Threaded Media - April 2016

MORE FASTENER NEWS INSIDE!

...articles about fastener 

companies for fastener 

companies 

Threaded Media was an idea that I had many months ago and has finally culminated into this debut issue you are about to read. The 

fastener industry has a plethora of outstanding news sources and platforms and my objective with Threaded Media was to further 

provide news and information about our industry specifically in a digital format. Some of us spend all day at work behind our desktops 

and maybe even just as much as time at home on our smart phones and/or tablets. Because of that, I wanted to provide a platform that 

was not only easy to view, but simple to access with engaging narratives by fastener distributors and related companies. 

As some of you may know, I am very much involved in the fastener industry through the organization that I founded a few years ago, 

Young Fastener Professionals. As you will soon discover, Threaded Media runs on the same values as YFP - educating, learning, & collaborating. 

This issue, like future ones to come, will feature articles about companies in our industry written by the professionals most 

familiar with them. It is my hope that you find Threaded Media enjoybale, informative and useful as employees of the fastener industry. 

Please feel free to reach out to me personally and provide any feedback, positive or negative, on your perceptions of the Threaded 

Media product. 

Ryan D. Kertis 

Editor in Chief 

threaded media 

Editor In Chief • Ryan Kertis 

609.488.0460, ryan@threadedmedia.com 

Marketing Director • Alyssa Decker 

609.488.0460, alyssa@threadedmedia.com 

Contributing Writer • Robert Lopez 

Specialty Sales Reps 

Contributing Writer • Christy Behnke 

Field Fastener 

Project Manager, Web • Evan Blaire 

The Bright Pursuit 

evan@thebrightpursuit.com 

Project Manager • Brian Flynn 

609.488.0460, brian@threadedmedia.com 

Contributing Writer • Jason Bader 

The Distribution Team 

ON THE COVER: Field Fastener shares with Threaded Media what makes their company culture great! 

2 Threaded Media www.ThreadedMedia.com

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WHAT’S GOING 

ON IN THE 

INDUSTRY? 

Are you up-to-date on your fastener 

industry news? 

Perkins Machine, a family owned 

and operated manufacturer out of Oxnard 

California, is proud to announce the hiring 

of Specialty Sales to help promote the 

company’s products. Specialty Sales is a 

leading Manufacturers Representative 

Organization and has been servicing 

commercial, industrial, electronics and 

aerospace fastener distributors and manufacturers 

throughout California, Arizona, 

and Nevada for over 24 years. 

Products List – An updated products list is 

available on the Perkins Machine website: 

www.perkinsmachine.com/products. 

These products include a broad range of 

standard MS, NAS and AN hardware items 

in addition to customer specials, and 

made-to-print components. 

Perkins Machine Company was established 

in 1942 by Ed Perkins and in 2013, 

Perkins was purchased by partner and 

30-year employee Robert Boulette. Perkins 

continues to manufacturethe finest Mil- 

Spec Spanner nuts in the industry and has 

expanded its products to additional MS 

NAS and AN Nuts. For more information 

contact Perkins Machine at 805-487-8780. 

Tectorius® is pleased to introduce a 

new and improved, universal, pre-applied, 

threadlocker. Tec-BondTM 204 is designed 

to perform on most fastener substrates 

including, but not limited to, zinc, organic 

finishes, brass and stainless steel. In addition 

to its wide versatility and enhanced 

reliability, this economical innovation in 

threadlocking also delivers very fast curing, 

demonstrating retaining torques in 

under 10 minutes. Tec-Bond 204’s waterbased 

carrier medium makes for an environmentally 

friendly, easy to use character. 

Tectorius technology strives to bring the 

latest innovations to the fastener market. 

Tectorius® is a world leader in the field of 

pre-applied sealants, adhesives, lubricants 

and other performance-enhancing products. 

We serve a variety of sectors including 

the automotive, aerospace, and electronic 

industries. For more information, 

contact Tectorius at 586-232-3999 or visit 

our website at www.tectorius.com. 


South Carolina-based, Eurolink, is proud 

to announce that they have become the 

first distributor, worldwide, to stock a fullline 

of DIN 961 Fine-Thread, Full Thread 

A2 Stainless Steel Hex Head Cap Screws. 

They are now stocking diameters M8-1.0, 

M10-1.25, M12-1.5 and M16-1.5 in lengths 

ranging from 16mm to 100mm, all in A2 

Stainless Steel. 

These screws no longer have to be 

manufactured per order. Not only does 

your customer no longer have to wait on 

manufactured deliveries, but they also no 

longer have to pay manufactured type 

pricing. These screws are now in stock, 

ready-to-ship, at production pricing. 


www.ThreadedMedia.com 

5

WHAT MAKES A 

GREAT CULTURE? 

BY CHRISTY BEHNKE, FIELD FASTENER 

Field Fastener out of Machesney Park, Illinois has been recognized 

for their undeniable, postive culture in recent years by Fortune 

magazine. 

