Special Report: IFE 2025 Floor Interviews

 

Floor interviews from the International Fastener Expo 2025, the largest fastener industry event of the year. The lovely and talented Lynn Dempsey traveled to Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas to get in on all the action. Golf results, break out sessions, Fastener Hall of Fame, special events and more. Run time: 01:04:18

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Special Report: IFE 2025 Floor Interviews

IFE 2025 Special Report: Kicking Off The Fastener Expo

The International Fastener Expo for 2025 took place from September 15th through the 17th. This is our special edition recap featuring floor interviews with the lovely and talented Lynn Dempsey. It was a big year for the show. As many of you will remember, Emerald Expositions has next year’s expo scheduled in Phoenix, Arizona. It’s the end of a long run out there in Vegas. I’m not sure if it was a chance to be sentimental about it or not, because I don’t know that they’ve said for sure that they’ll never return to Vegas.

A lot of people were treating it like a farewell. I’m not sure, but I’d consider this year a success. On this special episode of the show, we’ll give you a little flavor of what was going on on the show floor. I wasn’t sure what the energy was going to be like this year. I got into Vegas early Monday. Normally, I start seeing people, if not at the Cleveland airport on the way out there, then for sure once I touched down in Vegas this year, it was a little different.

I didn’t run into any fastener friends until I actually made it all the way to Mandalay Bay. It was Matt DeLotter with SWD. He was my first handshake, and then of course, instantly, it was just friends left and right. What a great ritual we have every year out there with The Fastener Show. Lots of highlights. I’ve got two big packages of sound for you, and during the break, I’ll cover a few things, including golf results and a few other things. Just out of the gate, my favorite parts of this year were the Hall of Fame acceptance speeches.

Lawrence Krauss, with the IFI and the Fastener Training Institute, was one of the inductees this year, along with Mary Ann, partner of Leo Coar, co-founder of Distributor’s Link Magazine. Her daughter, Tracey Lumia, accepted the award on her behalf. Also during that ceremony, the young Fastener Professional of the Year, Tim Vath, with the ever-expanding LindFast Solutions Group, gave a very moving address.

It was a nice crowd out there, and I think a lot of people were moved by his comments. One of the other big ones for me was the Brighton Best after party on Tuesday after the show closed. Brighton went all out to celebrate their big anniversary. The room was packed. Everything was top shelf. John and Peggy had big, beaming smiles every time I looked over at them. Congratulations to Rosa and the rest of the crew.

A lot of hands went into this one big success. A lot of fun. I’m glad I was there. We’ll jump right into it right after I tip my hat to the partners of Fully Threaded Radio, who make this show possible. The title sponsors of Fully Threaded Radio, Star Stainless, Global Fasteners, and Brighton Best International. Fully Threaded is also sponsored by Buckeye Fasteners and the Ohio Nut and Bolt Company, BTM Manufacturing, Eurolink Fastener Supply Service, Cresa, Endries International, InxSQL Software, J. Lanfranco, MW Components, Fastener Technology International, Solution Industries, Volt Industrial Plastics, and Würth Industry USA.

We talked to a lot of people at the FCH Sourcing Network booth this year, a lot of old friends, and some newcomers to the Fastener show. Some of them had not used FCH before, and it’s so much fun to show people what’s out there. One point eight million listings, all free to use. Picked up some new users. Pretty cool. Some new Vegemite lovers. Maybe they’re not lovers, but Brian likes to think so. Fantastic having partners like Brian and Lynn out there. We had a lot of help from our friends this year with our booth and stuff like that behind the scenes. Appreciate all that. Lynn has really hit her stride with the floor interviews.

I don’t know that she had too much trouble getting people behind the mic this time. Let’s get right into that. These are a little bit out of order. As a matter of fact, I did one interview only myself this time. That was before the show even opened. I had really good intentions. Unfortunately, Lynn made up for that. Thanks for clicking in to Fully Threaded Radio, everyone. Here’s what it sounded like at International Fastener Expo 2025.

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Truform Equipment: Navigating Aerospace & Domestic Manufacturing

The show hasn’t even opened yet. I’m standing here at the Truform booth, Truform Equipment, with Alex Pavlopoulos. He’s one of the principals of the company. I love the sound, Alex. I’ve been saying for years, we got to get a noisier fastener show.

