Call now for a quote:
1.800.622.4984
In 1977, three Central Indiana business partners founded Westfield Steel to serve customers across the Midwest. Among them was Fred Prine, whose family has been at the company’s helm ever since.
James Irwin and Onie Duffer already owned and operated a steel fabricating facility and began selling steel to some of their customers. Fred Prine joined them with more than 12 years of experience as an operations manager and outside salesman for a large steel fabrication and service center in Chicago. Within just a few months, this new division became its own service center and grew to become the largest part of the group’s business.
Over the years, Westfield Steel grew and adapted to various changes in the economy, its customer base, and the company’s partnerships. Westfield Steel purchased Shaw Equipment Company, located in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1995. The acquisition opened opportunities for Westfield Steel to expand its abilities and serve new customers.
Later, the acquisition and purchase of Remington Steel, located in Springfield, Ohio, in 2016 positioned Westfield Steel to significantly broaden its machining and manufacturing capabilities.
Fred Prine became Westfield Steel’s sole owner after successfully buying out his partners’ interests in 1999. He continued to diversify and evolve the company, including strategic growth into other industry segments, rebar fabrication, and some light manufacturing.
Westfield Steel has always been a family business. Karyn Prine, Fred’s wife, was the company’s first official employee. She handled all office and inside sales needs before becoming one of the industry’s first female outside sales representatives. It was a role she excelled in for more than 30 years.
Fred and Karyn’s son, Fritz Prine, joined Westfield Steel as CFO and acting COO in 2007. The timing was bittersweet as the company and entire industry peaked with record revenues just before the Great Recession. Fred and Fritz’s combined skills and experience helped steer the company through the historically difficult economic period,and Westfield Steel emerged with a stronger foundation and renewed hunger to grow.
Fred believed strongly in keeping Westfield Steel within the Prine family and began the challenging succession planning process in 2011. Fritz Prine became president of Westfield Steel in October 2013, with Fred continuing as CEO and mentor until his passing in 2018.
Fred Prine’s vision and leadership grew Westfield Steel from one truck in an empty Indiana field to a regional leader spanning multiple states and serving the entire Midwest through the full fleet of its wholly owned subsidiary, Westfield Steel Express.Fred was passionate about the steel industry, and Westfield Steel works to honor that passion and continue Fred’s vision every day.
As president and CEO, Fritz Pine continues to grow and position Westfield Steel as a one-stop shop for supplying, fabricating, and shipping the highest-quality steel products to meet customers’ evolving needs. Through an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and strict quality assurance programs, Fritz and his team operate with the mission to make Westfield Steel the most trusted steel supplier in the industry.
Westfield Steel’s blog containing valuable industry insights and company information from our inside experts.
Tell us about your project and we’ll help you find the right solutions to meet your needs and your budget.