Fred Steiner retires after more than 35 years at HFC

HFC Purchasing Director Fred Steiner is a firm believer in the phrase, “Leave things better than the way you found them.”

“When I was growing up, my dad had that sign in his basement workshop. I’m certain my mom put it there. That phrase stuck with me and I believe HFC is that kind of place,” said Steiner.

On January 31, 2024 – after 35 years, eight months, and 23 days – Steiner will retire from HFC.

“The time is right. HFC staffs its purchasing department with significantly less personnel than other higher education institutions of comparable size. Even so, the purchasing, mailroom, and logistics departments are in good shape, but I feel that I’m wearing out. The College might benefit from a new set of eyes and some fresh ideas.”

Entire career spent in purchasing

Born in Detroit, Steiner is the second of four. He has been married to Jill since 1980. The couple, who lives in Rochester, have two children and three grandchildren. Steiner’s sister Susan is an alumna of HFC. His father, Fred W. Steiner, taught at HFC part-time in the late 1960s.

Steiner graduated from Redford High School in Detroit. He is a 2-time alumnus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and his MBA. He is also a graduate of the Central Association of College and University Business Officers’s 2-year Management Institute program.

Steiner is a Certified Purchasing Manager, Lifetime Certificate, from the what is now called the Institute of Supply Management, of which he is a member of the Metro Detroit chapter. He is also a member of the National Association of Educational Procurement, where he served as president of the Michigan region for a year and wrote their articles of incorporation.

“While attending U-M, I had a summer job for three years at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn in the material supply and distribution department. I helped with ordering parts from suppliers for shipment to assembly plants. Back then, we used rotary dial phones and thermal paper fax machines. It gave me a lot of good experience in a private sector, corporate environment and helped me get through undergrad debt-free. When I graduated in 1980, the auto industry and the U.S. economy were in a downturn. Based on my experience at Ford, the first job I was able to find was as a buyer at Detroit Receiving Hospital. Once I got started in purchasing, I never got out,” explained Steiner.

An institution at HFC since 1988

For three years, Steiner worked at Detroit Receiving. Afterward, he became the purchasing manager for the Boise Cascade Corporation in its Warren office for five years. He came to HFC (then Henry Ford Community College) in 1988.

“I had the equivalent of nine years of good experience in the private sector but desired to work for an organization that had a more direct connection to improving the lives of individuals. That’s where the College came in,” he said.

As purchasing director, Steiner plans, directs, and controls the purchasing, mailroom, and receiving operations of HFC. He oversees and manages the workflow of staff within their specialized areas of responsibility. He also works with representatives from outside organizations that do business with the College. His duties include:

• Directing and administering the procurement of all supplies, equipment, and designated services for the College.
• Managing and replenishing postage accounts with the U.S. Postal Service and private mail handlers.
• Coordinating and directing the preparation of bid specifications; analyzing bids and quotations; and recommending bid awards.
• Following up with vendors regarding any conflicts or questions on prices, specifications, or returned goods.
• Issuing and assuring the accuracy of purchase orders.
• Following up and expediting orders to assure delivery by required dates.
• Planning and recommending policies and goals to keep the department current with the latest purchasing procedures.
• Negotiating purchase contracts and prices to the best advantage of the College.
• Controlling and maintaining all purchasing records.
• Planning and establishing procedures and controls for the department's operations to conform with all laws, regulations, and good purchasing techniques.
• Establishing and maintaining sources of supply and proper vendor relations.
• Maintaining master vendor bid list and cataloging reference file.
• Assisting College personnel by providing technical information and services as needed, including detailed written purchasing guidelines.
• Maintaining and updating the purchasing software system.
• Preparing and writing reports for contract awards for the HFC Board of Trustees.
• Managing food vendor operations.
• Managing and coordinating copier contracts.

“All I can say is Fred’s the first one to arrive and the last one to leave,” said HFC Senior Mail Clerk Kathy Rathwell.

Steiner reports to HFC Vice President of Financial, Facilities, IT, and Auxiliary Services John Satkowski.

“Fred Steiner is an ‘institution’ at HFC,” said Satkowski. “His dedication to his job as purchasing director has been to handle the College’s funds as if he was managing his own monies. The savings that Fred and his area have provided to HFC are immeasurable. Whether it is through a printer/copier contract or through renovation projects, Fred has had the College’s position at the forefront. In the 11 years that I have known Fred, I have lost count of the savings. I wish Fred a happy, fulfilling, fun retirement. I have always considered him not only a colleague but also a friend. Congratulations, my friend!”

Served on numerous committees at HFC and taught classes

During his time at the College, Steiner has served on numerous committees, including project manager and chair of the Core Committee during the implementation of HFC’s institutional software system, Ellucian Colleague, from October 2000 through February 2003. He belonged to countless employee selection committees, the HANK Implementation Oversight Committee, the ISM's National Business Survey Committee, and the Financial Services Council (his personal favorite).

Steiner also served as the interim director of financial services at the Cashier’s office from August 2002 through March 2004. He taught economics and personnel management in the evenings during the 1990s and 2000s. One of his students was HFC Culinary Instructor Chef Jeffrey Click.