Welcome to our booth, Eric. At Truform Equipment, we sell service support, new manufacturing equipment, and best-of-breed for the fastener industries. We have sorting machines that you can hear in the background. We have cold headers that we represent. We have aerospace technology. We have a facility in Huntington Beach that we try to keep busy with the aerospace division and manufacturers out there. We actually just hired a new West Coast territory manager, Hans Ecke. Things are growing here at Truform. We’ve been around for quite some time, and we look to stay here and get bigger.

 

Right on. I just met Hans. He’s got the eye of the tiger. I think you did a good job in that selection. You were telling me that you’re doing, among other things, you’re supporting aerospace, and you were characterizing that as maybe a little bit lagging from industrial. What were you saying on that?

What I was saying earlier is that the aerospace market is much different from the automotive or industrial market. The volumes are much slouched less, the lead times are much longer, and there has been a lag in the last few years, but we’re finally seeing it come to where we thought it would be. Things are exploding, we’re getting a lot of RFQs for new equipment. A lot of new customers are reaching out to us, which is always a positive sign, and we were just seeing the market grow and grow to a point where we needed a full-time guy out there, and we finally got him. We’re seeing some good things out of California in the aerospace market.

The aerospace market is much different from automotive or industrial; volumes are much less, lead times are much longer, and there has been a lag in the last few years. Share on X

We’re talking a lot about the return of domestic manufacturing. Of course, the tariffs may or may not be a driving force behind that. Over at Truform Equipment, what’s your thinking on all that?

I think there is some effect. I’m no economist. I’m no expert when it comes to tariffs. I sell manufacturing equipment, and obviously, there might be some cause and effect from the tariffs, but it seems to be a lot more manufacturing is coming back to the US and affecting what we are seeing here. Whether it’s good or bad, I guess we’ll find out in the next few years.

I wish you the best, and it looks like you’re set up for a good show. You have a great position, a very noisy booth. I hope your neighbors will tolerate it, and really good to meet you, Alex.

Nice to meet you, Eric.

Buckeye Fasteners: Growth, Acquisitions, And Show Buzz

I’m over here with some of our favorite people, and I’m talking with Shawn Evans from Buckeye Fasteners. What’s happening at Buckeye?

A lot of good things. Growing our business. We just recently purchased a company by the name of Daiko. A lot of customers are familiar with them. The schools of caged, not tenement, not style provider or manufacturer. The shows have been great so far. A lot of customers. A lot of interest in our booth. It’s always good to see the waves of new people who don’t know about Buckeye and the ones who have known about Buckeye for a really long time. Just in the years so far, and in a great crowd here at the show. I cannot complain.

Did you go to the welcome party?

A lot more manufacturing is coming back to the US and affecting what we are seeing here. Share on X

I didn’t. It was always a great turnout. Wall to wall, customers, suppliers, friends, people you’ve seen a bunch of times, new people. It’s awesome.

The two things I did notice were one that I really liked, the music was lower, so it wasn’t as loud. I wasn’t screaming at anybody. The second was, do we always have lifeguards?

Yes, absolutely. They’re incognito. You never noticed them before, but they were always there.

I didn’t know. There’s got to be. It’s that type of crowd. You’ve got to have the lifeguards around. How long have you been coming to Vegas?

This will be my third show. I’ve been with the company for twenty years now. I’ve been to a lot of shows. This will be my third Vegas show. This is always a great show.

Are there any stories that you need to leave in Vegas?

Some that I probably don’t remember will remain in Vegas just for the fact that I cannot remember them. That’s a good thing.

Are you excited about Phoenix?

Absolutely, that’s going to be a great turnout right there. That’s going to be a good change. I got some family out there in Phoenix and visited them a couple of times, but I try to go up north to the mountains and the Flagstaff area, and the Phoenix area is always a good time. It’s hot down there.

We’re going to look to you to tell us where to eat when we’re in Phoenix.

I’ll let you know. Just see me down there.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Brighton-Best International: A Century Of Fastener History

I happen to be walking by BBI, and guess who I’m talking with?

Jun Xu.

It’s a bit exciting. Tell me about this booth.

This is our 100 year. We really decided to bring in a lot of history, not just for our company, but for the industry. We have the first edition of the IFI. We have so many photographs and pictures of our teams over the years. Actually, quite a few companies have donated products as well, the first exhibit. We really just want to celebrate the industry and celebrate the 100 years with everyone.

