Family Timeline

Heidtman Family History & Timeline

1930s-1940s: An Early Career in Steel

Frederick William Heidtman (Fred) was an Executive at the Bingham Stamping & Tool Company which was a large metal stamping, tooling and auto parts manufacturing company in Toledo, Ohio. His expertise leads him to head the merger that creates the Bingham-Herbrand Corporation in 1947. The merger created a team of over 1,000 employees and 2-3 very large manufacturing plants. This period not only established Fred as a leader in heavy industrial operations but also provided the deep operational insights that would eventually lead to the founding of Heidtman Steel.

1947-1950: A Stepping Stone

After being pushed out of the new Bingham-Herbrand Corporation in 1949-50, Fred Heidtman becomes an Investor and the Vice President of The Landscape Supply Company of Toledo, which was located on formerly Heidtman controlled land at 720 Laskey Road by the early 1960s. He ultimately would keep this position until his passing but would shift his focus in 1950 to pursue his life vision, applying his knowledge and expertise to start his own steel company to secure his and his family’s future.

1950: A New Beginning

Frederick William Heidtman (Fred) establishes Heidtman Steel Products, Co. in 1950 with a focus on shearing, leveling, fabrication, stamping, processing and steel supply/distribution. Originally out of a 5,000-square-foot plant at 716 Laskey Road and a couple acre storage lot with small facilities at 720 Laskey Road in Toledo, Ohio with 5-10 employees, two long flatbed straight trucks and one welding/torch service truck. Heidtman was founded as a premier processor and supplier of precision flat rolled carbon steel products, including hot and cold rolled. Shortly thereafter around 1953, his son F. William Heidtman, II (Bill) joins the business, as well as his daughter Louanne as a bookkeeper and the family is at the helm.

1962: A Founders Passing

In 1962, Fred Heidtman the founder of Heidtman Steel, passes away at age 64. His son, Bill Heidtman takes full leadership of the company becoming President and Chairman, with his mother Margery Heidtman being Owner, continuing the family legacy. By this time Heidtman Steel had 15-20 employees and ran a day & night shift for shearing and leveling. - In 1963, Bill Heidtman hired a young 19 year old named John Bates to originally just work a temporary summer job in the plant as a manual laborer after the recommendation of John's father who was a salesman at Detroit steel, but John would rise through the ranks and become plant manager by the late 1960s after Bill saw his potential. The two became close friends, but it was not as a "partnership" contrary to popular belief or rewritten stories.

1965: Palm Sunday Tornado

A major challenge was presented when the steel operation was completely destroyed by a tornado in 1965, but through the family's determination, and with the kindness of a friendly competitor (Robert 'Cam' Smith Sr, became long time family friends and an eventual employee of Heidtman) who lent them a facility as well as the ability to use there equipment at night, the company survived. Employee John Bates borrowed $25,000 from the company (Heidtman Steel) to purchase a small stake. - (The Heidtman Family is still family friends with the Smith Family 'Cam Smith, Jr' of the former Doral Steel to this very day.)

1966-1967: Bill Heidtman Purchases Heidtman Steel

After the death of his father Fred in 1962, Bill bought Heidtman Steel Products from his mother on a land contract in 1966. Temporarily operating a facility at 2449 Hill Ave in Toledo before Bill moved the company to a 70,000-square-foot Plant on 8 acres at 5601 Enterprise Blvd in Toledo's Fort Industry Industrial Park in 1967. This Plant was operated by Heidtman Steel until 2007, but it is still however somewhat affiliated.

1971-mid 70s: Pioneering New Technology

Steel slitting equipment came first, in 1971. In the mid '70s, the automotive industry began seeking ways to reduce weight and increase fuel efficiency during the energy crisis and oil embargo. Heidtman responded by pioneering the certification and marketing of high-strength low-alloy sheet steels, becoming the first to supply high-strength steel to automakers. Its sophisticated testing equipment, specialized expertise and a commitment to finding innovative solutions for customer needs helped set Heidtman apart from the rest of the service center industry. With the big three (Ford, Gm, Chrysler) becoming our biggest customers even still today, in the 70s if you were looking for high-strength steel, you either got it straight from the Mill or from Heidtman. In the early 70s Heidtman began operating the 20 acre Campus on Lavoy Rd in Bedford Township, MI (Erie). By mid 70s Heidtman had a fleet of 30+ steel hauling semi's to provide premier steel delivery and transportation.

1977: Tom Heidtman's Career Begins

Tom Heidtman (Bills son) joins Heidtman Steel after graduating high school and while going to college. Beginning what will be a 48-year career, dedicating himself to the company's operation and success. First starting out working in the plant doing numerous jobs over the years and then working his way up in the office in various different roles, mainly in the Production Department until April 2025.

1979: Bedford, Michigan Hydrochloric Pickling Facility (Erie)

In 1979, Heidtman Steel completed a major expansion as a flat rolled steel service center by constructing its first continuous hydrochloric pickling facility in Bedford, Michigan (Erie) at the Heidtman Campus located on Lavoy Rd after being commissioned by Bill Heidtman. By the late 1970s, Heidtman Steel had grown to $36 million in annual sales (equivalent to over $150 million today when adjusted for inflation).

