S. steel manufacturing base was about two things, jobs and national security.
"We have to produce steel in order to defend ourselves. Because during the time that we were building the internet and building Facebook, China was building islands in the South China Sea," Goncalves said.
Still here in their hometown of 176 years, they fly under the radar but Robin Dare remembered, "I think that's the big boat that's behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though."
It is indeed the name on the side of the freighter SS William G. Mather, once the Cleveland-Cliffs flagship named for a former Cliffs president. They also recently sponsored one of the entrances in the renovated Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. They continue to be a significant player in Northeast Ohio's philanthropic community through the Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation, established 60 years ago.
"It's exceptionally important to have Cleveland Cliffs as part of our Cleveland Community, especially with Cleveland in their name," said Marty McGann, executive vice president of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. "They demonstrate that we still make things in a very meaningful way in Cleveland.
"I think their philanthropic ventures are also notable in our community. We're fortunate that a lot of companies in Cleveland are supportive of the community far beyond the walls of their corporate entity, and we're fortunate that they fall in the mold also and are a leader in that space."
So while you may not know of them, Cleveland Cliffs' Northeast Ohio presence is quietly felt.
