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On behalf of our Board of Directors, it is our privilege to invite you to attend the 2022 Annual Meeting for Steel Dynamics, Inc. to be held on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 9:00am Eastern Time in the Fort Wayne Country Club, 5221 Covington Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 46804.

On behalf of everyone at Steel Dynamics, I thank our loyal customers, vendors, communities and shareholders for their continued support of our company. My heartfelt thanks to our extraordinary team members for your passion, innovation, and dedication to excellence. The entire Steel Dynamics team delivered an outstanding performance during 2021. Our strategic growth and market positioning over the last several years were integral to our performance. We achieved numerous milestones and performed at the top of our industry both operationally and financially.

On almost every measure, our 2021 performance was a record year. Our steel and steel fabrication operations achieved record product pricing and demand, increasing 2021 revenues to a record $18.4 billion. Each of our three primary operating platforms achieved record annual earnings, resulting in record consolidated operating income of  $4.3 billion and record net income of  $3.2 billion.

We generated record cash flow from operations of $2.2 billion during 2021. We ended 2021 with strong liquidity of  $2.4 billion, while at the same time meaningfully growing our business through significant organic growth investments, maintaining a positive cash dividend profile and executing on our share repurchase program. We have a firm foundation for our continued long-term, strategic growth and ongoing value creation.

Our performance is a testament to the passion, commitment and spirit of excellence that drives our teams. Across the company, our teams achieved best in-class performance, while maintaining a focus to keep each other healthy and safe. I am proud to work alongside each of them.

Based on our confidence in the consistency and strength of our cash generation capabilities, we have consistently grown our cash dividends to shareholders in alignment with our structural growth initiatives, maintaining a positive cash dividend growth profile. From 2017 to 2021, our cash dividend increased 86%, and based on our recent Sinton Steel Mill startup, we increased our first quarter 2022 cash dividend by an additional 31%, recognizing the increase in our through-cycle cash flow based on this transformational investment.

As an important and flexible shareholder distribution complement to our cash dividend, we also actively utilize our share repurchase programs in periods of exceptionally strong cash generation, taking into consideration our strategic growth strategy. As such, from 2016 to 2021, we repurchased $2.3 billion, or 24%, of our common stock, and in February 2022, our board of directors approved an additional share repurchase authorization of $1.25 billion.

Our Resources

Our commitment to all aspects of sustainability is embedded in our founding principles  —  valuing our people, our partners, our communities and our environment. These strategic principles drive long-term value creation for all of us.

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The health and safety of our people is our number one value and primary focus. Nothing surpasses the importance of each individual team member. Safety is an integral part of our culture, and we must collectively ensure every person is personally engaged in sustaining a safe workplace for themselves, their team members, and their families.

We are also committed to operating our business in an environmentally responsible manner and have been since our founding. We only use electric arc furnace (EAF) technology  —  which emits a fraction of the greenhouse gases (GHG) and uses a fraction of the energy of traditional steelmaking. We have always been, and continue to be, a leader in the production of sustainable, lower-carbon emission steel products. We encourage the use of new technologies and processes to reduce our impact on the environment, including a strategic focus on carbon emissions mitigation with a goal for our steel mills to be carbon neutral by 2050. Our sustainability strategy is an ongoing journey, and we plan to use our entrepreneurial, innovative spirit to continue to be a leader in the industry.

Voting Information

The following proxy materials are available on the Internet at: http://materials.proxyvote.com/858119 and at www.steeldynamics.com under the heading “Investors.”

The record date has been set as March 11, 2022 to determine shareholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. As permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) “notice

and access” rules and to reduce the environmental impact of the distribution of materials to shareholders, we are making our proxy statement and annual report (which are not part of the proxy solicitation materials) available to most of our shareholders via the Internet rather than by mail. This letter and the accompanying Notice, proxy statement, and proxy card, for those receiving paper copies, as well as a Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, with instructions for accessing the proxy materials and Annual Report on the Internet, is being first made available to shareholders on or about March 21, 2022.

Your vote is very important to us, and I encourage you to vote your shares. There are several ways in which you can vote your shares, including via the Internet, by telephone, or by signing, dating and returning your Proxy Card. Specific information about each of these voting methods can be found in the Proxy Statement under the heading “Voting Information”.

As we look to the future, we see opportunity. With our strong financial foundation, we are distinctively positioned to embrace the momentum from our current operations, while successfully executing current and future strategic growth initiatives.

Thank you for your trust.

Sincerely,

Mark D. Millett

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before voting. Therefore, please read this proxy statement in its entirety. To help you, we have provided page references to find further related details.

How to Vote

www.proxyvote.com until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 4, 2022

By calling the number on your proxy until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 4, 2022

Completing, signing, and returning your proxy or voting instruction card before May 4, 2022

At the annual meeting: If you are a shareholder of record, we have a record of your ownership so we can accept your vote. If your shares are held in the name of a broker, nominee, or other intermediary, you must bring a proxy issued in your name from that record holder.

Record Date

March 11, 2022

Voting

You are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting if you were a shareholder of record at the close of business on the record date

Proposal Information

Election of Directors

Board Vote Recommendation FOR
Page Reference 30

Ratification of the Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm as Auditors

Board Vote RecommendationFOR
Page Reference 42

Advisory Vote to Approve the Compensation of the Named
Executive Officers

Board Vote Recommendation FOR
Page Reference 69

Governance
Highlights

Our director nominees possess an effective mix of independence, tenure, experience, and skillset diversity.

8 of our 11 director nominees are independent. The average tenure is 6 years for independent directors.

We are committed to strong foundational principles of corporate governance, which we believe promote the long-term success of our business and maximize benefits for our teams, communities, investors, and other stakeholders.

Highlights of our governance framework include:

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Lead Independent Director

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Board Refreshment  —  Director Retirement Policy

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Ongoing succession planning and talent development for senior leadership and the Board

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Independent directors meet at least quarterly in executive session

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Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

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Diverse director backgrounds and perspectives

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Robust Stock Ownership Guidelines for Executive Officers and Directors

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All Board members attended at least 75% of Board and Committee meetings

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All directors stand for election annually

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Board committees consist of 100% independent directors

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Annual director evaluation process

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Effective
Investor
Engagement

Consistent investor outreach is fundamental to our commitment to communication and transparency with our shareholders. We are committed to engaging with our investors on topics of importance to both them and us. We regularly reach out to our investor base. Our discussions cover topics based on publicly available information, such as strategic near and long-term growth initiatives, capital allocation philosophy and execution, sound governance practices, performance-based compensation philosophy, sustainable business model, renewable energy and climate initiatives, and similar matters. This process aids our Board to ensure issues important to our investors are appropriately understood and considered.

In addition to our regular shareholder engagement, we engage annually with a number of large institutional investors with dedicated governance teams to better understand their policies and concerns regarding environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) practices and other important matters. During 2021, we reached out to our top institutional investors representing 50% of our outstanding shares, and a large number of these institutions accepted our offer to engage with us.

We communicate with our shareholders through various methods, including in person meetings, virtual meetings, investors conferences, and investor roadshows. Additionally, members of our senior leadership and investor relations team provided an open forum to each investor to discuss and comment on any matters they wish to discuss, including ESG practices, our long-term growth strategy, and capital allocation philosophy.

This outreach initiative assists us and our Board to fully understand the perspectives of our investors with respect to our ESG practices and other matters of importance to them. We also consult the publicly available policies of our major investors to better understand their views on ESG and other matters of importance to them. These meetings provide senior leadership and the Board with valuable insights into our investors’ perspectives.

Business
Highlights

Thank you to our extraordinary colleagues for your passion, innovation, dedication to each other, and to your spirit of excellence. We also thank our loyal customers, vendors, investors, and communities for your continued support.

Performance Highlights

We achieved numerous financial and operating records at each of our three primary operating platforms, resulting in record annual consolidated operating and financial performance. During 2021, we substantially completed our investment in our $2.0 billion new next-generation Southwest-Sinton Flat Roll Division, which has commenced production.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a part of our long-term value creation strategy. We are dedicated to our people, our communities, and our environment. We are committed to operating our business with the highest integrity and have been since our founding.

Our commitment to all aspects of sustainability is embedded in our founding principles  —  valuing our teams, our partners, our communities, and our environment. These strategic principles drive long-term value creation for all of our stakeholders.

Environmental Performance

In 2021, we announced environmental goals which laid out our near-term and long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and renewable electric energy targets. Our steelmaking operations already meet the 2050 intensity targets under the Paris Agreement and its 2°C scenario1. Additionally, we are aligned with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) as we plan for our steel mills to meet the SBTi “well below 2°C” scenario target for combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity by at least 20302.

We plan to continue to proactively address our environmental impact and to play a leadership role in innovative ways to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment.

We published our second comprehensive sustainability report in 2020, increasing disclosures and highlighting our strong environmental, social, and governance performance. We provided additional disclosures utilizing the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s (SASB) Iron & Steel Producers Standard, as well as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework.

During 2022, we published our sustainability update which provided updated and additional environmental and social data for 2020, as well as discussions on our key objectives and performance. Our sustainability reports and initiatives can be found at http://www.steeldynamics.com/Sustainability.

During 2022, we will publish our full sustainability report with plans to include disclosure consistent with the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosure (TCFD). We also expect to expand our disclosures by completing our first CDP Climate Change Questionnaire. Additionally, we plan to continue to report disclosures based on the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and Global Reporting Initiative frameworks.

Health and Safety

The health and safety of our teams is and always will be our primary focus and core value. We want each individual to arrive at the workplace and return home safely each day  —  without injury. Health and safety is the first of our six pillars with a goal of zero  —  no accidents or injuries. This is achievable when we all work together.

The total recordable injury rate1 for each of our platforms was better than industry benchmarks during 2021:

During 2021, we continued to confront the global spread of COVID-19 with our team’s health and safety the primary objective and focus. We were proactive in early 2020 and implemented numerous practices and policies to protect our colleagues, many of which remain in place today. We will continue to monitor the situation and take every step to provide an environment that protects our people, their families, and our communities, while also serving our customers.

Inclusion and Diversity

Our people are the foundation of our success and are our most important resource. Our culture safeguards all people and requires each person to be treated fairly and with dignity. We have equal employment opportunity, no tolerance for harassment of any kind, respect for human rights, inclusion, and diversity  —  all of which focus on our expectations of treating every person with the utmost respect.

We recognize the value of having a business that reflects diversity of backgrounds and experiences. We work together as a unified team and respect each other as individuals. Our team-based compensation structure reinforces this philosophy. We strive to create a welcoming, open, and inclusive environment, ensuring the best ideas are heard and valued regardless of the position or the individual. We believe these ideals will continue to drive our success.

Our teams and colleagues represent the diversity of the communities where we live and work. Our employee population is representative of our industry and communities with 11% of our colleagues being female and 26% of our colleagues considered ethnically diverse. Additionally, of the eight individuals on our senior leadership team, one is female and one is ethnically diverse (Hispanic).

Executive
Compensation
Highlights

General
Information

Voting Information

On March 11, 2022, there were 189,518,389 shares of common stock outstanding. A list of shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting is available at our corporate office and will also be available at the meeting. Each share is entitled to one vote on each matter properly brought before the meeting. The presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the shares that are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is necessary to constitute a quorum for all purposes and all proposals.