“I enjoyed being in the classroom and face-to-face with the students,” recalled Steiner. “As time went on, the demands of my day job continued to increase and I could no longer fit the evening classes into my schedule. I remain grateful for the experience – it gave me great insight into the academic side of the house. It also helped me get my kids through undergrad debt-free.”

Steiner served under five presidents at HFC. He’s seen many changes happen throughout his 35 years, including the addition of more buildings, technology, people, and academic programs.

“I was the first full-time purchasing agent for the College when I started here on May 9, 1988,” he recalled. “Prior to my appointment, the purchasing agent for the Dearborn Public Schools would stop by for two afternoons each week to handle the buying responsibilities. I suppose that means I get the credit or the blame for everything in the purchasing department that followed.”

Issuing bids for major construction projects

When he first began at HFC, Steiner and his now-retired purchasing secretary, Barbara Golden, worked out of a portable building that also housed both the mailroom and Campus Safety.

“I wrote out the bid specifications in longhand on a yellow legal pad and Barb typed them up on 13-part carbon bid forms that DPS used. Everything was sent to bidders and returned to us by U.S. mail. Barb also typed the purchase orders on an 8-part carbon PO with a DPS header. Her fingers flew over the IBM Selectric with multiple colors of correction fluid nearby, but rarely used. At that time, purchasing also handled the accounts payable function. Barb would prepare the paperwork and I would review it and drive over to the P-12 administration building every two weeks to drop off the invoices,” he explained.

The first big construction project Steiner oversaw was the Facilities Services Building (Building D on the main campus) in 1991. He also was involved in the Technology Building’s (Building E on the main campus) first addition in 1992. Over the years, Steiner issued many bids for the construction, renovation, or addition of every building on HFC’s main campus and East Campus – even the Dearborn Heights Center formerly owned by the College.

His last major construction project was the recent second addition to the Tech Building.

“That was a bit unique. Usually on a general contractor project, architects and engineers prepare specifications and drawings. Those documents get sent to contractors, contractors respond with pricing, and a contract gets awarded to the lowest qualified bidder. The process is open, competitive, and often used in public sector bidding. However, it doesn’t always result in the best qualified contractor,” he explained. “I introduced a pre-bid qualification process where the College issued an open request for qualifications from contractors, narrowed the field of nine respondents to four finalists who were judged as qualified for the project, then solicited price quotations from those final contractors. The firm selected at the end of the process was one of the best contractors we have ever used at HFC.”

Like learning basketball from Michael Jordan

"I've been very fortunate to have worked with Fred over many years and on many projects. In terms of purchasing and logistics, Fred is an absolute wizard. He is among the hardest working individuals I’ve ever met. He’s also one of the most experienced and knowledgeable administrators at the College and a clutch team player. We are going to miss him," said HFC Director of Facilities Reuben Brukley.

HFC Purchasing Coordinator Dan Murray – who joined the College in 2019 and will serve as interim purchasing director after Steiner’s retirement – echoed Brukley’s sentiments.

“Fred had basically been a one-person show for a long time. Even though I had worked in procurement for more than a decade, I had zero experience in public purchasing,” he said. “I learned quickly from Fred that procurement for the College was a much different process and experience. Fred has been at HFC more than 35 years, and he is basically the “GOAT” [greatest of all time] of public purchasing. Learning public purchasing from Fred is like learning how to play basketball from Michael Jordan. He was gracious and kind enough to share with me the knowledge that he accumulated in his three-and-a-half decades of service to the College.”

Murray continued: “With Fred’s retirement, we will be losing not only a highly dedicated employee, but also a true advocate for HFC. The official goal of the purchasing department is ‘to maximize the value of each dollar spent.’ Fred has always been meticulous, passionate, and frugal when it comes to fulfilling that goal. I hope he enjoys his well-earned and much deserved retirement.”

“A priority above themselves”

For Steiner, finding solutions to problems and helping other departments at HFC fulfill their missions and improve students’ lives by providing the best available goods and services at the best available cost is the best part of his job.

“The purchasing department’s goal in any organization is to maximize the value of each dollar spent,” he said. “In the public sector, we also have to act in the best interest of the Boar; local, state, and federal taxpayers; requesting departments; and the long-term interests of the College itself. While doing this, we also have to comply federal and state regulations and with accounting and audit requirements. It can become a hard balancing act because those interests can conflict with each other, and you have to find ways to work it out.”

His retirement plans include spending more time with his family and volunteering more in his community and at his church, Kirk in the Hills in Bloomfield Hills.

“Over the years, I’ve worked with many good people at the College who made service to the students, the community, and the institution a priority above themselves. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to learn from them, work with them, and enjoy their company. I hesitate to list names because I know I’ll leave out someone special, but I want to especially acknowledge my first boss John Lamb (now retired) and my last boss John Satkowski, and my team in purchasing, mailroom, and logistics – in order of years of service – Teresa Martinez, Kathy Rathwell, Dan Murray, and Dion Stubbs.”

There will be a retirement party for Fred on Tuesday, January 30 in the Ghafari Conference Room (E building) from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to come and wish Fred a fond farewell.