He has served on the committees of virtually every significant association or organization in the baking industry. The American Society of Baking (ASB), Allied Trades of the Baking Industry (ATBI), the American Institute of Baking (AIB International), BEMA, the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) and the Baking Hall of Fame have all been positively impacted by Fred Springer’s participation. His dedication to commercial baking, which includes a lengthy career as president and chief executive officer of Burford Corp., has earned him induction into the Baking Hall of Fame.

Springer, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, began his career with Burford Corp. in 1973 when he was hired as a controller. Ascending the ranks, he pushed early on for the adoption of computer technology and communication advancement, which assisted in the development of the company’s Servo Twist Tyer and Smart Seeder products. Springer also ensured Burford Corp. was one of the first baking equipment manufacturers to make use of the internet to both promote the company and its offerings in the mid-1990s.

His time serving Burford Corp. was only matched by his time serving the industry. He worked on the ASB executive committee in the 1980s and on the ATBI board of directors in the 1990s. During that period, he was on the board of directors of BEMA and a decade later found himself on the board of trustees at AIB International. He was the ATBI president in 2001 and 2002, BEMA chairman in 2002, the AIB International chairman from 2008 to 2009 and the IBIE committee’s chairman of technology from 2013 to 2019. He served on the Baking Hall of Fame committee until 2022.

Not surprisingly, numerous awards followed, including the Robert A. Fisher Distinguished Service Award in 2013 and the BEMA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. He retired in 2019.

For Springer, it wasn’t just about baking. He was a strong supporter of military veterans. In 2016, for example, Burford Corp. was awarded the Secretary of Defense Employee Support Freedom Award, the highest honor the department gives to employers for support of National Guard and Reserve employees. The company remains longtime supporters of the US military, with nearly a quarter of its workforce either military veterans or active Guardsmen. He also helped organize “Operation Military Care Package,” which challenged the industry to send care packages to soldiers abroad.

“He had a motto of ‘make something happen,’ ” wrote Dennis Gunnell, president of Formost Fuji,  in a recommendation letter to the Hall of Fame committee.

Fred Springer certainly made things happen in his decades-long career in the baking industry. His service and dedication have finally been rewarded.