North American Steel Alliance

What North American Steel Alliance does

North American Steel Alliance, Inc. (NASA) is a member-owned steel purchasing cooperative incorporated in November 1996 in Illinois and headquartered in Des Plaines, IL. The organization aggregates the collective buying power of 122 independently operated steel and metals service centers operating more than 400 distribution and processing facilities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, representing approximately $9 billion in combined annual revenues. It operates a member-owned structure in which service centers hold stock in the cooperative, and it administers purchasing programs with 75+ preferred mill, operational, and service provider suppliers.

NASA generates value through a combination of recurring membership participation, negotiated supplier rebate programs, and ancillary member services including benchmarking analytics, an industry newsletter, monthly market trend reports, supplier webinars, annual meetings, forecast conferences, and regional events. Its customer base is exclusively the member service centers, with membership acquisition handled through a dedicated Membership Manager (Ryan Thomas). The cooperative does not sell steel directly; instead, it functions as a buying consortium and B2B networking platform. Ancillary offerings include the Find Steel web-based search directory and the 2025-launched NASA App (iOS and Android) that enables members to network, access event information, and engage with co-op resources.

The technology footprint is deliberately limited: NASA discloses no proprietary platform or AI/ML capabilities, with operations supported by a 6-person management team running manual processes, a member database, the Find Steel tool, and the NASA App. Strategic differentiation rests on the cooperative structure itself — providing independent service centers with collective buying leverage, supplier rebates, peer benchmarking, and best-practice sharing so they can compete against large publicly traded metals distributors.

Name

North American Steel Alliance

Legal name

North American Steel Alliance, Inc.

Website

https://steelalliance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North American Steel Alliance is a member-owned steel cooperative that aggregates the buying power of 122 independently operated steel service centers across the US, Canada, and Mexico to negotiate preferred supplier rebate programs and provide networking, benchmarking, and best-practice services to its members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel purchasing cooperative services

NAICS

Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel (3312)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals Service Centers & Offices (5051)

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Products Trading & Service Centers (Flat, Long, Pipe & Tube, Rebar) (IMAKAJAB)

Keywords

• Steel purchasing cooperative
• Metals service center network
• Group purchasing organization
• Supplier rebate programs
• Cooperative buying consortium

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Plaines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cooperative Membership Dues and Rebate Programs: NASA generates value through negotiated purchasing programs with 75+ preferred suppliers. The cooperative delivers dividends and cost savings to members annually based on collective purchasing volume. Members own stock in the Co-op and have incentive to direct purchases within the NASA Supplier Community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

North American Steel Alliance is a member-owned purchasing cooperative for independent steel and metal service centers across North America. The cooperative negotiates rebate programs with 75+ preferred mill, operational, and service supplier partners, and channels the resulting $9 billion collective buying power into annual dividends and cost savings for 122 member/owners. Members also gain access to the Find Steel directory tool, the NASA mobile app, benchmarking data, annual meetings, webinars, and best-practice sharing forums.

Product overview

The North American Steel Alliance (NASA) operates as a member-owned steel cooperative that functions as both a buying consortium and a B2B networking platform. Its core offerings include the Find Steel search tool — a searchable directory of 120+ member metal service centers filterable by location and product type — and the NASA App, a mobile application for iOS and Android enabling member connectivity, event access, and resource viewing. Supporting offerings include the NASA Network quarterly newsletter, benchmark analytics tools, and a series of annual/regional conferences. The portfolio is architecturally a platform-plus-member-services model: the cooperative's platform aggregates buying power and knowledge sharing across its member network while the individual tools serve as access points for member discovery and engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Find Steel An online directory and search tool that helps buyers locate NASA member metal service centers across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico by geographic location and specific product offerings such as flat-rolled coil, plate, expanded metal and grating, merchant bar, rebar, specialty pipe and tubing, aluminum, and stainless steel. It is intended for use by industrial buyers seeking members of the cooperative.
• NASA App A mobile application available on iOS (App Store id 6749939559) and Android (Google Play com.nasaApp2025) that enables NASA members to connect with other members, view resources, read news, receive updates, and access event information. It is intended for use by NASA member companies and their teams.
• NASA Events & Conferences Annual meetings, forecast conferences, fall conferences, regional meetings, and webinars that bring NASA members and preferred suppliers together for networking, benchmarking, leadership development, and best-practice sharing. Intended for NASA member service centers and supplier partners.
• NASA Network Newsletter and Market Trend Reports A quarterly newsletter (NASA Network) plus a monthly Market Pulse trends report delivering industry news, market trend data, member updates, supplier information, and best-practice presentations to NASA members. Intended for member service center teams.
• Cooperative Purchasing Program with Preferred Supplier Rebates The core NASA program: a cooperative purchasing framework that aggregates member buying volume and negotiates rebate programs with 75+ preferred mill, operational, and service suppliers. Members earn annual dividends and cost savings based on their directed purchasing volume. Intended for independent steel and metal service centers joining as member/owners of the cooperative.

Quantifiable outcome

• Deliver millions of dollars in dividends and cost savings annually to members through negotiated purchasing programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nucor SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor steel mill and preferred supplier within NASA's network of 75+ preferred mill, operational, and service provider suppliers. Part of the cooperative's purchasing programs delivering rebates and cost savings to members.
• FastenalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperational supplier partner providing industrial supplies and services to NASA members. Fastenal invites members to customer conferences and provides integrated solutions.
• National Material CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured NASA member company prominently displayed on supplier/partner carousel, representing one of the largest and oldest independently owned steel service centers in North America.
• CF MetalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured NASA member company prominently displayed on supplier/partner carousel, representing significant independent steel service operations.
• UnishippersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNASA's newest operational supplier providing shipping and logistics solutions for members.
• Bilstein Cold Rolled SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured preferred supplier in NASA partner carousel, representing quality cold rolled steel products.
• Kenwal SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured preferred supplier in NASA partner carousel.
• American Metal MarketminorOthersKey industry publication listed as a resource partner for NASA members to access industry news and market intelligence.
• Association of Women in the Metals Industry (AWMI)minorOthersKey industry association listed as a resource partner supporting diversity and professional development in the metals industry.
• Metal Center NewsminorOthersKey industry publication listed as a resource for industry news and trends.
• Modern MetalsminorOthersKey industry publication listed as a resource for industry coverage.
• National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA)coreOthersGoverning/coordinating body for cooperatives that recognizes NASA as a top 10 purchasing cooperative annually since 2007. Provides resources and advocacy for cooperative businesses.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-american-steel-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/north_american_steel_alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North American Steel Alliance