It looks beautiful. I love all this gold framing and everything, some of the pictures here. I’m going to come by tomorrow and take my time.

Please do. It’s really for everyone to see. If you’ve been in part of the industry, you’ll be a fan of some of the memory will be that we have here. You’re welcome, so please do.

I will now. Tell me how’s basketball coaching?

I’m not a coach anymore. Our league disbanded. Not because of everything I did, but there was with little kids, parents, and coaches. There was a conflict between a parent and a coach, and it just became too big an issue for the league to deal with. The league disbanded because of that.

Does your son still play?

Yep. He’s doing travel ball now. Travel ball is intense.

You’re never home.

Yeah. It’s four days a week of practice and games, and they love it. One kid into tennis and one kid into basketball. We purposely try to pick different sports for them so that they wouldn’t argue about it at home, and it’s worked out pretty well.

That’s great. Your coaching days are well, you could coach here at BBI.

It took so much time. Coaching it’s crazy.

That’s true. Thank you, Jon.

The Sphere Experience: Immersive Oz & Industry Connections

I’m here with Heidi Voltrower, Francesca Lewis, and Jill Lewis, and they all have something in common. They all went to see The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere. How was it, ladies?

Amazing.

The tornado was the best part.

Were you in the tornado?

Yes. That’s like if you feel like you’re in a tornado and there’s wind blowing, and then the leaves are blowing.

Actual leaves. Like a couch is coming by.

 

The way they did the background, like expanding on the movie, you felt like you were in Oz. Everywhere you looked was Oz. It was magical, and the seats shook, and they have those haptics or whatever it’s called in them.

Brian is going to get in so much trouble. I wanted to go see it because I’m at the Wizard of Oz. Everybody should go, for sure.

Wonderful.

Mentorship Matters: Guiding The Next Generation In Fasteners

We just finished Empowering the Next Generation. It was a young, fast-wintered professional program, and I’ve got a mentor and a mentee here. I have the mentor George Hunt, Brighton Best International. The mentee, Danny Matic, is from Würth Industry USA. What did you learn from George?

Every little thing about the industry. I came in from having one year of experience, and then I was able to join the YFP program. Once I was able to get into that program, just the little functions that they had, the networking events, being able to talk with everyone, to ask those questions that really you don’t have the opportunity maybe throughout your work day in general, but to be able to pick his brain and understand where he comes from a manager’s side of view, really trickles down to me to learn how I want to grow up to be, to really get to that next level and what it takes to get to that level.

How did you decide, “I want to be a mentor. I don’t have enough to do?”

That’s a great question. That’s probably the biggest hurdle for people to get in because they’re just so busy. They don’t think they have enough time. I just truly believe that I’ve had so much support over the years, and I really shadowed some great individuals to get where I am, that I owed it to this industry to give back and to help someone who needed the help to get to the goals and to the levels that they wanted to be. I couldn’t ask for a better mentee.

Danny just jumped in with both feet into the deep end and was just awesome. We did it a little differently than most. A lot of people get together quarterly and have discussions and read books. Danny wanted to be on site, on scene. He wanted to see me in the element. He wanted to know who to talk to and where to go and go to classes and meet people at table tops and do the mixers. That, I believe, really encapsulates who he is as an individual and why he has transcended into a management role in what, 2, or 3 short years that he’s been in the industry.

How long have you been in the industry?

It’s been a little bit over four years, but after a year, I joined the YFP program. From that time on, George and I have consistently kept talking, at least not more so or a little less than before. I know he’s still there. I know I could always lean on him to ask these questions because, like he mentioned, he likes giving back to the people, and that goes such a long way because everyone in this industry is very helpful. They want you to succeed. They want you to learn. That’s one of the biggest things. It’s a motivation thing to keep pushing me forward.

Everyone in this industry is very helpful. They want you to succeed. They want you to learn. Share on X

How did you get into the fastener industry?

To be honest, I graduated from college. When I moved back up here, I didn’t even know that the Fastener industry existed. I could not imagine my life without it. It came from Vince DeMora, who is actually one of his nephews and is one of my good friends. That’s how I found out about the company. I just thought, “This could be a great opportunity. I like what the industry sounded like.” As soon as I joined, I haven’t turned back. I don’t think I’ll ever leave the industry.

I think we’re going to end it there. What else can we say?

B&D Cold Headed Products: Golf Course Glory & Domestic Strength

I’m over here with the winners of the golf game. I’m here with Jack Dobek, B&D Cold Headed products.

