NEFDA 2023 Spring/Summer Newsletter

NEFDA

BULLETIN

OUR MISSION To advance the interest of the Fastener Industry by: • Promoting the distribution of fasteners through those who will upgrade the image of the industry • To discuss and find solutions to the common problems of our members • To collect and disseminate useful statistics and information to members • To provide a forum for continuing education and information for our members • To promote the improvement of quality • To develop new users for fasteners in the marketplace

Hello Fellow NEFDA Members!

The start of 2023 has been busy for the NEFDA Board of Directors and our Membership! Traveling and trade shows are back in full swing and it is so great to see many of you again.

One of the common topics of discussion this year has been the softening in the industry and uncertainty surrounding it. The NEFDA and our membership are Morgan Rudolph familiar with the ebbs and flows this causes our respective Rudolph Associates businesses, and we encourage our membership to connect and share information, resources, and ideas on how to alleviate disruptions to our businesses.

Your NEFDA Board of Directors is working on initiatives to bring more value to our member-companies, including education and training, more networking opportunities within the NEFDA and in conjunction with other associations, and high impact events. We will be distributing a survey this summer to learn more about what you would like to see. Please take part in the survey as our member feedback is the most valuable.

As we prepare to move into a new year for the association, I want to say thank you for allowing me to serve as your NEFDA President for the past year. It has been an honor!

Morgan Rudolph

Rick Rudolph Associates

Contact NEFDA Save the Dates Laura Murphy Executive Director Phone: 816-686-8987 Email: nefda@nefda.com www.nefda.com

Mark your calendars for our upcoming events

2023 Monday, September 18th

Blueprint Fundamentals Class Presented by: Jim Speck (Virtual)

Thursday, December 7th

Virtual Holiday Party

2024 Thursday, March 21st Thursday, June 6th

March Madness Bowling Event Scholarship Golf Outing Southington Country Club, CT

DEDICATED TO PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY SINCE 1979

NEFDA Officers and Board Members

President Morgan Rudolph

Vice President Rob White

Chairman Katie Hogan

Rick Rudolph Associates

SB&W

Arnold Supply Inc.

Treasurer Lisa Breton

Secretary Laura Murphy

DB Roberts

DB Roberts

Board Members

Proxy Board Members

Dan Bielefield

Matthew Callahan

Corey Magyar

Kim Roberts

Crescent Mfg.

Callahan Inc.

Smith Associates

DB Roberts

Jason Bourque

Frank Hand

Becky Sicignano

Timothy Thorstenson

Bolt Depot

Fall River Mfg.

DB Roberts

SPIROL

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Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony On January 19, 2023, the NEFDA welcomed the two newest members, Dan Bielefield and Michael Lentini, to the New England Fastener Distributors Association Hall of Fame. The dinner and ceremony were held at The Manor in West Boylston, MA, where Dan and Mike were surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues.

Congratulations, Dan and Mike on this incredible honor!

In May of 1986, having just completed a 4-year enlistment in the United States Marine Corps, Dan needed a job to keep him occupied for the summer before starting at UCONN. Dan saw an ad for a shipping/receiving clerk at Crescent Manufacturing and decided to apply. Little did he know this would be the start of a 35+ year career in the fastener industry.

After working his way through various positions at Crescent that included Shipping Supervisor, Quality Control Tech, helping to run headers and threaders and several other odd jobs around the shop, Dan was promoted to National Sales Manager at Crescent in 1995.

In 1999, Dan joined Dack Industries as their National Sales Manager, a position he held until December 2001 when Dack closed. Fortunately, Dan had a long-standing relationship with Mike Smith, the owner and President of Smith Associates, and Dan signed on to sub-rep for Smith Associates in the New England Territory. Over the next 20 years, Dan built sales throughout New England and ultimately covered Maine to Virginia. In 2021, Dan returned to Crescent Manufacturing where his career began.

Dan’s partnership with the NEFDA began in 2006 when John Morton approached Dan about serving on the Tabletop committee for the NEFDA. Since then, Dan has continuously served the NEFDA as either a committee member or board member.