We realize that most of you will not be able to attend the meeting in person, but it is very important that your shares be voted. We can only take action at the Annual Meeting, with respect to a particular matter, if a quorum, or majority, of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote on that matter is present at the Annual Meeting. Therefore, unless you intend to come to the Annual Meeting and vote in person, or you intend to vote via the Internet or by phone, we are asking for your proxy to authorize the persons named in the proxy to be present at the Annual Meeting, to represent you, and to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting in accordance with your instructions.

If your shares of common stock are registered in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., you are the ‘shareholder of record’. If your shares are registered in the name of a broker, bank, custodian, or other nominee, that person is the shareholder of record and you are considered the ‘beneficial owner’.

Meeting Information

Date & Time

Thursday, May 5, 2022 / 9:00am Eastern Time

Place

Fort Wayne Country Club
5221 Covington Road
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804

Record Date

March 11, 2022

Voting

You are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting if you were a shareholder of record at the close of business on the record date

Voting Shares Held in Your Name
(Shareholder of Record)

If you are the record owner, regardless of whether you have received a paper copy of these proxy materials or only a Notice, you may vote your shares according to one of the four methods listed under “How to Vote Your Shares.” If you choose to vote by mail using your proxy card, your “proxy”  —  that is, the persons named in your proxy card  —  will then vote your shares as you have directed. If you send in your proxy and do not revoke it, your shares will be voted in accordance with your instructions. If you do not specify how you want your shares voted with respect to one or more proposals, your shares will be voted FOR each proposal.

Voting Shares Held by Brokers, Banks, Custodians or Other Nominees (Beneficial Owners)

Most shareholders arrange to have their shares held by brokers, banks, custodians or other nominees. In such case, your name, as the actual beneficial owner, does not appear in our stock register. The broker first informs us how many of their clients are beneficial owners and we provide them with the number of sets of proxy materials and proxy cards for the broker to then forward those proxy materials to shareholders to obtain voting instructions. For this reason, if your shares are held by your broker, you should follow your broker’s instructions included on that form when you receive the proxy materials from your broker.

If you do not give your voting instructions to your broker, your broker may not be able to vote your shares. Under applicable rules of self-regulatory organizations governing brokers, your broker, bank, custodian or other nominee will only be able to vote your shares with respect to so-called items that are considered “discretionary.” Discretionary items are proposals considered routine under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, so in such situations your broker may vote these shares even in the absence of your voting instructions. For the 2022 Annual Meeting, the only discretionary item is Proposal No. 2, the ratification of the selection of our independent registered public accounting firm.

Election of Directors

For purposes of the election of directors (Proposal No. 1), the eleven director nominees who receive the highest number of votes cast “for” the election of those directors will be elected. However, the Board has adopted a policy requiring that, in advance of and as a condition to being approved as a candidate for election, each candidate must have agreed that if he or she receives a “withhold” vote of greater than 50% of all the votes cast or present at the meeting, the Board will consider that a majority vote “against” that person. Accordingly, he or she will be deemed to have automatically resigned. Under that policy, should this occur, the Board, in the exercise of its discretion, has the ability to override the resignation, but only if, upon a consideration of all pertinent factors, the Board makes an affirmative determination that accepting such resignation would not be in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders.

Other Proposals

For all proposals, other than Proposal No. 1 (the election of directors), the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on the item will be required for approval. On such matters, you may vote “for,” “against” or “abstain.” A proxy marked “abstain” with respect to an item will not be voted, although it will be counted for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum. Accordingly, an abstention will have the same effect as a negative vote.

Mail

If you have received a paper copy of these proxy materials, you may mark, sign, date and return your enclosed proxy card in the enclosed envelope.

Telephone

If you have received a paper copy of these proxy materials, you may vote by using the toll-free telephone number and instructions shown on your proxy card, if your shares are registered directly in your name or, if not, by marking, signing, dating and returning your enclosed voting card; if this option is also offered by your bank or broker, in either case using a secure control number and account number by 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 4, 2022.

Internet

Whether in paper form or by Notice only, by using the Notice or web site information and instructions listed on your proxy card or in the form of Notice, if your shares are registered directly in your name or, if not, if this option is also offered by your bank or broker in either case using a secure control number and account number by 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 4, 2022.

In person at the meeting

If your shares are registered directly in your own name, you may vote by paper ballot handed out at the Annual Meeting, provided that you have with you the Notice or proxy card that you received from the Company. But if your shares are registered in the name of your bank or broker, and if you wish to be able to vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting, you will first need to check the box on the Voter Instruction Form you will receive with your proxy material, ask that you be provided with a “Legal Proxy” and then actually use this to vote your shares. If you don’t use that Legal Proxy, your vote will not count. The method by which you vote will not limit your right to vote in person at the meeting if you decide to attend the meeting, provided that you follow the foregoing instructions for voting in person

We do not know of any other business to be transacted at the Annual Meeting, other than those matters described in this Proxy Statement. However, should any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, including consideration of a motion to adjourn the meeting to another time or place in order to solicit additional proxies in favor of the recommendations of the Board of Directors, the persons named as proxies and acting thereunder will have the discretion to vote on those matters according to their best judgment, to the same extent as the person granting the proxy.

Revoking Your Vote

You may revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the meeting in one of four ways:

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Notify our Chief Financial Officer, Theresa E. Wagler, in writing and before the meeting;

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Submit the appropriate form of proxy with a later date than your earlier proxy;

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Vote by telephone or Internet on a later date than the date you earlier voted; or

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Vote in person at the meeting in accordance with the foregoing instructions.

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Multiple Shareholders Sharing the Same Address

Under rules adopted by the SEC, we are permitted to deliver a single copy of our Proxy Statement and annual report, or notice of availability of these materials, to shareholders sharing the same last name and address. This process, called householding, allows us to reduce resources required to print and mail these materials. If you would like to stop householding for your account, you may contact our Investor Relations Department in the manner described below under the heading “Investor Relations Department,” including your name, address, and account number.

Cost of Preparing, Mailing and Soliciting Proxies

We will pay all of the costs of preparing, printing, and mailing these proxy materials and related solicitation services. We will ask brokers to forward all proxy materials or Notice to the persons who were our beneficial owners on the record date. We will reimburse such brokers for their expenses incurred in sending proxies and proxy materials to our beneficial owners.

In addition, proxies may be solicited on our behalf in person, or by telephone, e-mail or other electronic means, by our officers, directors, and employees who will receive no additional compensation for soliciting. We have also engaged Okapi Partners to assist us in the solicitation of proxies. We have agreed to pay Okapi Partners a fee of  $9,500, plus expenses for these services.

Voting Results

We will publish the voting results from our Annual Meeting on our Company’s website at www.steeldynamics.com under “Investors” following the Annual Meeting, as well as in a current report on Form 8-K, which we will file with the SEC within four business days following the Annual Meeting.

Investor Relations Department

You may contact our Investor Relations Department in one of three ways:

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Writing to Steel Dynamics, Inc., Investor Relations Department, 7575 West Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804;

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E-mail to investor@steeldynamics.com; or

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Phone the Investor Relations Department at 260.969.3500.

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Shareholder Communications with Directors

If you wish to communicate with our Board of Directors, Board Chair, Lead Independent Director, or the Chair of any particular Board committee, you may do so by sending a communication, marked “Shareholder Communication,” in care of our Chief Financial Officer, Theresa E. Wagler to our corporate offices, 7575 West Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804. Your letter should describe your share ownership and how your shares are held. Our Chief Financial Officer will review each such communication and, depending upon the subject matter, will forward the communication to the director to whom it is addressed, or, as appropriate, to our Board Chair, Lead Independent Director, the Company’s legal counsel, or deal with the subject matter directly.

Governance of
the Company

Our business affairs are managed under the direction of our Board of Directors in accordance with the Indiana Business Corporation Law, our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, and our Amended and Restated Bylaws. The Board is elected by shareholders to oversee and provide guidance with respect to the Company’s business and affairs. The role of our Board of Directors is to effectively govern the affairs of the Company for the long-term benefit of our investors, our teams, our customers, and other stakeholders. The Board, in concert with senior leadership, develops and oversees the Company’s long-term strategy and execution of its strategic plan, all in accordance with sound corporate governance policies and practices designed and routinely assessed to enable the Company to operate its business responsibly and with integrity.

The Board ensures the continuity of the Company and its mission through the election and appointment of qualified senior leadership to inspire our people and lead the Company. In addition, senior leadership regularly keeps Board members updated regarding developments affecting our business and industry. The Board is also responsible for ensuring that our activities are conducted in a responsible and ethical manner. We are committed to sound corporate governance principles.

Policies & Charters

We operate under corporate governance principles and practices that are reflected in a set of written Corporate Governance Policies. Our policies and charters are reviewed regularly and amended as needed. The following documents are available on our website at www.steeldynamics.com under “Investors  —  Corporate Governance.”

Corporate Policies

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Corporate Governance Policies

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Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

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Code of Ethics for Principal Executive Officers and Senior Financial Officers

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Statement of Policy for the Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons

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Policy Governing the Receipt, Retention and Treatment of Complaints

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Supplier Code of Business Conduct

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Environmental Policy Statement

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Human Rights Policy

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Political Contributions and Advocacy Report

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Committee Charters

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Audit Committee Charter

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Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Charter

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Compensation Committee Charter

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The Board annually makes both an affirmative objective and subjective determination that all independence standards have been and continue to be met by the designated independent directors and members of each of our three standing committees, including compliance with the additional heightened independence standards prescribed by SEC and Nasdaq Listing Rules for audit committee and compensation committee members. To be found to be objectively independent, a director must be not be an officer or an employee of Steel Dynamics, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. They must not have any relationship with Steel Dynamics, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries, or with management (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an entity that has such a relationship) which, in the Board’s opinion, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities as a director.

The Board made its independence determination with respect to each director for calendar year 2021 and for each director nominee for election to the Board of Directors at the 2022 Annual Meeting. The Board has similarly made an additional affirmative determination of independence with respect to each member of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee, under the special audit committee and compensation committee independence criteria set forth under applicable SEC rules and Nasdaq Listing Rules.

The Board determined that during 2021 nine of the twelve members of our Board of Directors met all independence requirements, at all times constituting 75% of our twelve-member Board. The independent members were Sheree L. Bargabos, Frank D. Byrne, M.D., Kenneth W. Cornew, Traci M. Dolan, James C. Marcuccilli, Gabriel L. Shaheen, Bradley S. Seaman, Luis M. Sierra and Steven A. Sonnenberg. Frank D. Byrne, M.D. has elected not to be included as a director nominee for Steel Dynamics at the 2022 Annual Meeting. The Board has determined that, if re-elected at the 2022 Annual Meeting, the same eight directors would continue to meet all independence criteria. In addition, the Board determined that all members of each of the three standing committees have been and will continue to meet all independence requirements.

We believe our board and governance framework provides for a sound and strong corporate governance environment. The Board has the flexibility to decide when the positions of Chair of the Board and CEO should be combined or separated, as well as whether an executive or an independent director should be Board Chair. If the Chair of the Board is not an independent director, the Board will designate one of its independent directors to serve as a lead independent director (as we have since 2011). This allows the Board to choose the leadership structure that it believes will best serve the interest of our shareholders at any particular time.