Who else was on the golf team that won?

It was I, Tim Quick, Eric Mason, and Brian Holmes.

Did you win? Was it like neck and neck with somebody?

Absolutely. Every year it’s neck and neck. There are a lot of good competitive golfers here in the fastener industry. It’s always a fun challenge to see how well we’ll do when we come out to the show.

How long have you been playing golf here, and how many times have you won?

We’ve been playing in the outing as long as I’ve been in the fastener industry. Probably eight years now. I think this is our 3rd or 4th win here at the IFE Show. We have a close-knit group of guys here who all like to play. It’s a lot of fun.

Now tell me a little bit about B&D.

B&D is a domestic cold-heading manufacturer doing all sorts of products from all different sorts of industries, from heavy trucks to agriculture to construction to railroad, just across the board, a great cold-headed source here domestically.

Do you feel a slowdown with the tariffs?

Actually, because we’re 100% domestic, I’d say that we saw a little bit of an uptick from it. Pretty much everything we do, from the steel to every process that goes into a cold-headed part, happens here domestically. We found that a lot of customers were in a pinch with the tariffs and actually came to us when they were having a little bit of tariff trouble.

Because we're 100% domestic, we saw a little bit of an uptick from the tariffs. Everything we do, from the steel to every process that goes into a cold-headed part, happens here domestically. Share on X

That’s wonderful. A win there and a win on the golf course. Thanks for talking, Jack.

I appreciate it. Thank you.

Perigee Manufacturing: Aerospace Ambitions & Veteran Insights

Dave Snapple from Perigee Manufacturing.

Sue Thomas from Perigee Manufacturing and Mike’s here. Mike’s wandering around here. I’m here at your booth. How has business been here at the show?

It’s been going really well. A lot of people are coming by. I’m hearing a lot about how some of the distributors want to get into the aerospace end of it. That’s what we’re here for.

We’re having some decent inquiries and hopefully something pans out.

What’s your background that you’re working for Perigee?

I’ve been in manufacturing for over 30 years. Started prototype. For the past seventeen years, I’ve been in inside sales, and early on, I was programming CNCs and setting them up. That’s my background.

It’s been in the business a while. How about you, Sue?

Forty-two years. Started in connector hardware. I needed a job. I started as a receptionist. I worked my way up. Went to work for my dad. Stayed with him for almost twenty years. He sold the company. I started my own company. I had it for thirteen years, and I just happened to land in Mike’s lap when I shut my company down and he hired me. I love every minute of it.

Lynn, I’ve actually been lucky. I’ve worked for three family businesses, my family’s business, and it’s just been wonderful. I just love being a part of making different parts.

I feel like there’s oil in my blood. Thank you. Wonderful.

FDI & Tariffs: Economic Outlook From Industry Leaders

Davis, BTM Manufacturing.

Wayne, XL Screw Corporation.

Let’s talk about the FDI, fellas. It’s still over 50. It’s 51, and forward is like 53, 54. What’s that about?

I’m still trying to figure that out a little bit. I had a little bit of contraction down 54 to about 3 points to 51. I cannot really say it. It will be interesting to see where it’s at after September, just to speak on numbers for us, both distribution and manufacturing. September has been really soft. I think you read some of the comments, and I think certain industries are still doing well in performing at the highest level. Interesting to see. I think inventory remains high on the customer level. Just trying to weed through that, as you see in other industries that have slowed. I feel like here in the next few months, we’re going to be under 50 for a little bit.

I agree with Jake. We’ve talked before about my feelings about the FDI, and it’s a great tool, but I’ve been in this industry too long. Some people would say, and I just go by how I feel, what I see in talking to people. I just don’t see a lot of positivity moving forward. I see the FDI probably decreasing. The uncertainty with tariffs, it hard to bring in inventory because you never know if they are going to remove the emergency tariffs. Are they going to put 100% on for Russian oil?

It’s just difficult. It’s hard to plan. It’s hard to buy. You don’t want to buy inventory and get stuck with high-cost inventory, but then you still need inventory because the market is soft, and there is still business out there. We’re trying to keep ahead of it inventory-wise, but it’s a difficult balance as an importer to try to manage inventory right now.