Field has been in the news a lot lately. Field is a distributor of 

fasteners and other ‘C’ commodities to the OEM market. They 

are the best in the industry at providing ongoing cost reduction 

through both technical support services and inventory 

management systems. While their services are certainly something 

to boast about, it’s another aspect of their business that 

is getting all the recognition as of late. Over the last few years 

Field has been recognized as a Great Place to Work because 

of its culture. Field ranked #8 overall on Fortune’s list of Best 

Small Companies to work for in 2015 and this year marks 

the second year in a row that Field has received the honor of 

being named on Fortune’s list as one of the Best Workplaces in 

Manufacturing and Production. After all these years, how has 

Field created such a unique Culture and how do they maintain 

it? 

in the culture, team strength, and business results. The focus since 

2012 has been an ever-increasing emphasis on finding candidates 

for employment who fit Field’s Core Values and demonstrate 

the importance of building relationships that are inherent to its 

Mission Statement. By placing a higher priority on these key components 

of the culture, Field is able to add higher caliber team 

members as the company grows. 

Tim Firm Director of HR states, “We are very deliberate when 

it comes to Field being viewed as a ‘preferred employer’ and a 

great place to work. Our efforts really begin with our commit- 

The biggest factor in any company culture is the people, and 

to get great people you need to hire people who possess the 

qualities you want in your culture. If you ask any company who 

has been recognized as a Great Place to Work they will all say 

the same thing; the foundation of the culture is their people, 

and the foundation of the company’s success relies on their 

culture. So hiring for fit becomes more important than hiring 

for skill. While skill is important in the hiring process, the team 

at Field firmly believes that you can teach individuals about 

fasteners, marketing, or anything that has to do with their position, 

but you can’t teach someone the Field Core Values, and 

that is where it all starts. 

Field has significantly changed their approach to recruiting 

over the past 4 years, which has led to an overall improvement 


ment to recruiting and hiring for cultural 

fit. Yes, skills and experience are still very 

much a consideration but adding talent 

that already possesses our Core Values 

of Integrity, Commitment, Teamwork, 

Innovation, Flexibility, and Fun as part 

of their personal and professional ‘DNA’ 

enables Field to be a very special place to 

work and to choose as one’s career home. 

The relationship-based theme of our 

Mission Statement, ‘To have everyone who 

interacts with us, love us’ motivates us to 

seek those who embrace the importance 

of customer service and who have demonstrated 

their willingness to serve and care 

about others as evidenced in their work 

history and their involvement in community 

and family based activities. As a 

result, our customers benefit, our suppliers 

benefit, our community benefits, and our 

team members not only benefit, but are 

committed to ensuring that what we have 

at Field is very real and worth making a 

priority.” 

“We strive to create an environment that 

allows our Team Members to flourish by 

empowering the team to make decisions.” 

- Field President, Jim Derry 

Every Field Team Member lives 

the Mission Statement and owns 

the Culture and has a responsibility 

to protect it, enhance 

it, and promote it. Often times 

before a prospect will become 

a customer, they will participate 

in a company tour to meet the 

team and experience the Field 

Culture. The tour involves Team 

Members from every functional 

area at Field meeting with the 

prospect, asking questions about 

their objectives and figuring out, 

with the prospect, how Field can 

meet their needs. About 75% of 

prospects who come to visit Field 

end up becoming a customer, 

and the majority of those customers 

say it was the uniqueness 

of the Field Culture that helped 

them make the final decision. 

“Our team is focused on the enhancement 

of our culture as we grow to $100 million 

and beyond,” states Field Chairman, 

Bill Derry. “We are passionate about the 

importance of the Field Culture and we 

are committed to protecting and refining 

it. Our team is the reason we have earned 

the Great Place to Work recognition and 

the reason why our business continues to 

grow over 6 times the industry average 

each year. By adding new Team Members 

who share our Core Values will only help 

us to continue to improve our already 

great Culture.” 

Hiring the right person is indeed the foundation 

to the Field Culture success, but 

that is only one element of a much larger 

picture that helps enhance the great Field 

Culture. The Leadership Team at Field 

has created an environment where Team 

Members feel empowered and comfortable 

questioning the status quo and challenging 

processes. 

Continued on p. 16 

STRESSFUL 

MORNING? 

Field recognizes that mornings 

can be extremely stressful. If 

you are running late, the one 

thing you usually skip is breakfast. 

Field doesn’t want anyone 

to have to suffer through a 

morning of a growling stomach. 

So every day the kitchen is 

stocked with yogurt, oatmeal, 

granola bars, breakfast bars, 

fresh fruit, breakfast cookies, 

juices, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, 

and milk. 



7

CHRONICLES OF A TRAVELING 

SALESMAN 

When I was asked to write something for the inaugural edition of 

Threaded Media, it made me think of a book I have been reading 

“2 Billion Under 20” by Stacey Ferreira & Jared Kleinert. As the 

title of this book claims, there are two billion people in the world 

now at or under the age of 20 and this book tells the story of 75 

of those young people. Each of these ambitious millennial entrepreneurs 

writes their own chapter telling their personal stories. 

There are plenty of really good stories but one by 20 year old, 

Kevin Breel kind of hit home. He wrote, “In youth comes the right 

amount of overconfidence and naivete’ to think you can actually 

change the world. You get to dream big dreams and create crazy 

plans for total domination of the universe. But, it’s also the time 

you need to actually do stuff”. 

I am certainly not a millennial, but there are days I wish I still was 

then other days when I am very glad I am not. This is a good 

book for people of any age. The young people do not have a 

monopoly on creativity and innovation, it’s just that sometimes 

they have the naivete’ to march forward with their ideas. But 

all of us need to keep “dreaming big dreams and create crazy 

plans”. Because, the fact is that if you are not injecting fresh ideas 

and energy into your company, you stand a good chance that 

someone else will come along and take your market position. As 

young Mr. Breel said, sometimes you just need to “do stuff”. 