Chair of the Board

During 2021, Mr. Mark D. Millett served as our Chief Executive Officer and non-independent Board Chair. Mr. Millett is a founder of our Company and was appointed as our Board Chair at our 2021 Annual Meeting. As Board Chair, he presided as such at the Company’s Board meetings. The Company’s Board Chair serves at the pleasure of the Board and is appointed annually by the Board following the Annual Meeting.

Lead Independent Director

If the Chair of the Board is not an independent director, the Board will designate one of its independent directors to serve as a lead independent director, and this individual will be appointed annually following the Annual Meeting. As such, the Company’s Board operated with a Lead Independent Director in 2021. James C. Marcuccilli has served as our Lead Independent Director since 2011.

The Lead Independent Director: presides at Board meetings at which the Board Chair is not present; presides at Board executive sessions of the independent directors; serves as a liaison between senior leadership and the Board as well as between the Chair and the independent directors; assists the Board committee chairs in preparing agendas for the respective committee meetings; has the authority to call meetings of the independent directors, and performs other functions and responsibilities requested by the Board.

The Board considers that the Lead Independent Director’s active involvement in the foregoing functions and activities ensures the Board maintains independent oversight.

Independent Directors

Eight of eleven, or 73%, of our Board nominees are considered independent. These members meet in executive session at least quarterly. In addition, all of our committees are comprised of 100% independent members, and also meet regularly in executive sessions.

Committee Chairs

All committee chairs are independent and provide leadership for their respective committees. They provide an important resource for communications between the Board and the company’s senior leadership.

Board Committees

The Board of Directors has three standing committees, each consisting entirely of independent directors: an Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

The Board, together with senior leadership, regularly reviews the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Act and the implementing rules thereunder, the rules and pronouncements of the SEC, pertinent provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), and the Listing Rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market regarding corporate governance policies, processes, and listing standards, including applicable audit and compensation committee independence standards. In conformity with such requirements, the committees of the Board operate under written charters. All three committees, at least annually, review and, as necessary, revise their charters to take into account updated charter, legislative, regulatory, and listing standards requirements, as well as other governance best practices.

The following describes the operations and key responsibilities for each Board committee:

The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for risk oversight and focuses on the most significant risks facing the Company. The Board discharges its risk oversight responsibilities, in part, through delegation to its senior leadership team and, as applicable, to various of its committees, facilitated through both a top-down and bottom-up communication structure. In this regard, the Board believes that evaluating the executive team’s management of the various risks confronting the Company is one of its most important areas of oversight. In carrying out this critical responsibility, the Board with senior leadership’s assistance, regularly reviews the Company’s significant macroeconomic and business-specific risks, including but not limited to, health and safety, talent development, human resources, diversity and inclusion, financial, operational, information and cybersecurity, business continuity, legal, environmental, trade, technological and regulatory exposures.

While the Board and its committees oversee risk management strategy, leadership is responsible for implementing and supervising day-to-day execution and reporting to the Board and its committees on such matters. In this regard, the Board reviews and challenges the steps leadership has taken to actively assess, manage, monitor, and mitigate areas of exposure. Outlined below are the key areas of responsibility for each of the committees and how the Board and senior leadership supports each other in this critical function.

The Audit Committee reviews the Company’s risk management processes, systems and controls which senior leadership has established. Specifically, among other topics, the Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing the risks related to financial reporting and disclosure processes, as well as, capital structure, cybersecurity and information technology, liquidity sufficiency, financial regulatory compliance and market trends. The Audit Committee regularly discusses with senior leadership the Company’s significant financial risk exposures to ensure adequate mitigation is in place.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee reviews legal and regulatory compliance risks as they relate to, among other things, corporate governance practices and processes. In that review are the risks related to environmental, climate and social matters that may arise, including the sustainability impact our operations have on our communities and the environment and the diversity of our teams. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is responsible for the oversight of the Company’s sustainability performance. The Committee receives periodic reports on initiatives the company is pursuing related to climate change mitigation. The Committee was instrumental in providing feedback and guidance as the Company set environmental goals and pursued initiatives throughout the year. The Committee and senior leadership provide related information to the full Board based on these discussions, and how these initiatives will impact the Company’s strategic direction.

The Compensation Committee reviews our executive compensation programs to ensure they are using performance-based metrics that are aligned with Board and stakeholder strategy, and that they do not encourage unnecessary or excessive risk-taking. As described in further detail in our Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the Compensation Committee is evaluating a number of environmental, social and safety metrics for potential inclusion in our executive’s compensation to further align with stakeholder’s interests. As part of its review, the Compensation Committee utilizes its independent compensation consultant, Compensia, in its determination. During 2021, the Compensation Committee determined that our compensation programs do not encourage unnecessary or excessive risk-taking.

Executive officers’ base salaries are fixed in amount and thus do not encourage risk-taking. Annual cash incentives are formulaic and tied to specific Company financial performance metrics. The majority of compensation provided to the executive officers is in the form of time-based and performance-based equity awards that vest or are earned over a number of years and help further align executive officers’ interests with those of our investors. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee believes that these awards do not encourage unnecessary or excessive risk-taking because the ultimate value of the awards is tied to the Company’s performance over several years, and awards are subject to regular vesting schedules to help ensure that a significant component of executive compensation is tied to long-term value creation.

The Compensation Committee has also reviewed the Company’s compensation programs for team members in general and has concluded that these programs also do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have an adverse effect on the Company. The Compensation Committee believes that the Company’s compensation programs provide an effective and appropriate mix of incentives to help ensure performance is focused on long-term value creation and does not encourage short-term risk taking at the expense of long-term results.

Director Nomination Process

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee regularly reviews the Company’s Board composition to continually update incumbent director skills, contributions and experiences, and for the purpose of identifying potential candidates for board membership in the event of possible retirements, unanticipated vacancies or board expansion. This process first identifies skills that are needed to support the Company and its near and long-term strategies, while also considering the factors listed below, and then identifies potential nominees to fill the need. 

The Committee seeks proposed nominees with a reputation for the highest ethical and moral standards and integrity. The Committee reviews background information on each proposed nominee, including the proposed nominee’s accomplishments, experience, and skills. The Committee pursues nominees with skills including independent judgment, a proper understanding of the role of a director in governance, and financial literacy. A commitment to represent the long-term interests of the Company and our investors, as well as a commitment to prepare for, attend and actively participate in Board and committee meetings as well as a willingness to devote the necessary time and attention to the Company’s business and the needs of the Board and its committees is essential.

Among other things the Committee takes into account such factors as particular industry and general business knowledge, operating experience, demonstrated ethical business conduct, familiarity with or experience regarding business matters, exposure to public company governance matters, considerations such as safety, logistics, legal/governmental/environmental regulation experience, information technology, and risk assessment, as part of the director candidate qualification process.

Proposed nominees may be referred or recommended to the Committee from many different sources, including but not limited to members of the Committee, by other directors, by outside persons or advisors, by a shareholder in accordance with the procedures described below, or under the direction of the Committee and for its consideration and approval, by an outside independent professional search firm.

Board Diversity

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee recognizes that a diverse set of skills and backgrounds is essential to proper functioning of our Board and that the judgments and perspectives offered by a diverse board of directors improves the quality of decision-making and enhances board performance. The Committee seeks persons within a broad range of business and personal experiences and backgrounds, considers a multitude of factors including, but not limited to, gender, race, ethnicity, country of origin and age. During 2021, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee nominated Mr. Sierra who brings a strong background in industrial and international operations, commercial and organizational strategy, and financial acumen to our Board. Mr. Sierra also has worked

extensively outside of the United States and is bilingual, speaking Spanish.

Currently two of our Board members self-identified as female and two of our Board members self-identified as ethnically diverse (Middle Eastern and Hispanic). The Committee believes it is important to create a Board with a diversity of experience, expertise, gender, race and ethnicity  —  therefore, the Committee commits to include in each search, candidates who reflect diverse backgrounds, including diversity of gender, race, and ethnicity.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee believes the Board has met the diversity objectives of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(f)(2)(A).

Annual Director Evaluations

Members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee also evaluate the continued candidacy of incumbent Board members based on the same criteria applicable to new candidates, taking into consideration such factors as age, board tenure, membership on other public company boards of directors, diversity, ability to provide subject matter expertise and insight into our long-term strategic direction and the extent to which through his or her prior participation and performance he or she has met the applicable criteria for continued Board membership and has developed a valuable in-depth knowledge of the Company and its business.

Director Meetings and the Annual Meeting

The Board held six regularly scheduled and special meetings during 2021. All directors attended at least 75% of those meetings, as well as the meetings of each of the committees on which they served. As the Board, the Company’s independent directors met in executive session four times during 2021, without the Company’s leadership present.

We encourage all members of the Board to attend our Annual Meeting. At the 2021 Annual Meeting all directors were in attendance with most attending virtually due to restrictions related to COVID-19.

Leadership Succession Planning

The Board also engages in regular discussions with the Chief Executive Officer regarding leadership succession planning at all senior levels, including the Chief Executive Officer, and to the identification, development, and promotion of critical talent to address both planned and unplanned leadership transitions. The Chief Executive Officer reports at least semi-annually on succession and leadership development planning. The Company also encourages talent development and succession planning at all levels throughout the organization through broad-based ongoing education and development opportunities. The Company has developed internal programs for company-wide development opportunities specifically designed to teach leadership skills and how they are interpreted within the Company’s culture. 

Statement of Policy for the Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons

Under our policy, once a person has been identified as a “related person,” and if there is a proposed transaction of $120,000 or more involving the related person and the Company or any of its subsidiaries, the transaction must be considered, approved or ratified by the Audit Committee. For purposes of our Policy, a “related person” is a person who is (or at any time since the beginning of our last fiscal year was) a director, director nominee, executive officer, 5% shareholder, immediate family member of any of the foregoing, an entity which is owned or controlled by any of such persons, or any other person which our Audit Committee or Board has so identified.

Covered transactions will normally be approved in advance by the Audit Committee, unless, upon certification by our Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer that a determination cannot be practicably made prior to the next Audit Committee meeting, the Chair of the Audit Committee is able to review and approve the proposed related person transaction, subject, however, to the prompt reporting of the transaction to the full Audit Committee.

The Audit Committee determined during 2021 there were no material related party transactions with Named Executive Officers or directors.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of our current or former officers or employees or any current or former officers or employees of our subsidiaries, served as a member of the Compensation Committee during 2021. Moreover, during 2021 (a) none of our executive officers served on the compensation committee of another entity, any of whose executive officers served on our Compensation Committee, and (b) none of our executive officers served as a director of another entity, any of whose executive officers served on our Compensation Committee.

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our non-employee directors and our executive officers to file with the SEC initial reports of beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock and other equity securities or derivatives as well as reports of changes in beneficial ownership. These persons are required to provide us with a copy of their required Section 16(a) reports as and when they are filed. Based on our records and information furnished to us by our executive officers and directors, we believe that all Exchange Act filing requirements with respect to 2021 were met, except for one delinquent Form 4 required to have been filed on or prior to May 12, 2021 by Mr. Pushis and one delinquent Form 3 required to have been filed on or prior to November 22, 2021 by Mr. Sierra.