I would not want to be in Wayne’s shoes as a master distributor importer for us. Thankfully, on the distribution side and we even saw steel increases with BTM early on when the tariffs were being talked about in February, March, and Q1 of 25. Now it’s been a pass-through opportunity for us to be able to raise our prices, have clear communication with our customers on both sides. I think that also goes hand in hand with your suppliers.

The relationships that you have help navigate. It’s just unknown in the changes daily, unfortunately. Just me personally, I think I’m a supporter of it in the sense of just being consistent with it. You cannot be waking up and throwing at a dartboard and deciding, “I want to do this today.” That doesn’t help the economy of scale at a whole level. It’s just a little bit more consistency, I think we’ll go a long way and navigating out of it.

 

It’s just difficult to plan. We definitely need inventory. We’re paying the tariffs. The price increases are natural. Everybody has to do it. We’ve absorbed what we can, but it comes to a point where, in every industry, you just cannot absorb these tariffs any longer. Naturally, the prices have to go up, and people are paying for it. Are they happy about it? No, but people still need inventory. There are still some sectors, as Jake mentioned, that are still busy and still need inventory.

Being on the master distributor side, it’s really difficult to decide what to do as far as the future. I just don’t see a lot changing as far as tariffs. I don’t see anything positive where businesses are suddenly going to increase for any reason. A lot of our customers, as Jake said, the manufacturer distributor inventory is lower. They’re not bringing in as much. It’s in and out, bring it in, get it out, and nobody wants to hold any inventory anymore. You’ve got to have it to make sure that you still need cash coming in and profits and all that type of stuff. It’s difficult. I wish I had a crystal ball, but we just go with my gut.

Guts are good.

That intuition is one, but the gut underneath my shirt is another thing, but we’re working on it.

Thanks, fellas.

Thank you very much.

Fall River: Celebrating Workers & Addressing Labor Challenges

I’m over here at Fall River, and I’m here with David Monte, and we’re going to talk about the article that’s in the Fastener International Journal, which is called the Working Journal. It’s on this one worker, Jean Lopes. Hopefully, I’m saying that correctly. Folks, if you haven’t read or seen these pictures, you should. They are fantastic. Tell us more about it, David.

They came in and wanted to have a conversation with one of our employees, and Jean is a fantastic worker. He’s been with us for, I don’t know, maybe ten years. I’d probably have to read the article to get the right date. He is in our threading department. He’s the lead threader man, and he’s been through. If I told you his story with his family and his health issues, you wouldn’t believe reading the article that he’s there doing what he’s doing today. Just a fantastic individual.

We were talking earlier, and you said everybody in the industry is worried about people. Go ahead with that.

People say, “What do I think the biggest threat is to our industry in terms of domestic manufacturing?” It’s finding and hiring the next group of workers. It’s increasingly difficult. I think that’s one of the biggest threats, even higher than tariffs and everything else that’s being discussed, is finding the next generation of machine workers.

The biggest threat to our industry in terms of domestic manufacturing is finding and hiring the next group of workers. Share on X

How is Fall River doing as a whole?

As a whole, we’re doing fine. We’re doing very well. COVID was a tough year, I think, for everybody. Coming out of COVID, we’ve had three consecutive years of tremendous growth, and we’re in a very solid position. We’re always looking to continue that growth and expand our product offering. We see that continuing into 2024, 2025, with all the tariffs and things have been a little bit unusual, but the forecast is that 2026 should be a pretty good year as well.

Everybody, go read this article and go look at those pictures. They are great.

WTC Managed IT Services: Tech Solutions For Fastener Clients

Will Snyder from WTC managed IT services. The show’s great. We’ve had a lot of good leads, and there’s a lot of good energy around a lot of people so far. It’s paying off for us.

Will and I were just talking. The first time we met Will, I think it was Midwest Tabletop, and we were two tables out in the hall, because they were so crowded. From the tables out in the hall, you’re doing pretty well here.

We have a lot of fastener clients, probably more than 50. We are building this business well, a lot of clients and prospects here. It’s always beneficial for us to be here.

Thank you.

MW Group: American-Made Excellence In Fasteners

Nick Bennett from Ohio Rod Products, part of MW Group.

What do you want to tell me?

We’re happy to be at the show. I think it’s incredible. I’ve walked it already, but I’ve been to several shows, and I think it’s got a great environment for relationship building and networking. I’ve already been networking with several distributors, and inadvertently, some suppliers didn’t even know that they supplied us, and ran into them. I’m having a great time. The setup is great for good conversation and for good networking. That’s what I’m here for.