The fastener industry is a dynamic place and lots of changes are 

coming. Some changes might be good and some not so good. 

And the change that happens to you might not be the result of 

something you did. With so many mergers & acquisitions taking 

place the world just keeps changing at an ever increasing pace. 

But you cannot just sit back - you need to do stuff. 

Just this week, I called on company right after their morning 

sales meeting and they were discussing which accounts they felt 

they should target in order to meet their sales goals for 2017. 

Yes, 2017. They had already started their 2016 planning several 

months ago. Certainly, that does not mean they have everything 

in the bag for 2016. There’s a lot of hard work ahead and an awful 

lot of unpredictable circumstances that they will face throughout 

this year. But, they still have one eye on the future as they hunker 

down and start this new one. 

A lot of companies started 2015 strong and then the second half 

of the year seemed to slow down. Here we are at the start of 

2016 and the stock market has been crashing and stories abound 

regarding the fragile economies of China and Europe. But some 

fastener companies have told me their year has started off pretty 

good with some big orders already in the books. Regardless of 

what happens in the stock market or China or Europe, most fastener 

companies are going to project increased sales for 2016. 

How and where those increases come from - well that’s what we 

have the rest of the year to figure out. 

How can you get some momentum if your company is stagnant? 

Maybe you’ve got a new product or service that you think fills a 

void in the fastener industry and you want to spread the word. 

There are a number of obvious places to start: 

You can buy a booth at a trade show (Vegas, All American Show, 

Fastener Tech, etc.). You can take out ads in all the fastener 

industry magazines (like the one you are reading). You can try to 

reach the online marketplace. Pay the price and get your ad and 

website to show up high on the search lists. Join all the regional 

fastener associations. Join the national associations. Network at 

those meetings. Get a targeted list of email addresses and email 

your information to your target customers. You could start calling 

- believe it or not I know of a company having great success with 

that strategy. Hire manufactures reps. Hire direct outside sales 

people. You’ve got social media you can tap in to. Try Tweeting 

your message. Put updates on LinkedIn. Do a segment on Fully 

Threaded Radio. Provide regular news releases. It’s being sent 

out to thousands of readers just like you as you are reading this. 

Innovation and creativity is not unique to young people. But, 

sometimes, they have not been doing things long enough to 

have gotten in a rut. Reading about some of these young aspiring 

entrepreneurs might just cause you to recall a younger you, 

someone who had the naivete’ to think outside the box and try 

something new. It still might be there. And think how much 

better you’ll be with all 

the experience you’ve 

added since last time 

you tried to “do stuff”. 




9

THE 

TOP 

8 

new 

TOOLS 

IN A REP’S TOOLBOX 

By Robert Lopez, Specialty Sales Reps 

The Modern Independent Sales Rep ‐ A 

spin on an old profession 

T 

he Independent 

Manufacturer’s Representative 

has been an indispensable 

resource for growing business 

for centuries if not millennia. Face‐to‐face, 

personal relationships have been the cornerstone 

of life‐long, mutually beneficial 

business relationships. In the past, the 

sales rep’s toolset consisted of nothing 

more than a shoebox of business cards, 

persistence, hard work, product knowledge 

and a friendly personality. Today, the 

Internet, social media, limited 

attention spans, and the ubiquity of information 

introduce certain challenges to 

this time honored profession. However, 

it need not be so. The modern Rep, if 

willing to embrace modern tools, can be 

more productive than ever while still 

providing the core value that makes them 

such an affordable, productive asset to 

their Principals. 

10 Threaded Media www.ThreadedMedia.com 

All Reps will continue to benefit from 

their existing clients and relationships. 

However, the current challenge is how to 

deal with new prospects and new purchasing 

agents at existing customers. 

These new contacts might be of a different 

generation and have different preferences 

with respects to communication, or 

have different expectations of the rep’s 

relationship with their company altogether. 

TO STAY RELEVANT, 

THE MODERN REP WILL 

NEED TO IMPLEMENT 

A VARIETY OF NEW 

TOOLS AND SKILLSETS. 

WHAT 

IS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL 

TOOLBOX? 

1RELATIONSHIPS 

The core value of any Rep is the strength 

of their Long‐term, mutually beneficial, 

personal relationships with their customers. 

Nothing is more important than 

maintaining and building on those relationships 

through in‐person meetings, 

social and industry events. This is the 

single most important value a new rep can 

bring to a Principal. A Rep’s relationship 

with their existing customer could allow 

a new Principal to speed through several 

phases of the Buying Cycle; Awareness, 

Consideration, Preference/Intent, Purchase, 

Repurchase and Advocacy. 

2 Reputation 

A Well-Known Brand 

with an Excellent 

Investing time in industry organizations, 

cultivating relationships with industry 

thought‐leaders and industry media, 

volunteering and donating to industry 

causes, and participating in industry 

events & tradeshows all add to a Rep’s 

reputation and exposure. The Principals 

brand (through the Rep’s involvement 

in the preceding) gains exposure to the 

broadest range of industry prospects.

3 

A strong work ethic and 

organizational skill set 

The most important aspect of the Rep’s 

job is to foster the relationships with their 

customers by regular, person‐to‐person 

meetings. To ensure the needed time, the 

modern Rep needs to maximize productivity 

and implement self‐accountability 

through documented standard operating 

procedures (SOPs), and a systematic 

approach to organizational efficiency. 