Shareholder Nominations

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider suggestions from shareholders for potential director nominees. In order to provide the Committee sufficient time to evaluate proposed nominees, a shareholder desiring to recommend a proposed nominee for consideration by the Committee, for nomination at the 2023 Annual Meeting, should send any such recommendation to Steel Dynamics, Inc., Attention: Chief Financial Officer, Theresa E. Wagler, 7575 West Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804, no later than November 29, 2022, who will then forward it to the Committee. Any such recommendation should include a description of the proposed nominee’s qualifications for Board service, the proposed nominee’s written

consent to be considered for nomination and to serve if nominated and elected, stock ownership information, including date or dates of purchase, the proposed nominee’s resume, information regarding any relationship, as well as any understandings between the proposing shareholder, the proposed nominee, and any other person or organization regarding the proposed nominee’s board service, if elected, and the addresses and telephone numbers for contacting the shareholder and/or the proposed nominee for more information.

Shareholder Proposals for 2023

Any shareholder satisfying the requirements of Exchange Act Rule 14a-8 and wishing to submit a proposal for inclusion in our proxy statement for our 2023 Annual Meeting must submit the proposal in writing to the attention of our Chief Financial Officer, Theresa E. Wagler, at 7575 West Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804, no later than November 29, 2022. Exchange Act Rule 14a-8 contains detailed eligibility and procedural requirements for determining whether you will be permitted to submit your proposal and have it included in the proxy statement. These include requirements regarding the minimum market value of the shares you hold, the length of time you have held those shares, and the applicable deadline for submitting the proposal.

In addition, if a shareholder does not submit a timely or otherwise qualifying proposal for inclusion in 2023’s Annual Meeting Proxy Statement but may still wish to make a business proposal at that meeting for consideration at the meeting, including a nomination for director, will be required to have delivered written notice to our Chief Financial Officer no later than November 29, 2022 containing biographical and other required information pertinent to the subject matter of the proposal. There were no such proposals submitted for consideration at this year’s Annual Meeting. Were such a proposal to be made at next year’s Annual Meeting, a proxy granted by a shareholder prior to next year’s Annual Meeting will be deemed to have given discretionary authority to the proxies to vote that individual’s shares on any matter so introduced at next year’s Annual Meeting.

Ten of the persons listed below are incumbent members of our Board and, except for Luis M. Sierra, were elected at the 2021 Annual Meeting. As a result of its ongoing director performance review by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee (see “Director Nomination Process”) each incumbent Board member’s service and performance as a director during 2021 was evaluated by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and was determined to have met all expectations for continued Board membership. In addition, Mr. Sierra’s qualifications were reviewed and found to fit nicely with the Board member qualifications criteria established by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. The Committee determined that it would be in the best interest of the Company that each director, whom have expressed his or her willingness to continue to serve, should continue to do so. Accordingly, eleven director candidates, having indicated their willingness to stand for election for an additional one-year term, were recommended for nomination by the Committee and are hereby nominated for election to the Board.

Each director, if elected, will serve until our 2023 Annual Meeting, or until a qualified successor director has been elected. All but Messrs. Millett, Busse and Teets are, and will continue to be, independent directors. In the event that any nominee at the time of the election is unable to serve or is otherwise unavailable for election, the Board, upon recommendation of the Corporate

Governance and Nominating Committee, may select a substitute nominee. In that event, the persons named in the enclosed proxy intend to vote the proxy for the person so selected. We do not anticipate that any nominee will be unable to serve.

In addition, the Board has also reviewed all transactions during 2021 between Steel Dynamics, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, and companies or entities in which a director or a family member or affiliate might have owned any interest, for the purpose of ensuring that such transactions, if any, were approved in accordance with our “Statement of Policy For the Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions With Related Persons”, and, further, for the purpose of determining whether any of such transactions impacted the independence of any director. The Board has affirmatively determined that none of the independent directors is an officer or employee of the Company, or any of our subsidiaries, and none of such persons have any relationships which, in the opinion of our Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Ownership of a significant amount of our stock, by itself, does not constitute a material relationship or impact that person’s independence.

The board of directors recommends a vote for each of the following nominees

Mark D. Millett

Position: Co-founder, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Director Since: 1993

Age: 62 (Male / Caucasian)

Outside Public Company Directorships: None

Committees: None

Education: Bachelor’s degree in metallurgy from the University of Surrey in England (1981)

Key Qualifications: Mr. Millett brings to the Board strong leadership and industry experience having co-founded the Company and led the Company as its President and CEO since January 2012, through a period of tremendous long-term strategic growth. His experience as a seasoned public company CEO, coupled with his steel industry experience and his operational, commercial, cultural and strategic expertise, are valuable assets to the Board.

Professional Background: Mr. Millett co-founded the Company in 1993. Mr. Millett has been our Board Chair since May 2021 and has been our President and Chief Executive Officer since January 2012. Prior to that, he has held various positions within the Company, including President and Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President of Metals Recycling and Ferrous Resources, and Executive Vice President of Flat Roll Operations. Mr. Millett was responsible for the design, construction, and start-up operation of all of our steel mills, including our Butler, Indiana flat roll, melting, and casting operations. Mr. Millett currently serves as Chairman of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA). During 2019, Mr. Millett was named the recipient of the James F. Collins Achievement in Advocacy Award by the SMA. During 2014, Mr. Millett was named Steelmaker of the Year by the Association of Iron and Steel Technology.

Sheree L. Bargabos

Position: Director

Director Since: 2018

Age: 66 (Female / Caucasian)

Outside Public Company Directorships: PGT Innovations, Inc.

Committees: Audit Committee and Compensation Committee Member

Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and an M.B.A. from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts

Key Qualifications: Among numerous strong leadership characteristics, Ms. Bargabos brings a strong background in industrial operations, safety practices, commercial platforms, employee matters and operational excellence to our Board.

Professional Background: Retired. Ms. Bargabos served from 2002 through 2012 as the President of the Roofing and Asphalt Division of Owens Corning, a global manufacturer of composites and building materials. In her capacity as President, Ms. Bargabos was responsible for the $2 billion roofing and asphalt business segment, managing 2,000 employees across 14 manufacturing locations. From 2013 through her retirement in 2015, Ms. Bargabos assumed the role of Vice President, Customer Experience, Roofing, helping to facilitate the successful transition of her successor, among other responsibilities.

Keith E. Busse

Position: Co-founder and Director

Director Since: 1993

Age: 79 (Male / Caucasian)

Outside Public Company Directorships: None

Committees: None

Education: Undergraduate degree in accounting from International Business College, a degree in business finance from the University of St. Francis and a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University

Key Qualifications: Mr. Busse brings to the Board strong leadership and industry experience having co-founded the Company. He brings an innovative and strategic steel industry perspective to our Board, providing unique insight and guidance having led our Company through significant growth during his 18 years of leadership as CEO.

Professional Background: Retired. Mr. Busse served as our Chief Executive Officer from inception through 2011. Mr. Busse also, from 1993 until May 2007, was our President, at which time he became Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer. He served as our Board Chair through May 2021. He grew the Company from the original 1.4 million tons of annual steelmaking capability to 7.4 million tons upon his retirement in 2011. He also initiated the Company’s fabrication and metals recycling platforms during that timeframe. Mr. Busse was named Steelmaker of the Year in 2005 by the Association of Iron and Steel Technology and was named by Business Week Magazine as one of the Top 10 entrepreneurs in the United States.

Kenneth W. Cornew

Position: Director

Director Since: 2016

Age: 57 (Male / Caucasian)

Outside Public Company Directorships: None

Committees: Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and Compensation Committee Member

Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University (1987) and an MBA from Drexel University (1995)

Key Qualifications: Mr. Cornew brings to the Board a comprehensive understanding and experience in power operations, commodity cycles, commercial expertise, strategic growth, mergers and acquisitions, safety, and process improvement. He also brings an extensive knowledge and understanding of public company governance and regulatory matters.

Professional Background: Retired. Mr. Cornew served from 2013 through early 2021 as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Exelon Corporation and President and CEO of Exelon Generation. Mr. Cornew was responsible for the operations of Exelon’s nuclear, fossil, and renewable fleets, as well as the commercial and retail businesses of Constellation. In 1990 Mr. Cornew joined Exelon where, throughout his career, he was instrumental in establishing and growing the company’s competitive energy business. Prior to joining Exelon, Mr. Cornew worked for PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization and part of the U.S. Eastern Interconnection Grid serving several states in the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West regions. Mr. Cornew was leader in advocacy for the industry and served on the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Research Institute whose focus is research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity. Mr. Cornew currently serves on the Industry Advisory Board for Rutgers School of Engineering and has previously served on the Advisory Board of FM Global Washington/Philadelphia and the Board of Trustees for the Living Classrooms Foundation.

Traci M. Dolan

Position: Director

Director Since: 2012

Age: 64 (Female / Caucasian)

Outside Public Company Directorships: None

Committees: Audit Committee Chair and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Member

Education: Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Indiana University (1981)

Key Qualifications: Ms. Dolan brings to the Board a comprehensive knowledge of accounting, finance and financial management, as well as, experience in managing and overseeing regulatory compliances in the areas of executive compensation and risk management involving public companies. Her background also brings an understanding of information technology and cyber risk to the Board to help ensure proper risk oversight.

Professional Background: Retired. Ms. Dolan served for ten years (2004  —  2014) with ExactTarget, Inc., a salesforce.com company, which provides global cross-channel interactive marketing software-as-a-service. From July 2011 to February 2014, she served as Chief Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary, responsible for human resources, executive compensation, legal and corporate governance, real estate, risk management, and shareholder relations. Prior to this, she served as principal financial officer responsible for all financial and administrative functions, including financial and strategic planning, accounting, tax and treasury functions, among other responsibilities. From 2000  —  2004, Ms. Dolan served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration, Secretary and Treasurer of Made2Manage Systems, Inc.

James C. Marcuccilli

Position: Lead Independent Director

Director Since: 2005

Age: 71 (Male / Caucasian)

Outside Public Company Directorships: None

Committees: Compensation Committee and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Member

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business finance from the University of Notre Dame (1973)

Key Qualifications: Mr. Marcuccilli brings to the Board his comprehensive experience in financial analysis, commercial understanding, banking, organizational management, strategic growth, and information technology and cyber risk. His background as a successful financial entrepreneur also brings a depth of knowledge concerning regulatory and governance matters.

Professional Background: Mr. Marcuccilli has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of STAR Financial Bank, a regional bank based in Fort Wayne, Indiana since 2016 and as President and Chief Executive Officer of STAR Financial Bank from 1997 to 2016. Mr. Marcuccilli serves as a director of STAR Financial Group, Inc., the holding company parent of STAR Financial Bank, as well as a director of STAR Financial Bank. Prior to that, Mr. Marcuccilli had responsibility for oversight of nine of STAR’s financial institutions throughout Indiana. He has served as chairman of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership from 2008-2009 and a board member of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (2004 to 2017).

Bradley S. Seaman

Position: Director

Director Since: 2013

Age: 62 (Male / Caucasian)

Outside Public Company Directorships: CPI Card Group, Inc., Chairman

Committees: Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Chair and Compensation Committee Member

Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University (1982) and an MBA from the University of Dallas (1986)

Key Qualifications: Mr. Seaman brings to the Board a comprehensive understanding and experience in the private equity markets, strategic initiatives, mergers & acquisitions, management experience, and both operational and corporate governance experience. He also brings an extensive knowledge and understanding of public company governance and regulatory matters.