Tell me a little bit more about MW components. Can you tell me everybody who’s in the group?

Hanger Bolt: A Newcomer’s Welcome To The Fastener Family

MW components consist of 25 group companies. The great thing about us is that we all manufacture in the USA. I’ve never worked at a company that was exclusively manufacturing in the United States. With the current administration, the way things are going, we’re at an advantageous place, I think, to make parts in the USA. We have a USA supply. To be quite honest with you, we have three divisions, springs, fasteners, and other precision components. It’s hard to describe to people what we do. I actually had a post on LinkedIn about this that said, “When you ask us, what do we do?” The answer is, “Yes, we can do that.” Anything metal, fasteners, components, we do a wide range of products.

Very good. Vegas, what are you doing for the last time in Vegas?

Actually, mine was pretty quiet because I was supposed to help with setup. I came in late from Indianapolis. I had a boring time. The rest of the guys seem they behave themselves. I was here at the open. I don’t know if we’ll have dinner tonight. I will tell you our management has been gone most of this time, and I’m like, “Where are they?” They’re 16 to 20 minutes down the road at a restaurant, meeting with somebody. They’re having all the fun, and I’m at the booth. No, it’s a beautiful environment. The weather’s great. It’s a little warm as it always is, but nothing big is playing yet, but we’ll see for dinner and see what management tells me to do.

Thanks for talking with me, Dave.

It’s been a pleasure. I appreciate you.

Hanger Bolt & Stud Co. And American Fastener Journal

It’s time to meet the neighbors, and here’s our closest neighbor.

Jen with Hanger Bolt & Stud.

I almost destroyed her booth. How’s Hanear Bolt?

It’s great. This is my first year in the industry. My first IFE. Everybody’s been so wonderful and welcoming. I love that it’s like a big family.

It is like a big family. I’ve always been fascinated by how the competitors can like golf together, drink together. It’s interesting.

Everybody’s friendly and nice, no matter where you’re coming from.

The next IFE will be in a different place for you.

I will.

Have you been in the fastener industry long or just this?

Since January. I’m brand new to all of this.

Welcome to the industry.

Thank you.

We’re at Meet the Neighbors.

Anna Hasman and Chip Lippincott from American Fastener Journal and Fastener Technology International.

What do you say? Last time in Vegas.

I know, it’s been a great show so far. A lot of good people out, a lot of familiar faces, but we’re excited for Phoenix next year. We’re excited to see who else it brings out and to keep the good times going.

 

I cannot say anything else.

Hans Fuller: Vegas Costs & The Search For A New Expo Vibe

We’re here with Hans Fuller. Canadian.

Should I say Hands? Hans in Canada, Hans in the US. There’s always a controversy about how you say it. I really don’t care.

Poor guy. Now you’ve got me all flustered. Last time in Vegas, what are your thoughts?

I am Vegas out. It’s gotten too expensive. It’s just you walk away, you look at this hotel, $500, $600 a night for a room, and all that. I’m staying off the strip, a nice hotel, $220 a night. I’m happy with that. My breakfast was under $20.

Why didn’t you tell us about this place? We’re over at the Luxor. We’re like hiking in.

I have to take an Uber. That did cost me about $15 to get here. I don’t know. It’s going to be weird from a point that here, where you’re going, and after the show, you go down to Eye Candy and you’re like, you have a rhythm, you have what you’re going to do. I’m looking forward to a different location, and I think I’m looking forward to having a place, maybe where you cannot just leave, because here, as soon as somebody walks out the door, they’re gone. You will never see them again. You might run into them somewhere, but most likely not.

When I look back and the most fun was back in Columbus when we all were at the, I think it was the Hilton, because there was nothing to do. We had Germantown, and I don’t think there was one other place you could go. Everybody stayed down in the hotel, and it was just so many was a gong show, which is a reference that maybe younger people don’t know. It was always a lot of fun. We’ll see. I’m looking forward to a different location, and it’ll be cool. Maybe even go to Chicago or something like that. Why not? That would be an interesting place to go.

It’s a very interesting place, but it would be expensive too.

Would it?

Yeah. It cannot be less expensive than, I mean, more expensive than here. This is as bad as it gets and natural. This year, we didn’t have our booth, which I do feel I miss our booth a little bit. I don’t miss totally working it. We miss you having a too. Walking the show has been different since I haven’t done that for a few years now, but I got my little suitcase here because I’m leaving at 4:00 in the afternoon.