Having well‐documented procedures and 

processes such as forms, checklists, and a 

properly organized filing system and calendar, 

will ensure availability of the time 

required to meet the Rep’s obligations. 

4 

A modern CRM 

Customer relationship management is 

the backbone of any sales organization. 

Reps need to have the ability to organize, 

segment and document every lead, prospect 

and customer they come across. A 

well‐trained Rep will be able to segment 

each customer based on their value‐rating 

(volume, potential), niches in which they 

specialize, channel of distribution, preferred 

method of contact, ability to pay, 

and relationship to other customers and 

competitors. Profiling and documenting 

a customer or prospect’s subtle nuances 

will help the Rep communicated the 

customer’s specific needs and preferences 

to the Principal. 

5 Marketing 

Permission‐based “Touch” 

System 

Every person has a different preference 

when it comes to communicating or 

absorbing information. Most Millennials 

prefer less intrusive methods of communication 

such as Email and Texting. 

Baby boomers prefer phone calls and inperson 

visits. 

Prospects today have a very low tolerance 

for interruption based marketing (unsolicited 

emails, snail‐mail and cold calls), is 

disappearing. Knowing how to implement 

a permission‐based inbound marketing 

campaign is vital to any modern marketer. 

By offering information and resources 

that a prospect is looking for during the 

Consideration phase of the Buying Cycle, 

the modern Rep can lure a prospect into 

their sales funnel without provoking the 

resistance that other interruptive sales 

methods might have. 

6 

New Media 

Graphic design, Social media, audio‐video 

production, Local SEO (Search Engine 

Optimization), and submitting press 

releases are all highly sought‐after skill 

sets in today’s market. A modern Rep 

leverages their knowledge of these skills 

to promote their principals’ products and 

brand. While having a complete knowledge 

of these skills is not necessary, having 

enough knowledge to know when 

to do them in‐house or hire a third party 

is necessary. Each prospect has a unique 

preference as to how they socialize and 

consume information. It is a modern Rep’s 

responsibility to understand these preferences 

and to engage where their customers 

and prospects prefer to congregate. By 

understanding their prospects as individuals, 

the Rep can subtly inform their 

prospects through a diverse variety of 

media channels. 

7 

Analytics 

“Privacy is dead. Long live analytics.” One 

of the most valuable resource available 

online today is the ability 

to analyze your site and your competitors’ 

site. A modern Rep understands and 

employs modern analytic tools to gain a 

competitive advantage. Understanding 

one’s market niche is par for the course. 

The modern Rep can monitor your 

competitor’s brand, analyze keywords, 

and perform a backlink analysis to expand 

their Principals’ reach into existing 

markets and identify new opportunities. 

8 

Dedication 

to learning and 

continuous improvement 

A willingness to learn, no matter the 

age, Is a valuable quality of any person. 

It is more valued in technical or evolving 

industries. Even a profession as old as 

sales can benefit from the teachings of 

sales thought leaders such as Zig Ziggler, 

Dale Carnegie, Robert Cialdini, Dan S. 

Kennedy and others. Outside Sales Reps 

spend a significant amount of time traveling. 

This time can be spent productively 

by listening to audio books, podcasts and 

other educational media. A well‐versed, 

informed Rep adds value, through knowledge, 

to their customers and can enhance 

the reputation of the Principals they represent. 

The Modern Independent Sales Rep uses 

the time‐proven techniques that all successful 

sales people use; personal 

relationships and hard work. They also are 

willing to learn and realize that in order to 

stay successful, they have to cater 

to their customers’ changing needs and 

changing market environment. 



11

APRIL ASSOCIATION EVENTS 

SFA Spring Conference & Expo 

6:00pm Wed Apr 6th - 6:00pm Fri Apr 8th 

Houston Marriott Westchase Hotel 

2900 Briarpark Dr, Houston, TX 77042, USA 

SEFA Spring Conference 

Tue Apr 12th - Thu Apr 14th 

InterContinental Tampa 

4860 West Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33609, USA 

20-21 

FTI Automotive Fastener Technology 

8:00am Wed Apr 20th - 5:00pm Thu Apr 21st 

850 Tower Drive Troy, Michigan 48098, USA 

MWFA Education - Print Reading 

Thu Apr 21st 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Holiday Inn, 1000 Busse Rd. 

Elk Grove Village, IL 60007, USA 

$39 

NCFA Distributor Social 

5:00pm Thu May 12th

This Atlanta based start-up has developed an 

easier way to identify fasteners through their 

proprietary visual recognition technology. 

W 

e have all been that position 

before: being sent a picture 

of a product or better yet 

having the customer drop 

off the product for you to see and hold for 

us to provide a price on. BUT what is it!? Yes, 

maybe there are some circumstances where 

we can clearly identify it as if it were a 3/8 zinc 

hex nut. However, what if we couldn’t? Enter 

Partpic. Partpic developed a proprietary visual 

recognition technology that allows users to 

search for a part by simply taking a photo. 

So, here is the process. First an image of 

the product is taken through the app or 

uploaded to it. Partpic then begins to 

search through its growing database for 

identical parts. The technology will then 

in turn recognize a part down to its exact 

size, not just a category. It won’t just tell 

you the part is a screw, nut or bolt — it 

will tell you exactly what it is down to the 

thread length and what distributors carry 

it. 