Professional Background: Mr. Seaman has been employed, since August 1999, by Parallel49 Equity, a private equity firm (successor brand of Tricor Pacific Capital) that makes control investments in lower middle market companies in the United States and Canada. From 1999 through December 2011, Mr. Seaman was Managing Director and leader of its U.S. operations, and, since January 2012, has served as its Managing Partner, responsible for leading overall firm operations, strategy, funding, and investments. Mr. Seaman was employed by the General Electric Company from 1984  —  1999 in a series of increasingly responsible positions in both GE Plastics and GE Capital. At GE Capital, Mr. Seaman was ultimately promoted to lead transaction origination and structuring teams in the New York and Chicago offices for the Commercial Finance business which was focused on providing debt and equity for private equity backed transactions and he led GE’s equity investment in the start-up of Steel Dynamics.

Gabriel L. Shaheen

Position: Director

Director Since: 2009

Age: 68 (Male / Middle Eastern)

Outside Public Company Directorships: None

(previously served as Chairman of the board of Horace Mann Educators Corporation from 2010 to 2018).

Committees: Compensation Committee Chair and Audit Committee Member

Education: Bachelor’s degree in actuarial math from the University of Michigan (1976) and a master’s degree in actuarial science from the University of Michigan (1977)

Key Qualifications: Mr. Shaheen brings an extensive background of training, skills, and experience in the world of risk assessment and management, as well as management skills and experience in operating and supervising complex institutional relationships and major operating units of large publicly traded companies.

Professional Background: Mr. Shaheen was a founding partner of Insurex, LLC in 2018, served since 2000 as President, Chief Executive Officer and a principal of GLS Capital Ventures, LLC and partner of NxtStar Ventures, LLC from 2000 through 2018, all of them providing private advisory services to both start-up and existing life insurance, annuity insurance, and other financial services organizations, as well as to entities that serve such organizations. From January 1998 through December 1999, Mr. Shaheen served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, with responsibility for all of Lincoln’s life and annuity operations throughout the United States.

Luis M. Sierra

Position: Director

Director Since: 2021

Age: 58 (Male / Hispanic)

Outside Public Company Directorships: None

Committees: Compensation Committee Member

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida, a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Chicago

Key Qualifications: Mr. Sierra brings a strong background in industrial and international operations, commercial and organizational strategy, and financial acumen to our Board. Mr. Sierra also has worked extensively outside of the United States and is bilingual, speaking Spanish.

Professional Background: From July 2020 through present, Mr. Sierra serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of NOVA Chemicals Corporation, with annual 2020 revenues of  $3.2 billion and 2,400 worldwide team members. NOVA is a Canadian-based privately held company with operations in Canada and the United States, producing ethylene, polyethylene, and other chemical co-products. Prior to this time, Mr. Sierra had an over 30-year career with BP, holding various leadership positions, including most recently from 2013 to 2016 as the President of BP Aromatics, Americas, Europe and Middle East, and from 2016 to 2020 as the Chief Executive Officer of BP Global Aromatics, a $5 billion global chemicals business.

Steven A. Sonnenberg

Position: Director

Director Since: 2018

Age: 69 (Male / Caucasian)

Outside Public Company Directorships: Tennant Company, Chairman of the Board Sensata Technologies Holding plc, Director

Committees: Audit Committee and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Member

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.B.A in Business Administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Key Qualifications: Among numerous strong leadership characteristics, Mr. Sonnenberg brings a strong background in industrial and international operations to our Board, as well as a comprehensive understanding of public company governance and regulatory matters, talent development and succession practices, and commercial acumen.

Professional Background: Retired. Mr. Sonnenberg served from 2008 through 2016 as President of Emerson Electric Co.’s $8.5 billion Process Management Group, a worldwide 40,000-employee, eight business unit manufacturer of automation products for process industries, including oil and gas, chemical processing, power, life sciences, and metals and mining. In 2016, Mr. Sonnenberg became Chair of Emerson Electric Co.’s Automation Solutions business, which assists manufacturers to maximize performance through Emerson’s industry-leading portfolio of technologies to measure, control, optimize and power their operations. In 2018, he became Senior Advisor, Emerson Automation Solutions, until his retirement in 2019. In that role, he worked in the areas of leadership development and senior customer relations. For more than 15 years prior to his appointment as Emerson’s Process Management Group’s President, Mr. Sonnenberg managed various Emerson affiliated companies with operations throughout Asia and Europe.

​

Other Named Executive Officers

Theresa E. Wagler (51) has been our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary since May 2007. Ms. Wagler joined the Steel Dynamics corporate finance team in 1998, and has held various finance and accounting positions, including Chief Accounting Officer and Vice President and Corporate Controller. She is responsible for and oversees accounting and taxation, treasury, risk management, legal, information technology and cyber security, health and safety, human resources, sustainability strategy, and strategic business development functions, as well as, financial planning and analysis, investor relations, and corporate communications. Ms. Wagler also has various operational responsibilities, directly overseeing two operating joint ventures. Prior to joining Steel Dynamics, Ms. Wagler was a certified public accountant with Ernst & Young LLP. She graduated cum laude from Taylor University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and systems analysis. In addition, Ms. Wagler serves as a director and chair of the audit committee of CF Industries Holdings, Inc., a public company, and also serves as a director for Trine University and for the Metals Service Center Institute.

Russell B. Rinn (64) has been our Executive Vice President, Metals Recycling since July 2011. Mr. Rinn is responsible for OmniSource’s ferrous and nonferrous metals recycling operations including marketing, trading, and logistics activities. OmniSource procures metal scrap, processes it, and markets these recycled metals to external customers and supplies ferrous scrap to the Company’s steel mills. Prior to joining Steel Dynamics, Mr. Rinn was an Executive Vice President and President of Americas Division of Commercial Metals Company (CMC), a Texas-based mini-mill steel company. He has more than 40 years of experience in the steel and metals recycling industries. Mr. Rinn is a graduate of the Executive Program of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and of the Management Development Program at the University of Michigan’s Business School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance, Marketing and Business Administration from Texas Lutheran University.

Glenn A. Pushis (56) has been our Senior Vice President, Special Projects, since February 2019. Mr. Pushis is responsible for the successful design and construction of the Company’s new Southwest-Sinton Flat Roll Division developed to serve the Southwestern United States and Mexico. He has extensive experience in this capacity and has been instrumental in numerous construction projects for Steel Dynamics since its founding. Prior to that, Mr. Pushis served as Senior Vice President, Long Products Steel Group, responsible for the Company’s four long product steel mills. Mr. Pushis has been with Steel Dynamics since 1994, holding various operational and leadership roles, including roles within the Engineered Bar Products Division and the Butler Flat Roll Division. He was also part of the team that constructed the Company’s first steel mill in Butler, Indiana in 1994. Mr. Pushis earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and his MBA from Indiana University.

Barry T. Schneider (53) has been our Senior Vice President, Flat Roll Steel Group since March 2016. Mr. Schneider is responsible for the Company’s entire flat roll steel operations, including the Company’s two flat roll steel mills and numerous flat roll processing, coating, and distribution operations. Before that, Mr. Schneider served in various operational and leadership roles within the Company’s steel operations, including Engineered Bar Products Division and Butler Flat Roll Division. He was also part of the team that constructed the Company’s first steel mill in Butler, Indiana in 1994. Mr. Schneider earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master of science in engineering management from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. In addition, Mr. Schneider serves as a director for the Association of Iron & Steel Technology and Unity Aluminum.

Non-employee members of the Board may elect to defer up to 100% of their annual cash retainer relating to their Board service, in increments of 10%, in the form of additional deferred stock units (“DSU”), as further described below under “Equity Compensation.” The actual number of DSUs is determined by dividing the dollar amount of the board service cash retainer amount that is the subject of the election by the closing price of the Company’s common stock at the close of business on the last business day preceding the date of the elected cash retainer payment. This deferral election must be made prior to December 31st of the calendar year preceding the year for which the deferral election is made and to elect, in advance, the desired deferral period, specifically, for a period of either one year, or the earlier to occur of five years or one year following his or her retirement from the Board.

Equity Compensation

Non-employee members of the Board also receive an annual equity award, in the form of DSUs. In 2021, these director DSU awards each had a grant date fair value of $144,000. The grant is made annually, as of June 1, and the number of DSUs is determined by a formula, set forth in the Amended and Restated Steel Dynamics, Inc.

2015 Equity Incentive Plan (“2015 Plan”), under which the equity portion of the annual Board service retainer is divided by the closing price of the Company’s common stock at the close of business on the last business day preceding June 1, to arrive at the specified number of DSUs. Each DSU is a book-entry award expressed in common stock equivalent units and ultimately settled at the end of the deferral period in a like number of shares of the Company’s common stock.

Equity Ownership Policy for Directors

We maintain an equity ownership policy for the non-employee members of the Board. Under this policy, each non-employee member of the Board is required to own and hold shares of the Company’s common stock equal to at least five times his or her annual cash retainer, currently $125,000, for an aggregate of  $625,000. We review compliance with this policy annually and require each non-employee member of the Board to meet his or her respective equity ownership requirement within five years of joining the Board. We believe that each of the existing non-employee members of the Board either has satisfied, or will satisfy, this requirement on a timely basis. Our Board contains two of our top 15 shareholders and collectively our Board members own 4.8% of our outstanding common stock.

In accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, the Audit Committee has appointed Ernst & Young LLP (Ernst & Young) as our independent registered public accounting firm, to conduct our annual audit for the year 2022. Although not legally required, but in accordance with established policy, we are submitting this appointment to shareholders for ratification. In the event the appointment is not ratified, we anticipate that no change in auditors would be made for the current year because of the difficulty and expense of making any change mid-year. However, any such vote would be considered in connection with our deliberation of the appointment of an independent registered public accounting firm for 2023.

Ernst & Young conducted our annual audit for 2021, and representatives of Ernst & Young will be present and will be available at the meeting to respond to questions from shareholders, and, if the representatives desire, will have an opportunity to make a statement.

The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the approval of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2022.

Audit and Non-Audit Fees

The following table presents fees for services rendered by Ernst & Young, as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Consistent with SEC policies regarding auditor independence, the Audit Committee must pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm. Our Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy covers all services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm. The policy contemplates a general pre-approval for all audit, audit related, tax, and all other services that are permissible, with a general pre-approval period of twelve months from the date of each pre-approval. Any other proposed services that are to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, not covered by or exceeding the pre-approved levels or amounts, must be specifically approved in advance of service.

Prior to engagement, the Audit Committee will pre-approve the following categories of services:

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Audit fees include fees for (1) services rendered in connection with the audit of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in its annual Form 10-K and reviews of financial statements included in the quarterly Forms 10-Q; and (2) the review of internal control over financial reporting with the objective of obtaining reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.  Such work also includes, but is not limited to, fees for the review of the Company’s valuation of business combinations, accounting consultations on matters addressed during the audit including implementation of new accounting standards, services rendered in connection with comfort letters, statutory audits or other audits of subsidiaries, and services associated with statutory or regulatory filings or engagements, including SEC registration statements, periodic reports, and other documents filed with the SEC or other documents issued in connection with securities offerings.

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Tax fees include fees related to services performed by the independent registered public accounting firm tax personnel, except those services specifically related to the financial statements which are included in audit fees, and included tax advisory and compliance fees (including assistance with tax audits and appeals, tax compliance related to tax returns, tax advice relating to mergers and acquisitions, indirect tax matters, due diligence assistance regarding tax matters, and transfer pricing studies).

