Washoe County’s Top Purchasing Official Set to Ride off into the sunset
by Mike Sullens
He strode into the Purchasing office like the new Sheriff in town. He was a big man wearing a western suite, bolo tie, cowboy boots, and black Stetson. At 6’5” and 270 lbs he commanded respect just by the sheer size of him. The year was 1992 (which even looks like a long time ago in print) when John L. Balentine, C.P.M.; CPP first came to the Washoe County Purchasing Department. Seems like only yesterday when John sat us down in our conference room and introduced himself. We didn’t know what to expect. Now after 16 years at the reins of the Washoe County Purchasing Department he has proved himself to be a gentle John (Wayne) much respected throughout the Purchasing profession and much beloved by his staff and co-workers. One of the keys to John’s success was while he was a force to be reckoned with, he ‘reckoned’ that appreciating and supporting staff, while ensuring that the County was fair and impartial in its purchasing practices, would take him a lot further than simply enforcing the “law” at the end of his...pen. And take him further it did. Since its inception and for 13 consecutive years John has applied for and received the Achievement in Excellence in Procurement Award from the National Purchasing Institute. This award measures the performance of governmental purchasing agencies against nationally recognized best practices and under John’s leadership, the Washoe County Purchasing Department has always ‘measured up’ and been consistently recognized as being in the top tier of Purchasing Departments throughout the country.
John started his career in the public sector in 1966 working as the Youth Programs Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles under Mayor Sam Yorty and Tom Bradley. In 1975 he decided to try his hand as a private businessman and moved to Nashville TN where he established a firm “Total Travel International Inc.” Though successful, John was truly a public servant at heart and so by 1978 John went to work for the State of Tennessee in the Controllers’ Office, Internal Audit Department. In 1980, John relocated west to Carson City Nevada and worked for the Onslow Hotel and Casino as assistant Chief of Security. In 1983 John decided to get a real star and joined the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department as a reserve deputy while still working part-time at the Onslow. In 1984, John joined the State of Nevada Purchasing Office and worked as a buyer and senior buyer until 1992. In 1992, he saw that Washoe County’s Purchasing and Contracts Administrator Joyce Devine was retiring and decided to toss his hat in the ring for the County’s top procurement position. Hired by County Manager John McIntyre, it didn’t take John long to put his own brand on Washoe County purchasing. It was the Triple “R” brand, right product, at the right price, at the right time. He figured that just getting the right price wouldn’t necessarily cut it if it wasn’t the right thing or wasn’t delivered or performed at the right time.
John also marshaled in the County’s first procurement card program designed to streamline the acquisition process for small purchases while reducing processing costs. This program has proved extremely beneficial with close to 500 cardholders and $1,750,000 in expenditures this year alone.
Throughout his purchasing career, John has been a consummate professional, an active participant in professional purchasing organizations, and a much sought after speaker. John served on the Board of Directors for the National Purchasing Institute where he was president in 2004-2005, the Institute of Supply Management formerly (the National Association of Purchasing Managers), and the Northern Nevada Consortium for Cooperative Purchasing. He is a lifetime Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) and a Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP).
In 1997, John won the National Association of Purchasing Management’s “Person of the Year for Education” in the purchasing field. In 2000, he received the SAFOS Award (Special Award for Outstanding Service to the Purchasing profession) presented by the National Purchasing Institute. John later received the Robert C. Ashby award for lifetime achievement in Procurement in 2006 from the Nevada Association of Purchasing and Supply Management.
John’s legacy at Washoe County will not soon be forgotten nor his style of doing business. He has always been a straight shooter and highly appreciative of the efforts of others. He seldom said a mean word but you always knew he did ‘mean’ what he said. John is leaving some big shoes to fill and I mean that both figuratively and literally. He will surely be missed but his example of seeing the best in people will long be remembered. So as John gets ready to ride off into the sunset, you are invited to mosey on down to the Central Conference Room at the Washoe County Administrative Complex between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 26th and wish John some “Happy Retirement Trails”. John has had a distinguished career and I’m not sure he’s done yet. But whatever the future holds for John we wish him well and thank him for his many years of distinguished service to Washoe County. He may not be wearing one but he will always be a shining star with us. And for those of you who think a purchasing agent can’t have a sense of humor, John’s official retirement date will be Independence Day 2008.
Happy Trails John.