In 2018, Dan helped to establish the NEFDA Bowling party at Foxwoods Casino which has become one of the associations most popular events. He served as President of the NEFDA from 2014-2018 and chairman of the board in 2018-2019.

Michael Lentini began his fastener career picking boxes and stocking shelves at Atlantic Fasteners in West Springfield, MA. After receiving an MBA, he was hired by SPIROL International to head the Distribution Sales division. In 2007, Lentini was elected onto the NEFDA board of Directors where he served as a board member until 2010 and Vice President from 2010 to 2011.

In 2014, Lentini was elected onto the NEFDA Board for a second term, where he spent 4 years as a board member, 2 years as President and another 2 years as Chairman. During his NEFDA board terms, Lentini helped lead the association through the 2009-2010 economic recession by conserving cash and growing association membership, and during his second term Lentini further helped the association by working to develop an interactive web-site, re-vitalizing the NEFDA Holiday party, updating the Scholarship application, and in conjunction with Dan Bielefield, implemented educational programs that included print reading and fastener basics.

Lentini continues to serve the NEFDA as the Fastener Industry Coalition representative.

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WE HELP YOU HOLD IT TOGETHER

Crescent Manufacturing, your leader in the fastener industry for critical industries and more, engineers high-performance, precision-made miniature screws for fastener distributors around the globe.

For more than 60 years, we proudly meet all specifications. This includes longer, thinner screws, streamlined for heading, threading, and slotting. We approve every product made with a proven 120-step inspection process. We work with standard, and blueprint special orders that meet your ultimate satisfaction in quality performance and innovation.

QUALITY • PRICE • TIMELY DELIVERY • SERVICE SCREW SIZES: 00-5/16 (M1.2–M8) Lengths to 3” (76mm, varying by size and head style) FASTENERS: Machine, Tapping, Thread Forming, Thread Cutting, Type “U” Drives, Hi-Los, Trilobes, Solid Rivets, Metrics (DIN, JIS, ISO&IFI), Certified Broaching Studs, Crescent Beta & Beta-Pro Self-threading Fasteners, Custom fasteners per specification.

MATERIALS: 302ss, 316ss, 410ss, A286ss, Monel, Carbon Steel (1018, 1022), Alloy Steel (4037, 8740), Brass (Alloy260), Phos Bronze (Alloy 510), Other material available upon request.

Crescent Manufacturing is equipped to respond to the challenges of supply shortages, product reconfigurations, and cost reductions with our rapid response team. We value our commitment to the industries we serve who demand nothing short of excellence.

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crescentmanufacturing.com Office: 860-673-2591

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700 George Washington Turnpike PO Box 1350, Burlington CT 06013 U.S.A. sales@crescentmanufacturing.com

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NEFDA Welcomes New Members

Baco Enterprises Bronx, NY www.bacoent.com

Bradley Adhesive Applications St. Charles, IL www.bradleygoc.com

Ken Forging Jefferson, OH www.kenforging.com

NEFCO Corporation Easy Harford, CT www.gonefco.com

Edson Manufacturing Wolcott, CT www.edsonmfg.com

Richard Manno & Co. West Babylon, NY www.richardmanno.com

Fastener Friends at Fastener Fair Several NEFDA Members exhibited at, served as panelists for, and attended Fastener Fair 2023.

This year’s event was held May 16-17, at Music City Center in Nashville, TN.

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OVER 60 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Rick Rudolph Associates LLC

As a leading provider of Manufacturer's Sales Representative services we take pride in offering personalized face-to-face representation, calling on quality fastener and industrial distributors in New England.

Manufacturer’s Agents www.rickrudolphassociates.com P.O. Box 760961 Melrose, MA 02176 Tel: 617-240-5326 Fax: 781-558-2589 rick@rickrudolphassociates.com morgan@rickrudolphassociates.com

Morgan Rudolph, C.F.S., is currently the President of the Board of Directors of the New England Fastener Distributors Association.