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Applicable SEC rules and the Audit Committee’s pre-approval policy permits the delegation of pre-approval authority for services not covered by the Audit Committee’s general pre-approval to the Chair of the Audit Committee.

Report of the Audit Committee

The Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Committee and approved by the Board, and is posted on the Company’s website at www.steeldynamics.com under “Investors  —  Corporate Governance.” The charter is reviewed at least annually and updated as necessary. The Audit Committee is comprised of five non-employee independent directors, each of whom met the definition of  “audit committee financial expert.”

Among its other responsibilities, summarized in this Proxy Statement under “Governance of the Company  —  The Audit Committee,” the Audit Committee oversees:

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The quality and integrity of our audited financial statements, accounting and financial reporting processes, and our systems of internal control over financial reporting, as well as for safeguarding of our assets;

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The appointment and oversight of our external independent registered public accounting firm, including review of their qualifications, independence and performance;

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Our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;

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The performance of our internal audit staff and internal audit function; and

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Our guidelines and policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management.

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Roles and Responsibilities

Management, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the Audit Committee each have different roles and responsibilities with respect to our financial statements and internal control over financial reporting.

Management is responsible for the preparation, presentation, and integrity of our consolidated financial statements, accounting and financial reporting principles, internal control over financial reporting, and disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure compliance with accounting standards, applicable laws and regulations. Management is also responsible for objectively reviewing and evaluating the adequacy, effectiveness, and quality of our system of internal control, and has delivered its opinion on the effectiveness of its controls.

Our independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young is responsible for performing an independent audit of our consolidated financial statements and for expressing an opinion, based on the results of their audit, whether the consolidated financial statements are fairly presented in all material respects, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. In addition, Ernst & Young, is also responsible for expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed

with the independent registered public accounting firm the assessment of the critical audit matter.

Oversight and Assessment of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Audit Committee selects and appoints our independent registered public accounting firm, reviews the performance of the independent registered public accounting firm in the annual audit and in assignments unrelated to the audit, and reviews and approves the fees. Ernst & Young has been Steel Dynamics’ independent registered public accounting firm since 1999 and in addition to its ongoing annual performance evaluation, the Audit Committee also considers the impact, if any, of auditor tenure when assessing whether to retain Ernst & Young. The Audit Committee approved the selection and engaged the services of Ernst & Young as our independent auditing firm for the Company’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, after employing its annual quality and review process described below.

In 2021, the Audit Committee, with assistance from management, conducted a formal performance appraisal of Ernst & Young, soliciting the opinions of the Audit Committee, internal audit, executive management and other relevant Company employees. In determining whether to appoint Ernst & Young as Steel Dynamics’ independent registered public accounting firm for 2022, the Audit Committee took into consideration a number of factors, including the frankness and quality of the Audit Committee’s ongoing discussions with our auditor, the auditor’s independence, and the assessment of the professional qualifications and past performance of both Ernst & Young as a whole and the Lead Audit Partner. The results assessed Ernst & Young’s performance to have met all expectations. In that regard, the Audit Committee recommends engaging Ernst & Young as our independent auditing firm for the Company’s fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

Required Disclosures and Discussions

In connection with the December 31, 2021 audited consolidated financial statements, the Audit Committee:

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Met with Ernst & Young eight times with management present and four times without management present.

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Discussed with Ernst & Young the matters required to be discussed in Auditing Standard No. 16 (Communication with Audit Committees), issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), now codified as AS No. 1301, as well as Auditing Standard No. 18 (Related Parties).

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Received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from Ernst & Young required by PCAOB Rule 3526 (Communication with Audit Committees Concerning Independence) and has discussed with the auditors their independence.

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Reviewed and discussed with management and with Ernst & Young management’s report on Steel Dynamics’ internal control over financial reporting and Ernst & Young’s report on the effectiveness of Steel Dynamics’ internal control over financial reporting and the assessment of the critical audit matter identified by Ernst & Young.

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Discussed whether the provision of services by Ernst & Young and the fees paid to them for services not related to the audit of the financial statements referred to above, is compatible with maintaining Ernst & Young’s independence.

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Recommendation to Include the Financial Statements in the Annual Report

Based upon the Audit Committee’s discussions with management and our independent registered public accounting firm, and the Audit Committee’s review of the audited financial statements, the representations of management and the report of our independent registered public accounting firm to the Audit Committee, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors approved, the inclusion of the audited consolidated financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

The Audit Committee:
Traci M. Dolan, Chair
Sheree L. Bargabos, Member
Frank D. Byrne, M.D., Member
Gabriel L. Shaheen, Member
Steven A. Sonnenberg, Member

March 21, 2022

Executive
Compensation and
Related Information

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) provides a detailed description of our compensation program for our Named Executive Officers (our “NEOs”). It also provides an overview of our executive compensation philosophy, policies and practices, which are designed to achieve our financial, operational and strategic business objectives. For 2021, our NEO’s were:

Executive Summary

2021 Business Overview

Our commitment is to the health, safety and well-being of our teams, families, and communities and to meet the needs of our customers. Our culture and our business model positively differentiate our company and performance. We are in a place of strength. We are competitively positioned and focused to deliver long-term value creation for all of our stakeholders.

During 2021, we achieved record financial and operating results at each of our three primary operating platforms. We continue to be differentiated by maintaining our focus on customer supply-chain solutions and value-added products with over 70% of our steel and steel fabrication shipments considered value-added. The graphic below highlights our key achievements in 2021:

As demonstrated, we believe that our business model and unique operating culture generate strong cash flow through all market cycles  —  based on the low, highly-variable cost structure of our operations, our highly diversified, value-added product offerings and customer supply-chain solutions. The strength of our through-cycle cash generation coupled with a strong capital structure foundation provides the opportunity for continued organic and transactional growth while also providing strong shareholder distributions. We are squarely focused on the continuation of sustainable, optimized value creation.

2021 Shareholder Engagement and Say-on-Pay

At our 2021 Annual Meeting, we conducted a non-binding advisory vote on the compensation of our NEOs, commonly referred to as a “say-on-pay” vote. Our shareholders approved our NEOs’ compensation with 93% of the votes cast on the proposal voting in favor of our executive compensation program.

Based on strong say-on-pay support and in combination with feedback from our shareholder engagement efforts, the Compensation Committee has retained the program’s emphasis on both short-term annual performance-based incentives that reward our NEOs when we meet certain profitability hurdles and long-term performance-based incentive compensation opportunities that promote the creation of sustainable long-term value for our shareholders.

Consistent with the recommendation of the Board and the preference of our shareholders, as expressed at the 2017 Annual Meeting, to hold advisory say-on-pay votes on the compensation of our NEOs on an annual basis, the Board has decided to continue this policy. Accordingly, following this Annual Meeting (to which this Proxy Statement relates), which will include this year’s (2022) annual advisory say-on-pay vote, the next advisory say-on-pay vote will take place in 2023. The next say-on-frequency vote will take place in 2023.

Strong Compensation Best Practices

We are committed to sound compensation practices that encourage a long-term focus on stakeholder value creation and to sustainability of our resources, as highlighted by the following items:

Focus on ESG Metrics in 2022

During 2022, the Compensation Committee will measure and assess a number of environmental, social, and safety metrics for evaluation and potential inclusion as performance measures for influence in our future executive compensation program. Among others, these metrics are expected to align with our focus on safety and our environmental goals, which we published in 2021.

2021 Executive Compensation Decisions

As in prior years, the Compensation Committee made no adjustments to the pre-established metrics or performance measures of any award for 2021.

The following highlights the key compensation decisions made by the Compensation Committee in 2021:

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Did not increase Mr. Millett’s annual base salary and increased the annual base salaries of our other NEOs by an average of 3%;

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Approved the Annual Incentive Compensation Plan’s (“Annual Plan”) formula-based compensation award for Mr. Millett equal to the maximum award of 350% of his annual base salary, and likewise approved annual incentive compensation awards for our other NEOs ranging from 300% to 350% of their annual base salaries;

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Approved three-year performance share awards (for the period from 2021 to 2023) under our Long-Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”) for Mr. Millett, having a target grant date fair value of  $2,432,500, and for our other NEOs, having target grant date fair values ranging from $737,500 to $887,500;

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Approved ten-year stock appreciation right awards under our Stock Appreciation Right (“SAR”) Program for Mr. Millett, having a grant date fair value of $1,000,012, and for our other NEOs, having grant date fair values of  $200,008; and

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Approved restricted stock unit (“RSU”) awards for Mr. Millett with grant date fair values of  $1,170,867, and RSU awards for our other NEOs with grant date fair values ranging from $234,881 to $468,459.

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What Drives our Program

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

Our executive compensation program reflects a continuation of the team-oriented entrepreneurial culture upon which the Company was founded and that has contributed to our success. While the type of executive we seek to attract and retain might have the opportunity to work elsewhere at a higher guaranteed base wage, nonetheless, we believe that he or she will want to work for us because of the opportunity to earn a higher multiple of that guaranteed base wage in years in which his or her efforts have contributed to a substantially more profitable year for the Company, our people and our shareholders. Fundamental to this philosophy is the recognition of the central role that teamwork, collaboration, and transparency play in the achievement of this kind of consistent superior financial and operational performance, under all market conditions, both at the executive and operating levels. This philosophy is, reflected at every level of the Company, from our colleagues on the plant floor to corporate and divisional senior leaders.

Both our annual and long-term incentive compensation award opportunities have a common and intentional “pay-for-performance” design. Each program rewards one or more elements important to the interests of the Company, our teams, and our shareholders. Our executive compensation program contains a significant majority of compensation “at risk” and aligns with shareholder interests with clear, objective return metrics that over the long-term drive value creation.

When compared to our steel competitors (as we do in our LTIP), we continue to achieve best-in-class operating and financial performance. Our CEO’s target total direct compensation remains below the 25th percentile of the chief executive officers of the companies included in our compensation peer group.

Principal Elements of Pay

Our philosophy drives the following compensation design principles:

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base salary is fixed, payable in cash, and generally set at or below the competitive market, yet, when combined with the potential from our highly-levered annual incentive compensation plan, aspires to be sufficiently competitive to attract and retain the type of entrepreneurial executives we seek;

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annual incentive compensation should be awarded only after earnings first exceed certain minimum threshold levels established by the Compensation Committee and designed to initially provide a minimum return to shareholders, with annual incentive compensation awards dependent upon additional earnings beyond such minimums, capped, however, at pre-established multiples of base salary;

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long-term incentive compensation should be predominantly performance-based, including awards linked to shareholder returns and with awards measured by how our executives have performed relative to our steel sector competitors over a multi-year period, based on pre-established key financial and operational measures;

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total direct compensation across all market conditions should be market competitive when Company performance so merits, but below market norms when that performance lags; and

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rewards for exemplary individual effort and performance over time should generally be expressed through annual increases in the level of base salary.

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Our executive compensation program appropriately balances the use of both absolute and relative performance measures for incentive compensation.

