Workforce Continuum: How Nucor Partners with A-State With Zach Moon

Northeast Arkansas didn’t just attract a few big employers; it quietly became one of the most important steel corridors in the country. I’m Todd Shields, Chancellor at Arkansas State University, and I sit down with Zach Moon, Vice President at Nucor Yamato, to talk about how Mississippi County transformed into the largest steel manufacturing county in the US and what that means for families who want great careers without leaving home.

Zach walks through his own path from starting in the melt shop in 1998 to leading teams in South Carolina, Mexico, Kentucky, Alabama, California, and back home to Arkansas. Along the way, we dig into what makes modern steelmaking different than the old stereotypes: “green steel” powered by recycling, electric arc furnaces, and a culture where the best innovation often comes from the people closest to the process. We also unpack why steel is never just “steel,” from structural beams to sheet steel, with specialized chemistry, testing, and end uses, including data centers.

We keep coming back to a practical idea: a workforce continuum. From entry-level training to upskilling, safety engineering, ergonomics, lab-ready testing skills, internships, and applied research, we want education to stay aligned with what the industry actually needs. If you care about workforce development, manufacturing jobs, supply chain and logistics, or building stronger university-industry partnerships in Arkansas, this conversation is for you.

Subscribe, share this with someone exploring careers in modern manufacturing, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. @arkansasstatemedianetwork
0:00 - Welcome And Zach’s Career Path
0:43 - Mississippi County’s Steel Boom
4:16 - Partnering with ANC and the Crest Center
5:12 - Building A Workforce Continuum Together
8:29 - Tech Shifts and Constant Learning
9:48 - Safety Culture And Health Partnerships
11:05 - Closing the Skill Gap in Metallurgy
12:11 - Ken Iverson And Pay For Performance
14:36 - Ownership and Trust in the Shop Floor
15:38 - Green Steel Recycling And Innovation
18:08 - How Scrap Metal Becomes Infrastructure
19:08 - Steel Products, Data Centers, and Logistics
24:08 - Real-World Labs, Internships, and Hiring
28:48 - Career Advice And Local Opportunity
33:13 - Reflecting on the 30-Year Journey
34:01 - Closing, Thanks, and Subscribe

Видео Workforce Continuum: How Nucor Partners with A-State With Zach Moon канала Arkansas State Media Network