Morgan is designated by the IFI & the Fastener Training Institute as a Certified Fastener Specialist.

Rick Rudolph Associates represents the highest quality manufacturers, master distributors, and importers of the finest fasteners, hardware, tools, electronic components and related products and services to New England’s distributors.

Based in Melrose, MA, a team of experts can provide the resources and solutions you need to get the job done right.

Members of

Rick Rudolph is the past President, Vice President and Chairman of the New England Fastener Distributors Association.

Rick was one of the first inductees into the New England Fastener Distributors Hall of Fame.

Rick served three years as the NEFDA liaison to the Fastener Industry Coalition.

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2023 Scholarships Over the past five years, the NEFDA has awarded an incredible $75,000 in scholarship funds to member students! The scholarship program is the most important effort we make as an organization annually. We are only able to make this significant financial impact through the generous contributions and participation of our membership, so THANK YOU! This year, the NEFDA awarded $15,000 in scholarships to member students, including one special scholarship in honor of Brian Sidney-Smith, donated entirely by G.L. Huyett, donated to Alexis Dewey, of Ken Forging.

The Scholarship Committee received a record number of applications and selected 11 recipients in total.

Congratulations to the 2023 recipients! We wish you the very best in the coming school year and your future educational endeavors.

$4,000 NEFDA Scholarship

$500 NEFDA Scholarship

Hannah Lentini - SPIROL

Evan Calton - Buckeye Fasteners

$2,500 NEFDA Scholarship

$500 NEFDA Scholarship

Jack Davies - DB Roberts

Raegan Davenport - DB Roberts

$2,000 NEFDA Scholarship

$500 NEFDA Scholarship

Riley Burns - Richard Manno & Co

Kyleigh Finglas - Fall River Manufacturing

$2,000 NEFDA Scholarship

$500 NEFDA Scholarship

Jillian Lesieur - Crescent Manufacturing

Edward Stroude - Nylok

$1,000 NEFDA Scholarship

$500 NEFDA Scholarship

Alexis Dewey - Ken Forging

James Wicklund - DB Roberts

$1,000 NEFDA Scholarship Megan Stover - Ken Forging

Morgan Rudolph, NEFDA President, presenting Jack Davies with his award.

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Manufacturing Stainless Steel and Non-Ferrous Screws, Bolts and Nuts Inch Sizes: #8, #10, #12, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8 Metric Sizes: M4, M6, M8, M10, M12, M14, M16

Specifications Include: ISO, IFI, ANSI, SAE, DIN, JIS, MS, MIL, ASTM F593, A193 Gr B6, B8, B8M, B8M-CL2, F467, F468 FQA, DFAR and RoHS Compliant 800-275-6991 / fax 508-675-8770

www.fallrivermfg.com

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11/9/2022 2:40:57 PM

Member News Kanebridge Now Offers Stainless Security Screws Submitted by: Jim Meiman,Creative Director | Kanebridge Corporation | 201-644-2646 Kanebridge continues to expand its product offerings. Its latest additions are Security screws with the Pin-In Six-Lobe Recess. Security screw varieties include Machine screws with Button and Flat Heads; Type-A Self-Tapping screws with Button and Flat heads; and Pan head Self-Drilling screws. All Security screws are 18-8 stainless steel and passivated.

By popular demand, Kanebridge recently published its first distributor catalog—The Kanebridge Source Book—in six years. The 520-page volume lists all 43,000+ items it carries in its three branches with separate sections for Military Grade Hardware, Metric fasteners and Stainless Steel. Additional copies are free of charge to any fastener distributor by calling 888-222-9221 or can be requested online at www.kanebridge.com

DB Roberts Welcomes New Senior Vice President, David Peterson Wilmington, Massachusetts May 17, 2023 DB Roberts, a leading distributor of high-quality specialty fasteners and hardware, is pleased to announce that David Peterson has joined DB Roberts as the Senior Vice President, providing collaborative leadership across the DB Roberts footprint.

