GERDAU GLOBAL
Headquarters: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Steel mills: 53, plus more than 200 fabrication facilities, scrap-collecting and other sites.
2011 sales: $35.4 billion
2011 earnings: $2 billion
Employment: 45,000
GERDAU ST. PAUL
Operation: Second-largest "minimill" steel producer in North America
History: Opened in 1965. Gerdau acquired North Star Steel Minnesota plant from Cargill Inc. in 2004
Employees: 380
Annual payroll: $34.2M
Planned upgrade: $55M