Former pick for Mo. presidency takes industry job

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A New Jersey business executive who spurned an offer to become the next University of Missouri president has been hired as chief operating officer of a Florida steel manufacturer.

Terry Sutter, 49, will join Gerdau AmeriSteel Corp. as its vice president and chief operating officer, the Tampa, Fla.-based company announced Wednesday.

The University of Missouri system's Board of Curators agreed two weeks ago to negotiate a contract with Sutter, who holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the system's Columbia campus. But Sutter withdrew from the university search last week.

Curators plan to start the presidential search over with the help of an executive search firm.

Sutter is a former president of Tyco Plastics & Adhesives who was replaced after a 2006 takeover of the company. He previously spent two years as president of Cytec Industries' specialty chemical division and was also president of industry solutions for Honeywell/Allied Signal.