Role of the Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee has responsibility for the development, implementation, monitoring, and oversight of our executive compensation program, as well as responsibility for ensuring that our compensation plans and programs remain consistent with our compensation philosophy. The Compensation Committee annually evaluates and establishes the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and, with the input of our Chief Executive Officer, the compensation of our other executive officers, including our other NEOs; evaluates and establishes the compensation for the non-employee members of the Board; and reviews and approves all cash and equity-based incentive plans and awards under such plans.

The Compensation Committee meets throughout the year to perform its duties and responsibilities. During 2021, the Compensation Committee held four meetings. From time to time, the Compensation Committee may invite our Chief Executive Officer, our Board Chair, or other executive officers to attend and participate in portions of its meetings, but only Compensation Committee members are present during compensation-related decision-making.

Role of Our Chief Executive Officer

Our Chief Executive Officer supports the work of the Compensation Committee by providing necessary background information and updates on the operations of the Company and the performance of each of our executive officers. Our Chief Executive Officer

recommends adjustments to the base salaries, target annual incentive compensation award opportunities, and long-term incentive awards of our executive officers, including our NEOs who report directly to him. He also provides the Compensation Committee with an annual performance evaluation of each executive officer.

The Compensation Committee receives a
recommendation from our Chief Executive Officer as to any proposed adjustment to his own compensation, as well as a self-assessment of his performance for the year under review. However, the Compensation Committee evaluates the performance of our Chief Executive Officer based on the full Board assessment and input, and exercises its judgment as to whether, and to what extent, to adjust his compensation levels and whether to adjust the compensation levels of any of our executive officers.

Role of Compensation Consultant

The Compensation Committee has authority to engage the services of compensation consultants or other advisors, at the Company’s expense, as it deems necessary or appropriate in the discharge of its duties and responsibilities. During 2021, the Compensation Committee engaged the services of Compensia, Inc., a national compensation consulting firm, to provide ongoing executive and director compensation advisory services.

Compensia reports directly to the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee may replace

its compensation consultant or hire additional advisors at any time. Representatives of Compensia attend meetings of the Committee and communicate with the Committee Chair and with management as circumstances warrant. However, all decisions regarding the compensation of our executive officers are made by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has assessed the independence of Compensia taking into account, among other things, the enhanced independence standards and factors set forth in Exchange Act Rule 10C-1 and the applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules, and concluded that Compensia meets all applicable independence criteria, and that there are no conflicts of interest with respect to the work that Compensia performs for the Compensation Committee.

During 2021, the Company also engaged Pearl Meyer, a national compensation consulting firm, to assist in determining the appropriateness of our compensation peer group, analyze the compensation for our NEOs, and evaluate the compensation of our NEOs against our compensation peer group and the broader market. Compensia reviews and provides input on Pearl Meyer’s work before it is delivered to the Compensation Committee.

Use of Competitive Data

To monitor the competitiveness of our executive officers’ compensation, the Compensation Committee uses a compensation peer group which reflects the pay of executives in comparable positions at similarly-sized companies. This compensation peer group is composed of a cross-section of direct steel competitors as well as companies in related industrial or basic materials sectors. The Compensation Committee reviews the appropriateness of the compensation peer group annually. For our 2021 compensation decisions, the Compensation Committee made no changes to the compensation peer group.

The Compensation Committee used the following compensation peer group as a reference during its compensation deliberations in 2021:

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AGCO Corporation

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AK Steel Holding Corporation

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Commercial Metals Company

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Dover Corporation

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Flowserve Corporation

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Illinois Tool Works Inc.

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Masco Corporation

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Navistar International Corporation

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Newmont Mining Corporation

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Nucor Corporation

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Oshkosh Corporation

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PACCAR Inc

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Parker-Hannifan Corporation

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Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.

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United States Steel Corporation

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We do not believe that it is appropriate to make compensation decisions based strictly upon any type of benchmarking to a peer or other representative group of companies. However, the Compensation Committee does believe that information regarding the compensation practices at other companies is useful in at least two respects. First, the Compensation Committee recognizes that our compensation policies and practices must be competitive in the marketplace to attract and retain executive talent. Second, this information is useful in assessing the reasonableness and appropriateness of individual executive compensation components and of our overall executive compensation program. Peer group information is only one of a number of factors that the Compensation Committee considers in making its decisions with respect to the compensation of our executive officers.

The following describes each component of our executive compensation program and how compensation amounts were determined for our NEOs for 2021.

Base Salary

We use base salaries to provide an essential level of compensation we believe is necessary to recruit and retain the type of entrepreneurial executives we seek to attract, and who are willing to accept such base-level compensation in challenging market conditions, even in situations in which their individual and collective efforts and performance has been outstanding.

The Compensation Committee, in the course of its annual performance review process, considers each executive officer’s position, responsibilities and duties, as well as his or her experience, qualifications, and performance, for purposes of determining whether to adjust his or her base salary. Base salary adjustments are also influenced by the Compensation Committee’s analyses of the base salary levels for executives in comparable positions in the competitive marketplace.

In February 2021, the Compensation Committee reviewed the base salaries of our NEOs, taking into consideration the factors described above, in addition to the recommendation of our Chief Executive Officer. Exercising its judgment and discretion, the Compensation Committee made the following changes to our NEO’s base salaries:

Annual Incentive Compensation Plan

Consistent with our compensation philosophy, the majority of the annual compensation opportunity for our NEOs is provided through objectively-determined Company and divisional performance-based incentive compensation awards under the Annual Plan. The Annual Plan has a short-term focus, consistent with our objective of providing annualized incentive compensation linked to Company and/or business unit profits above a pre-established minimum threshold.

In 2021, our broad group of executive officers, including but not limited to our NEOs (a group of 29 individuals) were eligible to participate in the Annual Plan. Each NEO, based on his or her role and responsibilities, was eligible to participate as one of the two broad categories of officers identified in the Annual Plan  —  “Corporate Executive Officer” or “Divisional Executive Officer.” This determines the amount of the maximum award that he or she is eligible to receive, and the determining factors used to calculate that award. Annual incentive compensation awards are determined on February 1 of the year following the year for which the incentive compensation is earned, based upon the Company’s audited results of operations.

The award is first paid in cash with the remainder (up to 100% of base salary for each NEO) awarded in restricted stock. The number of shares of restricted stock issuable to an executive officer, if any is earned, is determined by dividing the dollar amount of the restricted stock component of the award by the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the last business day prior to February 1. These restricted stock awards vest as to one-third of the shares of the Company’s common stock covered by the award at the time of issuance and as to the remaining two-thirds of the shares covered by the award in equal installments on the first and second anniversaries of the date of issuance.

Award Measures and Calculations

Corporate Bonus Pool Component

In the case of the Corporate Executive Officers and other corporate level pool participants, their annual incentive compensation award opportunities are based entirely on their participation in the “Bonus Pool” component of the Annual Plan. The size of the Bonus Pool is determined based on company-wide “Adjusted Net Income”, in excess of a pre-determined threshold return on “Average Stockholders Equity” multiplied by a fixed percentage. Both the threshold return and the fixed percentage are set by the Compensation Committee. Adjusted Net Income is defined as consolidated net income, before taxes and extraordinary items, including adjustments for occasional start-up expenses associated with significant capital expenditures or businesses, non-cash asset impairments, and charges associated with refinancing activities. Average Stockholders Equity, which was derived by taking the sum of  “Total Steel Dynamics, Inc. Equity,” as determined by the Company’s balance sheet for the month ended December 31, 2020, and for each month during 2021, and then dividing that amount by 13 was $5.2 billion.

For 2021, the applicable pre-determined threshold return for shareholders was maintained at 10%, as was the fixed percentage of Adjusted Net Income available to the Bonus Pool at 5.5%. The Compensation Committee believes it is essential for the Company’s shareholders to benefit from a minimum return-on-equity (currently set at 10%) before any performance-based compensation begins to accrue through the Annual Plan.

The exclusion from the Bonus Pool of an amount of Average Stockholders Equity component is intended to preserve within the Company a deemed return on equity before any incentive compensation is paid, predicated on Company profits and, consequently, operates as a threshold level of performance that must be exceeded before the Bonus Pool (if any) is determined.

Divisional ROA Bonus Component

In the case of the Divisional Executive Officers and other operational level pool participants, their annual incentive compensation award opportunities are based both on a company-wide performance measure (as determined by the “Bonus Pool” component of the Annual Plan) and on a profitability-based performance measure based upon the profitability of the divisional or business unit under their management, against a calculated return on assets percentage amount referred to as the “Minimum ROA Target.”

For 2021, the Compensation Committee retained the Minimum ROA Target, which varied by business unit (between 0% and 6%), below which no divisional or business unit profitability-based annual incentive compensation award will be paid. The Compensation Committee also retained a “Maximum ROA Target,” which also varied by business unit (between 20% and 30%), at which level a Divisional Executive Officer would be entitled to receive his or her maximum divisional or business unit annual incentive compensation award. The primary considerations included in determining the Minimum ROA Targets and Maximum ROA Targets were as follows: the amount of capital assets required to operate and maintain the particular division or business unit; the expected financial margin that a specific division or business unit has the opportunity to achieve (in both moderate and exceptional market environments); and the materiality of the contribution that a specific division or business unit may have on the consolidated financial results of the Company.

For 2021, the division or business unit’s performance was measured by calculating that unit’s “Divisional Return on Assets,” using the formula set forth in the Annual Plan, by dividing the sum of  (i) the appropriate division’s pre-tax income for the year, (ii) the amount of certain corporate expenses allocated to that division, and (iii) the amount of incentive compensation award compensation expenses associated with the Annual Plan, by the “Average Divisional ROA Assets” or “Average Divisional Group ROA Assets.”

2021 Annual Incentive Award Earned

The company’s extraordinary results and record earnings resulted in the NEOs meeting the Compensation Committee’s pre-determined 2021 financial metrics for both the Bonus Pool and divisional portions of their annual incentive awards. The NEOs achieved their maximum 2021 annual incentive award opportunities.

The following table summarizes the key components of the 2021 annual incentive awards earned by our NEOs:

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation

The entirety of long-term incentive compensation is comprised of equity, which directly aligns the interests of our NEOs with those of our shareholders. The Compensation Committee considers a mix of equity types when granting long-term incentives with a significant weight on long-term incentive plan awards.

The Compensation Committee considers the award opportunities for executives in comparable positions in our compensation peer group when determining long-term equity incentive compensation awards. The unique performance criteria for each award type are explained in further detail below. The grant date fair values of each award are as follows:

Long-Term Incentive Plan

Consistent with our pay-for-performance compensation philosophy, the LTIP provides long-term incentive compensation opportunities to our NEOs based on our relative financial performance compared against our steel sector competitors. During 2021, each of our NEOs was eligible to participate in the LTIP. The Compensation Committee considers the award opportunities for executives in comparable positions in our compensation peer group when determining annual LTIP awards to grant.

2021 Award Measures and Calculations

For purposes of the 2021 LTIP awards (the “2021 Awards”), the Compensation Committee established four performance measures, to be weighted equally (25% each) to be used throughout the performance period. The Compensation Committee has selected these performance measures for determining the amount of the awards earned because they believe that they are also objective indicators of our ability to execute on our long-term strategic initiatives in a dynamic and volatile global economy and industry. Additionally, the Compensation Committee selected the steel sector competitors which consisted of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Commercial Metals Company, Nucor Corporation, TimkenSteel Corporation and United States Steel Corporation. These companies were selected because the Compensation Committee determined that they best represent the principal companies within our industry with which we compete for business.

