Her Story
About Cynthia
Cynthia Klosterman serves as Purchasing Manager for North and South America at FTEC, based in Sidney, Ohio. She entered the automotive industry in 1980 and has spent over 40 years with the same company, beginning as a receptionist before advancing through clerical roles to buyer and then purchasing manager. Klosterman earned her current responsibilities after extensive company training and courses, along with mentorship from her company's worldwide president, who guided her in contract negotiations with suppliers including ExxonMobil and BASF. Her expertise centers on negotiation, pricing negotiations, and contracts, including daily tasks such as reviewing raw material requirements, negotiating with suppliers, interviewing suppliers, sourcing alternative materials, and driving cost savings. She highlights ethics as a core value in both her professional and personal life and notes that unstable oil prices present ongoing market challenges in her field. Klosterman advises aspiring professionals, especially young women, to start at entry levels like receptionist and work their way up through hard work and mentorship.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Cynthia
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Having a good mentor is the best career advice. I learned by absorbing, watching, and training with people like sitting in negotiations with the President who mentored me for several years on contract negotiations with companies like ExxonMobil and BASF.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Stick with it. Start out as a receptionist as I did, and work your way up through the organization. You can do it. The sky is the limit if you put some elbow grease into it.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge right now is unstable market conditions with oil prices, which affects petroleum feedstocks and the chemicals I buy. It creates instability, but markets fluctuate between buyer's and seller's markets and history will repeat itself.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Ethics are extremely important to me in both my work and personal life.
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