This investment will facilitate the company's ability to produce even higher grades of electrical steel, demand for which is expected to increase with continued focus on energy efficiency and the increase in hybrid and electric vehicle sales. "Five years ago we started Big River Steel with five employees with BIG ideas and today we are partnering with a company started by Andrew Carnegie 118 years ago," said David Stickler, chief executive officer of Big River Steel. "As partners with U. S. Steel, we intend to prove to the world that the best way to make steel is by combining the best of traditional integrated steel making with the best of electric arc furnace mini mill steel making."