Although the software is still in beta, their 

algorithm yields roughly an 80% accuracy 

rate with the first match. Partpic boasts 

this early success to having four PhDs on 

staff and their background in computer 

vision technologies. 

In time, the company will license their 

technology to suppliers, distributors and 

retailers for use on their company website 

or mobile app. Furthermore, this technology 

could be integrated into kiosks for 

consumers to physically bring in their 

parts to scan in-store to be pointed in the 

right direction of the matching product 

on shelf. 



13

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15

Encouraging the team to provide feedback and not worry about 

titles, results in Field continuing to find new ways of doing things, 

and as an example, has resulted in Team Members at Field finding 

over $1.8 Million in Lean Savings over the last few years. 

The Leadership at Field is committed to transparency and there 

is no better example of this commitment than the Leadership 

sharing the quarterly financial performance with the entire Field 

Team. The Quarterly P & L Review is conducted by Field President, 

Jim Derry, and presents a breakdown of sales, expenditures, and 

profits so every Team Member remains fully engaged in the success 

of the company. In true Field fashion, questions and feedback 

are strongly encouraged during the review. 

Another aspect that helps makes the Field Culture strong, is cross 

functional training. The Field Development Program is a training 

program that is aimed at preparing newer Team Members for 

their position in a technical role (sales, engineering, quality) or a 

business role (sourcing, account management, human resources). 

The program runs anywhere from 6-24 months depending on 

the experience of the individual. Each new Team Member completes 

rotations in each functional area at Field. For those 

not entering a Field Development Program, Field still cross 

trains all Team Members in every aspect of the business 

to give them a well-rounded, fully developed knowledge 

of each functional area. As such, team members are given 

latitude to impact the direction of the business by being 

able to handle anything. Having a team that is cross-trained 

makes them feel empowered to make well-informed decisions 

without requiring a series of approvals. 

“Field’s culture is based on achieving our Mission of having everyone 

that interacts with us Love us! The culture has evolved over 

the years as we’ve added new team members and expanded our 

capabilities,” says Field President, Jim Derry. “We strive to create 

an environment that allows our Team Members to flourish by 

FIELD TEAM 

MEMBERS 

HAVING 

SOME FUN 

empowering the team to make decisions. We share a series of 

deeply held Core Values that guide our behaviors and actions.” 

The Field Team is deeply committed to following their 6 Core 

Values, and to put those Core Values into practice Field has created 

30 ‘Fieldamentals’ that describe the daily behaviors that bring 

their values to life and make their mission real. The Fieldamentals 

have helped create a ‘shared language’ for the entire Field Team. 

The team can look at any situation and identify a Fieldamental 

that can guide their behavior. All Team Members across the 

globe are taught the Fieldamentals and it helps Field create a 

consistent culture throughout the organization. 

A formal peer to peer recognition program called Field Rocks 

focuses on the Field Core Values and underscores the significance 

of the Field Culture. Team Members formally recognize their peers 

for going above and beyond. Field Rocks is another global initiative 

to help enhance the Field Culture. 

To further live to the Field Mission Statement, Field also provides 

up to a week of paid time off for those who volunteer at a rec- 


-cognized 501(c)(3)organization. This paid 

time off is in addition to a Team Member’s 

paid vacation. For the past 9 years, Field 

has had 100% employee participation in 

giving financial support to the United Way, 

even as the team has nearly doubled in 

size during that time. Field also has numerous 

team members each year, who read 

to children through the United Way’s Page 

Turner Program. For the Field team it’s not 

about simply sending a check though, it’s 

about getting out there in the community 

and volunteering to help make a difference. 

Perhaps the best example of Field’s commitment 

to the community is their support 

of the Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity. 

During the summer of 2015 Field provided 

the financial support for a home build and 

nearlythe entire Field Team took part in the 

construction of the home. 

which can be utilized by Team Members and 

their families so as not to create additional 

time away from home. Many Team Members 

choose to work out in the early morning or 

lunch time and take advantage of the onsite 

locker rooms with showers to maximize their 

time at work and not detract from potential 

time with family. 

These are just a few of the many highlights 

that make up the Field Culture. As Field 

continues to grow, the goal is to maintain 

and encourage an entrepreneurial feel: to 

allow people closest to the action to make 

decisions to continue to want to empower 

people and make sure they have the right 

tools; and continue to recognize the action 

of Team Members as contributors to the success 

of the business. Even while growing, it 

is critical to keep doing the things that make 

Field unique: from celebrating the addition 

of a new team member with a welcome 

lunch, to having a reception to congratulate 

team members on the birth of a child: 

and being able to engage in a variety of 

team and family activities. It is important to 

remain transparent, to ensure that leadership 

is always accessible, and to make sure the 

Field team continues to feel they are valued. 

The benefit of a great culture is the great 

team that serves as the life blood of that 

great culture. Field is a much stronger business 

and a great place to work as a result. 

“...our customers benefit, 

our suppliers benefit, 

our community 

benefits, and our team 

members not only 

benefit, but are committed 

to ensuring 

that what we have at 

Field is very real and 

worth making a priority.” 

