It seems destined that Lauren Hicks would one day join All State Fastener Corporation, a specialized vendor of standard and engineered fasteners in Roseville, Michigan. Her paternal grandfather started the company nearly 60 years ago and it’s where her parents met. “I believe my mom was first hired to work on the switchboard, back when…
Finding success in change: From mechanical fasteners to adhesives
What began as a mechanical fastener business for construction and industrial applications in the ’80s has since turned into a global manufacturer of industrial adhesives. Today, Adhesives Technology Corp. manufactures advanced chemical and adhesive products, primarily for the commercial construction and transportation industries. “The company began under the name U.S. Anchor, and it was primarily…
The oxygen, cutting & welding company: Koike Aronson / Ransome
Established near the end of World War I in 1918, Koike Seisakusho and Koike Sanso Shokai — one root of Koike Aronson / Ransome, Inc. — was founded by Mr. Seiichi Koike. Koike truly began to grow its operations near the end of World War II. Well-known today for its precision cutting and welding capabilities,…
The growth of a global, go-to adhesives company
Brandon Willis has had a year of challenges — but good ones. Despite the pandemic, he relocated to a new state with his family, bought a new home, and started a new job with an impressive role. “I started with Epoxy Technology on September 1st of this year,” he says. “I’ll admit it was a…
Pushing forward in uncertain times: The CEO of Optimas Solutions shares insight
It’s certainly been far from the year Marc Strandquist anticipated when he first began his role as president for the Americas with Optimas Solutions in January of 2020. Optimas is a global, tech-enabled industrial manufacturer and distributor that delivers fasteners, inventory management, and production-related solutions. “It’s been a challenge, that’s for sure,” says Strandquist, who…
Rolling the dice on success: A company built on vented screws
It was polio that set Ron Anderson up for a career as a draftsman. Eventually, this path led him to start his own business, UC Components, Inc. — a manufacturer of vented screws and components — from his home garage in Union City, California. He bought a drill press, a spray-mist cooler, and a small…
Going digital with Perlane Sales
Months before the pandemic hit, Ken DeCrane felt it was time to digitalize a few of the services offered at Perlane Sales Inc., a distributor and engineered partner of fasteners and tools. “The challenge in business is to continually be forward-thinking and to avoid complacency,” he says. DeCrane is the company president and he’s been…
“Family is our fastener:” Industrial Rivet celebrates more than 100 years of success
When Taryn Goodman’s great grandfather (Willie Goodman) founded Industrial Rivet & Washer Co. in 1912, he likely never expected the company to last more than 100 years or to maintain one of the industry’s largest inventories. He was simply offered an opportunity to sell rivets in New York City and grew to become an expert…
Building the future with Suburban Bolt
The fastener industry was far from Nikki Gordon’s mind when she began her career as a marketing specialist. It may have stayed that way, too — she worked for Gannett, the second-largest media company in the world at the time — but one of her clients at Gannett was Suburban Bolt and Supply, a family…
JW Winco: Building a family business
Standard parts — meaning those that conform to an established industry standard — might seem like an easy find in most industries, but this wasn’t always the case. Before the 1980s, finding the ideal fastener or component for an automobile or a kitchen appliance in North America might have required a new design template or…