1981-1982: Granite City, Illinois Plant 

By 1982, Bill Heidtman secures the site, funding, and commissions the construction of the Granite City plant. This Plant became 92,000-square-feet, employed approximately 50+ employees, has a state-of-the-art hydrochloric pickling line and processes approximately 30,000+ tons of steel per month, originally on a 35 acre site at 10 Northgate Industrial Drive. This expansion is a testament to his continued leadership and vision for the company's future, giving the original idea of mill adjacent processing facilities. - While this facility was brainstormed and later being constructed, Heidtman Steel purchased a steel slitting & warehousing facility called 'Steelabrade, Corp' at the former Commonwealth Plant of General Steel Industries and temporarily operated a 10 employee service center there until the operation was moved once the Heidtman Plant was finished being constructed. - By this time Heidtman Steel had 270+ employees, 5 Plants across the Midwest and numerous affiliated companies such as Bedford Steel Processing and Stateline Steel Products, as well as 35-40+ steel hauling semis and straight trucks. - At this time Bill Heidtman is the Chairman, Chief Executive & Majority Owner, with John Bates being President.

1983: Expansion and the End of an era

Throughout the ‘80s, Heidtman dramatically expanded the size and scope of its operations, as it developed the largest pickling capacity of any service center in the U.S. In 1983, Bill Heidtman lost controlling shares and ownership, Long Time Employee John Bates gains control and ownership. Bill is retained as a Consultant and Flat Rolled Specialist with offices at the 2401 Front Street Location as well as the 5601 Enterprise Blvd. location until his final retirement in the mid 90s. - Bill Heidtman received the 'President's Lifetime Achievement Award' from the 'Metals Service Center Institute' in the mid 2000s. He would pass away in 2018 at age 84.

Late 80s-2019: Clearing the way

In the late 80s and early 90s while working at Heidtman Steel and then National Galvanizing, Jeff Heidtman (Bill's son) founded Heidtman-Northern Tree Service, Corp. in Temperance Michigan. Which becomes a Full Service Tree Company doing utility line clearance, municipal, industrial and residential. With a focus on Crane Services, Tree Removal/Trimming, Land Clearing, Vegetation Management, Grinding, and Logistical Support. Operated until 2019 (Defunct). Jeff moved to Utila, an island off of Honduras in Central America and has since moved back to mainland Honduras.

Mid to Late 2000s-2010s

By 2007, Heidtman Steel had 1,200+ employees, 15-16 plants/facilities across the U.S., annual revenues of over $700+ million and processed nearly five million tons of steel annually through their wholly-owned facilities and joint ventures. Products and services include a wide range of flat-rolled steel such as hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and various coated steels, all processed through services like slitting, leveling, shearing, blanking, pickling, galvanizing and temper passing. Heidtman Steel had a Baltimore, Maryland plant - Sparrows Point, Maryland plant - Sumter, South Carolina Plant - Cleveland, Ohio plant - Toledo, Ohio plant and Toledo, Ohio office location - Erie, Michigan Plants  - Two plants in Butler, Indiana - Crawfordsville, Indiana plant - Granite City, Illinois plant - The Automotive Technical Center in Gibraltar, Michigan as well as a Plant in Gibraltar, Michigan - Detroit, Michigan (NuTek) - Monroe, Michigan (National Galvanizing) - Delta, Ohio (Fulton County Processing) and a sales office in Monterrey, Mexico. - Heidtman Steel’s Trucking Division was called Mizar Motors and had a fleet of 100+ Trucks and hundreds of transportation assets. - The trucking division was based out of two truck dealerships Heidtman Steel owned, Freightliner of Toledo and Great Lakes Western Star. Heidtman Steel also owned the only underground coal mine in Arkansas, Controlling over 30 million tons of low volatile metallurgical coal under the name Heidtman Mining, LLC. Heidtman Steel even owned a Corporate Lear Jet and Hanger on smith road at the Toledo Suburban Airport in Ottawa Lake, Michigan.

2021: Heidtman Enterprises is Founded by Tom Heidtman, Jr. (Thomas John William Heidtman)

In 2021, Tom Heidtman, Jr. (Tom's son) founded Heidtman Enterprises, LLC. as a specialty contracting and industrial service company. Specializing in large-scale land clearing, forestry, demolition, site-work, reclamation, mining support, waste solutions and material supply in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Heidtman Enterprises supplies various materials, such as sand, gravel, limestone, asphalt millings, slag and rip-rap, we can supply just a few yards or tens of thousands of tons to your site via our Heidtman trucks or Hired trucks. Based in Temperance, Michigan/Toledo, Ohio, and serves residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal clients. In 2021, Tom Jr founded Heidtman Enterprises to secure the Heidtman family future and legacy since he saw the writing on the wall of the years that would come.

(Thomas John William Heidtman)

2025: Tom Heidtman departs Heidtman Steel

In April 2025, After dedicating his life's work to the company, Tom Heidtman (Thomas Edward Heidtman) departs Heidtman Steel. This marks the end of his nearly half-century of service to the company his grandfather founded and father grew. First starting out working in the plant in 1977 and then working his way up in the office, mainly in the Production Department until 2025. Tom, Sr. is known for his unwavering loyalty and dedication, no matter the circumstances. This also marks the first time since its inception in 1950 that a Heidtman is unfortunately not at or welcomed at Heidtman Steel, the company our family founded long ago to prevent this situation from happening, but in the end it still did.

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