- Tim Firm, Director of HR 

One last example of Field’s ongoing commitment 

to creating a Culture that is a great 

place to work, is the promotion of balance 

between work life and family life. While 

‘Flexibility’ is a Field Core Value, it is most 

certainly not a one-sided Core Value. While 

many companies believe in flexibility on the 

part of their employees, at Field flexibility is 

a two-way street. When Team Members find 

themselves choosing between a work day 

and a special event in their family life, Field 

does not want anyone to miss those special 

occasions and so Team Members go knowing 

there are those times when business 

needs arise and they may have to work late 

or come in early to get the job done. 

Field also offers an onsite fitness center 



17

DISTRIBUTOR 

SPOTLIGHT 

Falcon Fastening Solutions Saves Manufacturers 

14 Percent in 2015 

Falcon Fastening Solutions, Inc., a costreduction 

specialist for original equipment 

manufacturers (OEMs) using 

production components in high-volume, 

reports an average customer cost savings 

of 14.4 percent for 2015. 

Falcon’s services reduce waste from an 

OEM’s supply chain via vendor managed 

inventory (VMI) programs. These VMI 

programs are tailored specifically for each 

facility’s needs and goals associated with 

the management of their low-value, highvolume 

production parts. 

“US manufacturers are great at making 

high-quality products, “explains Giovanni 

Cespedes, Vice President of Falcon 

Fastening Solutions. “We enable these 

manufturers to do what they do best, 

with greater efficiency and more profit. 

Managing production inventory is our 

core competency.” 

Falcon released an infographic based 

upon documented cost savings for their 

customers in 2015. The infographic illustrates 

the hidden costs associated with 

procuring and managing production 

parts as well as the areas where Falcon’s 

services were able to reduce cost within 

their customer base. 

“The direct acquisition cost, or piece 

price, of the typical production component 

only accounts for 15 percent of the 

total cost of ownership (TCO),” explains 

Don Nowak, President and Owner of 

Falcon. “The other 85 percent of TCO is 

tied up in hidden costs like labor, freight, 

inventory-carrying costs, error-related 

costs, safety stock, and so on. We reduce 

our customer’s costs in all of these areas 

including the piece price.” 

For 2015, Falcon reports an average 

customer savings of 2.5 percent on laborrelated 

costs such as purchasing, receiving/stocking, 

accounting, inspection and 

quality control activities, etc. Freight savings 

were an additional 2.9 percent average 

savings. Error-related costs, such as 

down time, poor quality, expedites and 

item obsolescence accounted for another 

3.5 percent of the average customer 

savings. Inventory carrying cost savings 

were the largest portion of savings at 

4.4 percent and the piece price savings 

added another 1.1 percent to the average 

total cost savings for customers in 2015. 

In addition to these savings, Falcon carries 

a safety stock of 3 months of inventory 

on hand in their local warehouse 

and another 7.2 months of inventory on 

order for customers taking advantage of 

their Reliable Stock vendor managed 

inventory programs. Falcon also reports 

a quality rating of 99.9% and an on-time 

delivery rate of 99.3% for their customers 

in 2015. 

Falcon is pleased to release this annual 

documented savings information for the 

second consecutive year. Customers taking 

advantage of Falcon’s VMI programs 

receive individual cost savings reports on 

a quarterly basis at an account level. To 

learn more about Falcon’s vendor managed 

inventory programs, please visit: 

http://falconfastening.com/reliable-stockbrochure-download/. 

About Falcon Fastening 

Solutions, Inc. 

Falcon Fastening Solutions, Inc. is a 

privately-owned industrial supplier of 

fasteners and other class C production 

components used in high-volume manufacturing 

assembly. Falcon specializes in 

customized supply chain solutions that 

support lean principles in manufacturing 

to reduce cost and improve efficiency for 

its customers. 

To learn more about Falcon Fastening 

Solutions, Inc., please visit http://falconfastening.com 

or call 1.800.438.0332. 



19


YOUR GREATEST 

UNTAPPED ASSET 

By Jason Bader, The Distribution Team 

W 

hen we think of assets 

in an organization, our 

thoughts generally lean 

toward the accounting definitions. We 

have cash tied up in inventory and 

accounts receivable. We have cash tied up 

in equipment or other fixed assets. And, 

we have cash tied up in, well, cash. These 

are all perfectly acceptable definitions 

of organizational assets. Unfortunately, 

when we tend to take this clinical 

approach, we fail to recognize the greatest 

untapped asset of all – the collective 

creativity of the people who work with us 

and for us. 

Creativity comes from the confidence in 

one’s strengths and ability. This ability 

may be a byproduct of your education. It 

may come from past work experience or 

even from on the job training in your current 

position. The point is that everyone 

is given the innate ability to be creative 

based on past experiences, but they do 

not always have the confidence to express 

their thoughts. This is the untapped 

Thinking is not only 

encouraged, it is a 

condition of employment. 

resource. As a leader, it is incumbent 

upon you to help coach your employees 

to explore and utilize their talents. To do 

so, we just might have to give up a little 

control. 

Over the course of your career, you have 

been exposed to several types of authority 

figures. Everyone has met the BOSS 

– Boisterous, Omnipotent, Self-indulgent, 

Sociopath. This definition was given to 

me by my good friend and colleague Dr. 

Rick Johnson of ceostrategist.com. The 

boss is consumed with control. They 

direct rather than coach. They berate 

rather than explain. Their edicts begin 

with “I” versus “We”. Frankly, this style of 

management is exhausting. Not only do 

they have to make all the decisions, they 

find themselves constantly looking for 

more victims caused by a high degree of 

turn over. Don’t get me wrong, there are 

sometimes when the “boss” has to come 

out. We would just prefer that it is rare 

sighting. 

