Meet Robin Portera: Men and Women Building North America Series

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, it destroyed homes and upended entire lives. For Robin Portera, it marked a before and after that would shape the rest of her story.

At the time, Robin had already been with Kloeckner for several years, working in the company’s purchasing department in New Orleans. She’d started out as an expeditor, handling mill certificates and working closely with suppliers and customers in what was then a network of around 11 branches across the U.S. Born and raised in New Orleans, Robin was building her career and growing her family there. Her sons were just five and not yet one, and she was balancing motherhood with coursework in nursing school, preparing to take her RN exams.

Then the storm hit.

Her home was completely underwater. Her family evacuated, unsure where they would go next or what would be left when they returned. When it became clear that returning to their neighborhood wasn’t an option, Robin was forced to make an unthinkable choice: to start over somewhere entirely new.

That’s when Kloeckner stepped in.

The company invited Robin and her family to move to Roswell, Georgia, where the corporate office was based. They covered the extended stay for six months, paid the down payment and first month’s rent on a home, and helped replace essentials like clothing and toys for her children that had been lost.

For Robin, the experience underscored the kind of company Kloeckner was and the kind of people who made it what it is.

“I came to Georgia with virtually nothing,” she recalled. “Kloeckner made sure we had a place to stay and a way to start again.”

The move to Roswell, while difficult, opened doors she never expected. It put her closer to Kloeckner’s leadership team, connected her to new mentors, and gave her the chance to see the business from a broader perspective. What began as an emergency relocation slowly became the start of a new chapter.

Redefining Her Path

Before Katrina, Robin’s plan was to work in healthcare. She’d completed her practical RN exam and was on track for a career in nursing, but the disruption changed everything. With two young children, a full-time job, and a huge move, continuing down that path wasn’t realistic anymore.

At the same time, she found herself surrounded by leaders and colleagues at Kloeckner who suggested a different path. One of her managers encouraged her to consider pursuing a business degree and pointed out that Kloeckner offered tuition reimbursement. That suggestion shifted the course of her career.

Robin decided to go back to school, but this time for management and finance. It wasn’t an easy transition. Shifting into finance meant stepping into something entirely new, a field that required her to relearn, adapt, and stretch her skills in ways that felt uncomfortable at first.

But it was also a chance to grow.

Over the next several years, she worked to bridge the worlds of purchasing and finance, taking on projects that modernized and standardized Kloeckner’s internal systems. She helped implement tools to manage indirect spend and eventually took on a leadership role in Shared Services, overseeing the processes that keep dozens of Kloeckner locations running smoothly and consistently.

The same determination that carried her through Katrina and its aftermath carried her through every professional change that followed.

Robin often says that what made the difference was Kloeckner’s willingness to invest in her development. From formal education to on-the-job training, she was given the space to learn, to make mistakes, and to keep moving forward. “Every time I took a leap, the company was right there supporting me,” she shared.

Her story shows what happens when resilience meets opportunity, and when a company’s culture truly lives up to its values.

Building North America, Through All Phases of Life

Today, as Vice President of Shared Services for Kloeckner Metals – Americas, Robin’s work impacts nearly every part of the organization. She oversees the standard operating procedures that ensure each branch operates with the same efficiency and consistency. In many ways, she’s helping shape the framework that allows Kloeckner’s teams to do what they do best: serve customers, strengthen supply chains, and build North America’s infrastructure one shipment at a time.

Now 25 years into her Kloeckner career, she looks back with pride. She’s seen the company evolve from 11 branches to a nationwide network and has played a part in that growth every step of the way.

Her story captures the essence of what Men and Women Building North America stands for. It’s about those who take challenges and turn them into opportunities, who lift others when the world falls apart, and who believe in the power of hard work, trust, and teamwork to build something meaningful.

Through every storm and every change, she’s embodied what it means to grow with the company and to help others do the same. Together with thousands of others across Kloeckner, Robin Portera is one of the many Men and Women Building North America.

Watch How Robin Portera Is Building North America