David brings over 20 years of distribution experience and 12 years of fastener experience to DB Roberts, including several years in the custom engineered and OEM fastener space.

A New England native, David has also lived in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Texas, and will office at the company’s Plano, Texas office.

In David’s words, “I am fortunate to join DB Roberts, a family-owned company that truly lives up to familyculture that it presents. The respectful, collaborative culture here truly demonstrates that employees are central to everything we do.”

“We are lucky to have found a confident leader, in David Peterson, for DB Roberts”, remarked Robert Clapp, Jr., President and CEO of the DAC Group, the parent company of DB Roberts. “David brings decades of experience leading distribution organizations in sales, operations, and management roles. All experiences that we believe will serve to enhance the DB Roberts business and our customers’ experiences well into the future.”

DB Roberts is well positioned for growth in the market area and David’s combination of experience in distribution as well as in the customer engineered space provide the leadership needed to support and grow the company.

About DB Roberts: DB Roberts (www.dbroberts.com) is a leading distributor of high-quality specialty fasteners and hardware with best-in-class, customized inventory management programs. We maintain a significant inventory of top brands and support our customers with locations strategically positioned throughout North America.

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NEFDA Bowling Event Did you join us this year for luck at the lanes? The NEFDA held the annual Bowling Event on Thursday, March 23, at High Rollers Luxury Lanes at Foxwoods Resort & Casino. Over 60 members and guests attended to bowl, network, and try their luck at Foxwoods Casino.

Save the date for March 21, 2024 for a March Madness inspired bowling event!

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NEFDA Scholarship Golf Outing The 34th NEFDA Scholarship Golf Outing was held on Thursday, June 1st at Southington Country Club in Plantsville, CT. This year, over 80 industry professionals joined together to golf, network, and spend time advancing the fastener industry. The weather was incredible, and scores were, too! Prizes were awarded for longest drive, closest to the pin, and 1st through 3rd place finishes.

1st Place Ed Breck - Atlantic Fasteners Sean Garvey, Mike Londergan & Josh Londergan

2nd Place

3rd Place

Rob Reynolds - INxSQL Peter Karcz - B&B Threaded Bobby Wagner - Beacon Fasteners Dennis Clark - Beacon Fasteners

Andrew Potter - Vertex Eric Gates - INxSQL Mike White - Brighton-Best International Brendan Shields - Ironclad

The success of this event and of the NEFDA Scholarship Program depends on the generosity of our sponsors and members. Thank you to our 2023 Premium Sponsors:

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Streamline Sourcing with DB Roberts.

Fasteners, Hardware, Engineered Components, Shielding, Slides & More

800-800-6887 www.dbroberts.com sales@dbroberts.com

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Education Presented by: Fastener Materials – Spotlight on Stainless Steel Stainless steel is an alloy of low carbon steel and chromium for enhanced corrosion characteristics. Stainless steel is highly corrosion resistant for the price. Because the anti-corrosive properties are inherent to the metal, it will not lose this resistance if scratched during installation or use. It is a common misconception that stainless steel is stronger than regular steel. In fact, due to their low carbon content, many stainless steel alloys cannot be hardened through heat treatment. Therefore, when compared to regular steel, the stainless alloys used in bolts are slightly stronger than an un-hardened (grade 2) steel but significantly weaker than hardened steel fasteners. Unless great care is taken, stainless fasteners are susceptible to seizing up during installation, a phenomenon known as galling.

Most stainless steel fasteners are much less magnetic than regular steel fasteners though some grades will be slightly magnetic.

18-8 refers to any stainless steel containing approximately 18% chromium and 8% nickel. This is the most common stainless designation for hardware.

Stainless 316A highly corrosion resistant grade of stainless steel. Ideal in salt water and chlorine environments.

More expensive than 18-8.

Stainless 410A stainless alloy that is harder than 18-8 stainless steel, but not as resistant to corrosion.

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Wishing you a wonderful summer!

NEFDA PO Box 151 Lake Zurich, IL 60047