This type of management style is a creativity 

killer. Why would a team member 

want to offer up their own opinion? The 

boss is so fearful of losing control that 

they do everything in their power to avoid 

input. In their mind, inviting others to 

make decisions is a sign of weakness. It 

means that somehow they are failing 

to meet the requirements of their job. 

Furthermore, they are deathly afraid that 

someone will find out that they don’t 

always have the answer. As irrational as it 

sounds here on paper, many organizations 

are rife with fear based management. 

On the contrary, servant style leaders recognize 

the potential in the collective creativity. 

Rather than fear the input of their 

team, they encourage it. As my friend Abe 

WalkingBear Sanchez, a noted thinker in 

organizational efficiencies, says, “thinking 

should not only be encouraged, it should 

be a condition of employment.” 

The servant style leader understands the 



21

power in humility. Many confuse humility with humiliation. The 

two could not be more different. My favorite definition of humility 

is this: the ability to remain teachable. The humble leader recognizes 

that they do not have all the answers. As is often the case, 

their direct reports are closer to the situation and have the best 

opportunity to offer a solution. 

The servant style leader inspires others to reach their potential. A 

good leader does not have to possess all the operational skill sets 

to run the organization. They must be able to surround themselves 

with the people who excel in these operational functions and 

inspire them to achieve success. The leader must have enough 

confidence in themselves to allow others to shine in areas they may 

not have expertise in. Are the best sales managers necessarily the 

best sales people? Of course not, they understand how to draw 

out and nurture the skills in others. When a manager moves past 

the desire for self-recognition, they are well on their way to becoming 

a leader. 

Can managers employ a servant style leadership approach? If 

they ever want to take a vacation, they will need to depend on the 

abilities of their team. Managers are often charged with creating 

standards, measuring performance and generally insuring that 

the status quo is maintained. Yes, there are growth goals to be 

achieved, but those can never be realized without the full support 

of their team. 

The tougher, but ultimately more fruitful, option is to invite input. 

When presented with a situation, turn away from the computer and 

get ready for a learning opportunity. Once you are able to give the 

employee your full attention, I want you to ask your direct report, 

“How do you think we should handle it?” or “What do you think we 

should do?” Here is where the biting of tongue must come into 

play. Whatever suggestion they respond with, unless it will cause 

grave bodily harm or financial ruin, your response should be, “Ok. 

Let’s give it a shot.” For the manager with control issues, this will 

be a monumental exercise in self-restraint. I get it. It’s hard to let 

others run with a solution that differs from your own. This redirection 

of a situation is the first step in getting your team members to 

think for themselves. Over time, they will become more confident 

in handling opportunities. 

When I ask managers to list the biggest challenges they face, time 

management is always near the top. Nearly all of them want to 

become more proactive versus reactive. Becoming more visionary 

is a great goal – if you can carve out the time. Of course they don’t 

have the time. They are so busy reacting to the situations their 

employees dump on their desk, they will never have the opportunity 

to look at the bigger picture. When the employees start pulling 

their weight in the thinking department, the manager will be 

able to free up time to become a better leader. Does anyone see 

the chicken or the egg here? 

If a manager wants to become a good leader, they must be willing 

to give up control. Furthermore, they must quit providing answers 

to every situation or opportunity presented during the day. When 

an employee comes into the office with a problem, the natural 

tendency is to give direction and move on. This is the path of least 

resistance. Unfortunately, we have now told that employee that 

they are no longer required to solve problems for themselves. This 

type of behavior stifles creativity and promotes laziness. It also 

makes it very difficult to develop promotable employees. 

An empowering leader is primarily focused on the goal. The path 

is a secondary concern. There are many ways to solve a problem, 

just as there are many ways to skin a cat. The fear based manager 

will insist on their path being the only method. They have simply 

reversed the priorities here. When the path becomes more important 

than the goal, creativity is stifled. When we put the goal above 

the path, the organization can finally begin to tap into its greatest 

asset of all – the collective creativity of the team. 

FIELD FASTENER 

HAS TAPPED INTO THEIR 

GREATEST ASSET 


SERVICE You Deserve - PEOPLE You Trust 

THE STELFAST EDGE 

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through Global Distribution Chain 

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800.729.9779 

ISO quality assurance labs in Ohio 

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Follow Us! 

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866.783.0161 866.783.5378 800.473.1168 800.581.8346 

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844.783.5327 

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800.268.4723 

Montreal 

800.361.2155 


23

The Gilchrist Foundation is accepting fastener scholarship 

applications up until June 1, 2016. This scholarship 

was established in 2000 to assist any person planning to 

make a career in the fastener industry. This perpetuating 

scholarship is the means by which to reward those persons who 

have the excitement and enthusiasm for the fastener industry 

experienced by the founders, Robbie & Gina Gilchrist. 

For more information on this scholarship, please visit the Gilchrist 

Foundation’s webite at www.gilchristfoundation.com. 

Young Fastener Professionals have published their 

case study entitled “How to Attract & Retain ‘Millennials’ in the 

Fastener Industry.” YFP spent the first two quarters of 2015 distributing 

a survey that asked voluntary indvidiuals a multitude of 

questions regarding employee satisfaction in the fastener industry. 