The amount of a NEO’s target and maximum awards are determined by the Compensation Committee based on a multiple of his or her annual base salary as of the first day of the performance period (for example, January 1). This value is then converted into a target and maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock, using the closing market price at the close of business on the first day of the performance period. Generally, awards will be granted during February of each year.

In the case of the 2021 Awards, for each performance measure, the award payout with respect to that measure has a range from zero to 100% of the maximum number of shares awarded, subject to further review during the time allotted for determination for each subsequent award, based on the Company’s ranking for that measure as compared to the steel sector comparator group:

The performance measures and comparator group were established by the Compensation Committee within the first 90 days of the three-year performance period. Any shares of the Company’s common stock earned pursuant to the 2021 Awards will vest at the time the amount of the award payout is determined (approximately mid-March of the year following the completion of the three-year performance period).

The number of shares of the Company’s common stock earned with respect to the 2019 Awards that were eligible to be earned for the three-year performance period from 2019 to 2021 was determined in March 2022. As a result of the Company’s performance in each of the four areas of performance measures (equally weighted) relative to the performance of the steel sector competitors (Commercial Metals Company, Nucor Corporation, TimkenSteel Corporation and United States Steel Corporation), the award payout was calculated to be 90% of the maximum potential number of shares granted. This resulted in 139,656 shares of the Company’s common stock being earned by Mr. Millett, 50,247 shares earned by Ms. Wagler, 42,120 shares earned by Mr. Rinn, 38,794 shares earned by Mr. Pushis and 38,794 shares earned by Mr. Schneider.

SARs

During 2021, the Compensation Committee granted SAR awards to our NEOs further aligning their long-term incentive opportunity with the long-term interests of our shareholders. The Compensation Committee considers award opportunities for the executives in comparable positions in our compensation peer group when determining the size of the annual SARs awards to grant.

The SARs have a ten-year term and a three-year graduated vesting schedule, such that one-third of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to the awards will vest (become exercisable) 12 months following the date of grant, and, thereafter, 1/24th of the remaining shares subject to the awards will vest monthly in equal installments, contingent upon each NEO’s continued employment with the Company on the applicable vesting date. The exercise price of the SARs was equal to 100% of the fair market value of the shares of the Company’s common stock using the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the last business day prior to the grant date. When exercised, the Company will pay the recipient an amount at settlement only in cash, subject to mandatory tax withholdings, equal to the product of the appreciation value of the SAR multiplied by the number of exercised SARs.

Further information about these awards are set forth in the 2021 Summary Compensation Table and the 2021 Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table following this CD&A.

RSUs

The Company, since its initial public offering, has provided regular equity-based awards, currently in the form of an RSU award for shares of the Company’s common stock, at prescribed award levels, to all full-time, non-union, U.S. colleagues, including our NEOs. These RSU awards are granted on November 21st of each year, using the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the last business day prior to that date. Eligible colleagues are granted an annual RSU award for shares of the Company’s common stock, which are subject to a two-year time-based vesting requirement, which commences on the date of grant. In November 2021, pursuant to this company-wide program, the Compensation Committee granted RSUs to Mr. Millett with a grant date fair value of  $87,029 and to our other NEOs with grant date fair values ranging from $50,541 to $69,610.

In February 2021, the Compensation Committee also granted RSUs to our NEOs with a longer vesting schedule, vesting 1/3 after two years, 1/3 after three years and 1/3 after four years to Mr. Millett with a grant date fair value of  $1,083,838 and to our other NEOs with grant date fair values ranging from $168,154 to $401,131. Beginning in 2019, the Compensation Committee began granting awards to senior leadership with longer vesting schedules to provide a more meaningful and effective retention incentive, and further develop a competitive and balanced compensation package.

Further information about these awards are set forth in the 2021 Summary Compensation Table and the 2021 Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table following this CD&A.

Other Programs, Policies and Guidelines

Welfare, Health and Other Benefits; Perquisites and Other Personal Benefits

The welfare and health benefits received by our NEOs are provided on the same general terms as to all our full-time colleagues. In 2021, the Company paid the premiums associated with term life insurance for Mr. Millett with a benefit amount equal to $900,000. In 2021, no NEO received $10,000 or more in perquisites. Perquisites or other personal benefits are not a significant component of our executive compensation program.

Profit-Sharing and Retirement Savings Plan

We have established a Profit Sharing and Retirement Savings Plan for eligible colleagues, including our NEOs, which is a “qualified plan” for federal income tax purposes. For 2021, under the plan, we allocated to eligible plan participants $360 million which was based on 8% of our consolidated pre-tax income, excluding noncontrolling interests and other items (the “profit-sharing pool”). The profit-sharing pool is used to fund the plan, which includes a separate cash profit sharing allocation that may be paid in March of the following year. For 2021, the amounts allocated to each of our NEOs, based on the profit-sharing pool and the cash profit sharing allocation was $130,051.

Additionally, we match 401(k) contributions with a minimum match of 10% and a maximum match of 50% based on a company-wide return on assets calculation. For 2021, the amounts for our NEOs based upon the Company’s average matching percentage during the year of 31% of his or her individual contributions, ranged from $5,068 to $6,229, including a matching contribution of  $5,068 to our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Millett.

Post-Employment Compensation

Unrelated to Change in Control

Even though we do not have written employment agreements with our NEOs, we have operated under an informal policy that presumes an initial two calendar year term of employment, at the applicable base salary rate. Pursuant to this policy, absent an actual termination of employment or the delivery of a notice of non-renewal by the Company on or before October 1 of a given year (at which time he or she would still have 15 months remaining of his or her employment term), that individual’s employment term, at his or her then-current annual base salary, would be deemed to have been extended for one additional calendar year.

Under this policy, employment is “at will” and we may terminate the employment of a NEO or give notice of non-renewal without regard to cause. If termination of employment or a notice of non-renewal occurs or is delivered prior to October 1, that individual’s term of employment will extend only to the end of the calendar year following the then current year. If neither termination of employment occurs nor delivery of a notice of non-renewal occurs by October 1, that individual’s term of employment will extend to the end of the second calendar year following that October 1. Depending upon when, during the calendar year, a termination of employment or notice of non-renewal occurs, if at all, our NEOs may

have a guaranteed remaining employment term, at his or her current annual base salary, of not less than 15 months nor more than 27 months.

Related to Change in Control

The Company has adopted a “double trigger” Change in Control Protection Plan (the “CIC Plan”), applicable only to our designated NEOs, which provides for specified payments and benefits to our NEOs in the event of a change in control of the Company, accompanied by an involuntary termination of employment, without “cause” by the Company, or for “good reason” by the executive officer, within the period of six months prior to or 24 months following the change in control of the Company. For purposes of the CIC Plan, the terms “change in control,” “cause,” and “good reason” are defined in the plan.

The payments and benefits provided under the CIC Plan are intended to ensure that in the event of a proposed change in control of the Company, our senior executive officers remain focused upon the pending transaction. The Board believes that providing our senior executive officers with transitional compensation protection if their employment ends as a result of a change in control encourages them to act in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders by eliminating personal concerns and uncertainties he or she might otherwise have concerning his or her future employment. The Board further believes that these payments and benefits offer a fair reward for hard work and value creation, assist in retaining our senior executive officers during a time of transition, and provide incentives for them to remain with the Company during periods of uncertainty.

For a summary of the material terms and conditions of the CIC Plan, as well as an estimate of the potential payments and benefits payable to our NEOs under the CIC Plan, see “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” below.

Compensation Recovery Policy

We have adopted a Compensation Recovery Policy that provides that in the event that the Company is required to restate its financial results, whether based upon fraud or other financial misconduct attributed to an executive officer and in the further event that any bonus or incentive-based compensation is found to have been based, in whole or in part, upon causative misconduct the Company, after taking into account all applicable factors, is required to take such action as it deems appropriate to recoup from and require reimbursement of any bonus or incentive compensation awarded, paid or otherwise payable to the executive officer, to the extent that the amount was affected by the misconduct or restatement. The recoupment must be initiated within three years following the restatement, and the amount subject to recoupment is limited to the difference between the amount of the bonus or incentive-based compensation actually awarded, paid or payable

to the executive officer and the amount that would have been awarded, paid or payable to the executive officer had the financial results been appropriately reported.

This policy (a) applies to any executive officer, including any NEO, covered by and eligible to receive bonus or incentive-based compensation under any Company plan or program that awards such compensation based, in whole or in part, on company-wide, divisional or plant-level earnings results, and (b) will be deemed incorporated into and made a part of the terms and conditions of employment applicable to each covered executive officer.

Equity Ownership Policy for our Executive Officers

We maintain an equity ownership policy for our executive officers. Under this policy, they are required to own and hold shares of the Company’s common stock with a fair market value as follows:

Hedging and Pledging of Company Securities

Directors and NEOs may neither engage in any short-term trading in or short-selling of shares of the Company’s common stock, nor may they purchase, sell or otherwise trade in any publicly traded or other options with respect to the Company’s common stock. In addition, they are prohibited from engaging in any hedging transactions or similar monetizing activities involving shares of the Company’s common stock. Our policy also prohibits the acquisition or maintenance of the Company’s shares in a brokerage margin account. Subject to a limited exception set forth in the Policy, including a requirement for pre-approval by the Audit Committee and subject to strict guidelines discouraging any pledging, establishing a limit on the number of shares pledged, requiring demonstration of the pledgor’s ability to retire the loan without the need to liquidate the pledged shares, and, in any event, inhibiting any foreclosure sale during blackout periods, our policy prohibits the use of shares of the Company’s common stock as collateral to secure a loan.

Deductibility of Executive Compensation

The Company’s federal income tax deduction for compensation paid to our chief executive officer, chief financial officer and any other executive officer whose total compensation is required to be reported to shareholders under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by reason of such individual being among the three highest compensated executive officers for the tax year, and any executive officer who was subject to the deduction limit in any tax year beginning after December 31, 2016 (the “covered employees”) are limited to $1.0 million per taxable year for each such covered employee, as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”). Although loss of deductibility for such excess compensation results in an increased cost to the Company, the Compensation Committee believes, and believes that our shareholders support the philosophy, that performance-based compensation best aligns our executive officers with long-term shareholder interests, and that such performance-based compensation should be paid, even if non-deductible.

This has guided the Company’s compensation system from inception and is predicated on the notion that individuals will deliver maximum effort and achieve exemplary results when motivated by a compensation system that establishes goals and rewards outstanding performance when such goals are achieved, as measured by objective criteria.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

We follow the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (“ASC 718”) for our stock-based compensation awards. ASC 718 requires companies to calculate the grant date fair value of their stock-based awards using a variety of assumptions. This calculation is performed for accounting purposes and reported in the compensation tables below, even though recipients may never realize any value from their awards. ASC 718 also requires companies to recognize the compensation cost of their stock-based awards in their income statements over the period that an employee is required to render service in exchange for his or her award.

Report of the Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the foregoing Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K and, based on such review and discussion, has recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement and, as incorporated by reference, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Compensation Committee:

Gabriel L. Shaheen, Chair
Sheree L. Bargabos, Member
Kenneth W. Cornew, Member
James C. Marcuccilli, Member
Bradley S. Seaman, Member
Luis M. Sierra, Member

March 21, 2022