Photo By Katesha Washington | The NAVSUP FLC San Diego Commanding Officer Captain Tim Brown, (right), pins the Navy...... read more read more
Steve Frey, the highly respected Regional Fuels director with NAVSUP FLC San Diego, retired on April 30, 2021, after a successful career that spanned 54 years.
Frey initially joined the Navy where he worked as an aviation machinist for five years, before transitioning to the civilian workforce. He served with the Navy Exchange Command working as Physical Distribution Manager for 21 years. Upon graduating from the University of Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors and a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Southern California, he transitioned to the private sector where he earned another Master’s degree in Environmental Management.
Frey eventually joined the Fleet Industrial Supply Center, now known as Fleet Logistics Center San Diego, in 1994 as an Environmental Protection Specialist where his life, and career, would drastically change for the better.
“The Fuels officer at that time took a liking to me for some reason and asked if I wanted to work with him as a Fuels intern and I jumped at the opportunity,” Frey stated. “It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
After three years of understudy and working as an intern, he was offered and accepted the position as Regional Fuels director, a position that he’s held for the last 22 years.
“So many people told me I was making a huge mistake because of the risks involved with possible fuel spills that could ruin my career, and because of the [perceived] lack of promotion opportunity.” Frey explained.
The Paterson, N.J. native said his experience was the opposite of naysayers.
“By far, it is the best job I have ever had. The last 26 plus years have been sprinkled with challenges, and at the same time the most rewarding. I have enjoyed every minute of every hour that I have worked here.” He said.
During his time with the NAVSUP FLC San Diego, Frey has made significant improvements to the Fuels program that will have a lasting impact on the command and the Navy.
As the Regional Fuels Director, he was responsible for the receipt, storage, and issue of Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) owned bulk petroleum products in support of Commander, Third Fleet’s (C3F) area of responsibility, while leading 235 military, government civilian, and contractor personnel across Navy Region Southwest (NRSW) sites. Frey safely provided 24/7 warfighter support with Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant (POL) requirements in over 185,000 successful high-risk fueling evolutions annually, totaling 500 million gallons of fuel throughput. In total, he effectively managed fuel operations at 11 different sites dispersed across California and Nevada with over 58 million gallons of POL storage capacity.
One of Frey’s most significant achievements was his work in successfully championing the $225 million 2008 Military Construction (MILCON) P-401 project that upgraded the Defense Fuel Support Point (DFSP) Point Loma bulk fuel facility completed in 2013, which was DoD’s largest fuel facility replacement project to date. He initiated the $92 million 2016 MILCON P-1306 project to replace the fuel wharf at Naval Base Point Loma with a double-deck pier becoming yet another one of a kind asset within DoD. Additionally, he pioneered the 2008 DLA Optimization Study that ultimately resulted in a 2015 project worth $33 million to upgrade the vital Navy-owned Miramar pipeline.
According to LCDR Danny Maldonado, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego Southwest Regional Fuels officer, Frey’s diligence in improving the fuels infrastructure within the command’s area of operations will be felt long after his retirement.
“Steve’s positive impact on the Navy is immeasurable, as he took an already storied DFSP Point Loma fuels operation to new heights that is primed for another “century of service” to the fleet.” He stated. “His tenacity in pioneering new initiatives and continuous process improvements always achieved the desired end results to make our organization safer and more effective.”
Throughout his career, Frey earned numerous accolades and awards, including being honored as the American Petroleum Institute Civilian of the Year selection three times, two Chief of Naval Operations Environmental awards, and several Navy Bulk Fuel Terminal & Navy Retail Activity awards. Just recently, the NAVSUP FLC San Diego Commanding Officer Captain Tim Brown, awarded Frey with the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service award for his exceptional work over the past 26 years in making DFSP Point Loma and FLC San Diego a world class organization.
“Among the many responsibilities and accountability areas for an FLC CO, none are more challenging or risk-laden than those attached to petroleum management, and we have a huge and widely dispersed fuels operation here at FLC San Diego. Having had someone of the stature of Steve Frey at the helm of our Fuels team has allowed me to sleep soundly.” Brown explained. “Thanks to his efforts, FLCSD is well-positioned to continue its excellent support to the warfighter well into the future.”
As Frey begins his new life as a retiree, he looks forward to traveling abroad and spending more quality time with his wife of 61 years and family. He says he was deeply moved by the sentiments of his eldest grandson upon learning of his retirement.
“My grandson called me recently and said, ‘Grandpa I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me, you’re my idol and the one I look up to. All the things I’ve succeeded at doing is because you taught me those things.’ Hearing something like that makes you feel good.” He explained.
While those who have worked with Frey understand that there will never be another Fuels director like him, Frey himself says his replacement, Michael Carter, is the perfect man for the job.
“Mr. Carter is the perfect choice for the job. He’s been here for five years, comes with a wealth of knowledge from his private sector work, and he understands this organization as well as I do,” he said. ”The command is in good hands with him.”
| Date Taken: | 05.06.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2021 18:30 |
| Story ID: | 395862 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 327 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
This work, Navy civilian retires after 54-year career with the federal government, by Katesha Washington, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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