They have presented this data in person at NCFA, NFDA & 

Pac-West events thus far in 2016 and have a MWFA presentation 

scheduled for May 19, 2016. For those who were unable attend 

any of the formal presentations, they are encouraged to visit 

the YFP site (www.youngfastenerprofessionals.com) to view the 

detailed analysis. 

To submit News briefs to be featured in the next 

Threaded Media issue please visit our website. 

Under the News tab, simply click “Submit News,” 

and the rest of process is not only short, but 

hassle-free. Submit your News today! 

The 36th Annual National Industrial Fastener & Mill 

Supply Expo (NIFMSE) scheduled for October 25-27, 2016 at 

the Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA. With 70,000 net sq. 

ft. of reserved exhibit space for 500 companies worldwide, booth 

sales are well ahead in comparison to this point in time, last year. 

This is the last year the NIFMSE will be held at the Sands Expo 

Center, whereas in 2017, it’s new home will be located in the Las 

Vegas Convention Center, which is located adjacent to the Las 

Vegas strip. 

The leading MRO servicing commercial, 

industrial, electronic and aerospace 

fastener distributors and manufacturers. 

Ira Shushan 

805.491.5161 

Aaron Shushan 

657.777.2537 

Robert Lopez 

562.833.6234 

www.specialtysalesreps.com 


FASTENER 

INDUSTRY COALITION 

Threaded Media sat down with Kameron Dorsey of the Fastener 

Industry Coalition to learn more about their organization. 

Threaded Media: For those who are unfamiliar with what 

the Fastener Coalition does, can you briefly explain exactly 

“What is the Fastener Industry Coalition?” 

Kameron Dorsey: We are a collective group of 13 regional 

and national fastener associations. Each association is representative 

by a designated appointee that participates on 

behalf of that association. 

TM: When was the Fastener Industry Coalition started? Has 

the mission or vision changed since the inception? 

KD: Not sure of the exact year but it was formed in the 80’s. 

One of its main focuses in the early days was working with 

the government to pass a feasible Fastener Quality Act that 

in its original form would have been harmful to our industry. 

Currently our mission is to work together to develop membership 

value by sharing ideas/best practices as well as supporting 

each other. One way that has been implemented is 

the concept of Joint events(i.e. NFDA/Pac-west, MWFA/NCFA). 

Multi-association events provide group attendance with mix of 

distributors and suppliers which provides a greater networking 

experience. 

TM: Who exactly makes up the Fastener Industry Coalition? 

KD: FTI, IFI, MFDA, MAFDA, MWFA, NFDA, NEFDA, NCFA, 

PWFA, SEFA, SFA, WIFI, YFP 

TM: You have been selected as the “governing authority” 

in selecting this year’s National Industrial Fastener and Mill 

Supply Expo’s Hall of Fame Award recipient, can you explain 

how this came about? 

KD: To my understanding the new owner of the show Emerald 

Exposition saw the association community as the best fit to manage 

this award. Between the 13 organizations past and present members 

generally have been active in associations so it seems like a good fit 

to me. 

TM: Can you briefly describe the process you are taking in selecting 

this year’s recipient? 

KD: We review all the nominations that have been submitted and 

with the criteria set forth all the candidates are scored and then 

ranked from highest to lowest. 

TM: FIC has also co-managed the 30 Under 30 program with Young 

Fastener Professionals. Can you share with us how it was working with 

them and why you decided to charter this program? 

KD: YFP is an organization with a unique perspective. Their members 

are the next generation to keep our industry going strong when we 

“middle age” and “silver backs” have moved on. It was important to be 

aligned with this group for that reason and it was a good partnership. 

We have always recognized those on the backside of their career but 

high time for those on the front end. 

TM: Other than the above aforementioned initiatives, what else does 

the Fastener Industry Coalition have in store for the Fastener Industry? 

KD: The website contains some useful resources for our members. 

There are links to technical information well as guidelines to help 

setup an internship. We recently completed a survey to all associations’ 

members and those results will help the direction to increase 

the value the association community can bring to the members. 

TM: Where can we find you if we want to learn more? 

KD: FIC will continue to update our website, use social media, as 

well the best way is to contend a board member directly. Attending 

a trade show and/or regional/national association meeting is another 

good option. 



25

Creating an inclusive community to empower the next 

generation of fastener professionals and their companies 

through education, collaboration and networking. 

We are taking AIM on the future of 

the fastener industry through our 

new mentoring program with NFDA. 

Right now we are looking for three 

mentors who can be paired with 

three young professionals for our 

pilot program. If you are interested, 

ADVANCING INDIVIDUALS through MENTORING 

email nfda@nfda-fastener.org 

www.youngfastenerprofessionals.com 

Unusual Fasteners in Stainless, Nickel-Copper, 

Aluminum, Brass, and Bronze. 

Less traveled bolts, nuts, washers, pins, rivets, 

sockets, anchors, screws, and more. 

I-N-S-T-A-N-T STOCK® 

655 Union Boulevard, Totowa, NJ 07512 

Phone: 973-890-9101, 800-310-9177 Fax: 973-890-4339 

Email: sales@yellowwoods.net 


Threaded Media produces the first, premier digitally-based magazine exclusively for today’s Fastener Distributor. A free subscription 

is available by filling out the form on our website that will enable you to receive e-mail notifications when new issues 

become available online. Previous issues will be made available in our Archives and can be accessed for free at any time. 

Call 609.430.0460 or visit www.threadedmedia.com

Threaded Media - April 2016

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