Long before the invention of the automobile, assembly lines, and modern manufacturing, a young man with an entrepreneurial mind decided to start a company. Albert-Pierre Raymond grew up in Grenoble, France when horses were the modern form of transportation and the world of textiles was big business. “Albert-Pierre was my great-great-grandfather, and he was the…
Building a career and connections in the fastener industry
With a degree in accounting, Jan Morr never intended for a career in the fastener industry. After university, she worked at the wireless company, Verizon, managing phone plans for corporate clients — and she excelled. In fact, one of the companies that she worked with was so impressed with her abilities and responsiveness that they…
The road to becoming a global, master fastener distributor
More than a decade ago, two gentlemen shared a cab to the airport from a U.S. fastener show. Although both attended the same event, it was their first time meeting — a random encounter that would lead to what Brighton-Best International (BBI), a master fastener distributor, is today. One of the men was Robert Shieh,…
Meet Eurolink: The rock stars of those hard-to-find metric fasteners
If there’s one thing Craig Penland has learned as a business owner with more than a couple of decades of experience in the fastener industry, it’s how to persevere. “To be honest, I could write a New York Times best-seller on how NOT to run a company,” he laughs. “Because if it was possible to…
Fastener Fair: Connecting the global fastener community
The inaugural Fastener Fair USA event took place in 2018, but the exhibition launched more than a couple of decades ago and has found success in several countries since then. The first show started in England in 1995. It was organized by a UK socket-screw wholesaler interested in expanding his business and connecting with others…
From mining in Minnesota to a global corporation
When a handful of colleagues set up shop in Minnesota more than a century ago, not one would have predicted their efforts would lead to a multinational conglomerate corporation, with global corporate operations in 70 countries and sales offices in another 200 locations. The founders of 3M Company — an acronym for Minnesota Mining and…
The Starbucks of the fastener industry: Solution Industries is taking orders
Thirty years ago, John Radel decided to take a chance on the American dream. Rather than accept a job as a machinist with a well-known original equipment manufacturer, he launched his own business — and it started in his garage not far from Cleveland, Ohio. “Based on my understanding, John was a well-known machinist and…
The staying power of a diverse yet focused chemical company
Most are unlikely to guess that the world’s top adhesive producer began as a modest manufacturer of detergent. However, nearly a century-and-a-half ago, a young German salesman by the name of Fritz Henkel took a chance, producing soap. He initially partnered with two associates to form, Henkel & Cie, in the city of Aachen in…
A life-long career of learning in the fastener industry
If you’ve been in the fastener industry for any length of time, you’re likely aware of Jo Morris. She’s well-known for her work with the Fastener Training Institute (FTI), a non-profit organization dedicated to education and training in the fastener sector. She’s technically FTI’s director of marketing — although she wears many hats and has…
Setting goals and finding balance with Fasteners Direct
Caia Baker is a list-maker. Like many of us, she has a to-do list but perhaps more importantly, she has a list of goals that she routinely sets — and accomplishes. In under two weeks, she’s crossed off six of her 14 goals for this month alone. “I have a whiteboard in my office and…