We’re glad you’re here on the second day. As you said, a lot of people don’t show up on the second day.

I thought I had it all done yesterday, and I started in the Asian section, and after lunch, I did about three rows and I just, and that’s all I could get done. I could get stuck talking to people.

I understand.

Hans Fuller was in a pretty good mood out there in Vegas this year. As you just heard, he had a little fun, and I’m glad too, because after his appearance on episode 219 of the podcast, check that out if you haven’t heard it yet. I didn’t know what to expect. There are a lot of challenges facing the industry, and a lot of the comments that you’re hearing and that you will hear touch on the tariff issue.

Lots of serious business is going on out there this year, and a lot of fun, too. Speaking of which, I picked up my new Stelfast Monkey, which is now, of course, the Lindfast Solutions Group Monkey. He’s got a cape on there with all the brand-name logos on it. I guess there’s a little backstory to that cape this year. I don’t know who tied my cape on, but they did a pretty good job. New style of monkey these days, but the legacy continues.

A lot of legacies connected to the Fastener show for sure, including the golf event, which was sold out again this year. For all the golfers in the Fastener world, there are a lot of them. It’s pretty exciting. I think a lot of guys just go out there and have fun, spend some time together, warm up for the big event. Let’s get right to it. A very honorable second place. They told me they played exceptionally well, which speaks to the first-place team this year, but it was none other than Rob “Big Country” Reynolds of InxSQL Software, along with AJ Gallo, Morgan Wilson, and Bryan Wheeler.

I guess we’ll call it the InxSQL Star Team. Congratulations guys. I know you played really well. Edging them out was the A-Team from B&D Cold Heading. I spent some time over in their booth. I don’t know those guys that well. I do know Todd McRoberts, a few episodes back, you might remember he was on. He returned to the fastener industry, and he’s with B&D these days. He was on the B team, which incidentally came in third.

Sadly, guys, I don’t have your names. I promise I’ll get that out in the next episode. Many notes here on my desk, but it was B&D Cold Heading taking top honors at the 2025 International Fastener Expo Golf Tournament. A few events I’ll mention. There were several of them. On the first day, Monday, I attended the AI in distribution session that was put on by Hawksearch. They’re a company that’s quite interesting. They’re doing a lot of AI-powered searching and working with some very large companies.

I believe they said their average company is between like $100 million and $300 million. Out of the range of a lot of fastener distributors, I guess. It gave a lot of insight into what’s actually happening out there. The session was pretty well attended. I definitely picked up some things very worth the time. On Tuesday, the first day of the show, of course, that was the Hall of Fame day, which I already mentioned. I really enjoyed that.

I also had a chance to moderate a conversation on the subject of M&A, and that was with AFC head honcho, Kevin Godin, and also Dustin Ramsey, who is an M&A advisor. Very knowledgeable. Those two discuss the high points of what goes into M&A from both sides of the deal, by the way. I was very happy. That was also attended nicely. I got some good questions at the end. We actually ran a little over. I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in all that.

The next day, even though it was early in the morning, started at 8:00 AM was jackpot marketing. Of course, with Rosa Hearn from Brighton Best and Joe Shoemaker with AFC. I counted about 60 people there. Plenty of interest. I was also glad to get in on the breakfast buffet. I got to say one shortcoming I would say of the show, and a lot of people did complain about this a little bit, is that there was not a lot of coffee on the show floor this year. Sadly, no U-Bolt blend. I talked to Jake Valdez Davis. BTM did not have a booth.

He was there, but BTM wasn’t there. There was also no vending on the show floor. No coffee shop or anything. You had to walk quite a distance to get it, and then when you got there, there was a line, and it was expensive. That wasn’t the best. We had to make do. Fortunately, there was a lot of energy on the show floor. I’ll tell you if you went by the J.Lanfranco booth and started talking to Jason over there. He’d show you what energy is. The guy never stops. He looked like a million bucks, and J.Lanfranco was looking lean and mean for sure.

I should also mention. Emerald Expositions has formally announced next year’s International Fastener Expo. The dates are October 7th through the 9th, 2026. That’s happening in the Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona. You’ve got a little time to get prepped up for this. I’m sure more details will be coming, and they’re going to be doing a lot of things to keep things interesting.

Also speaking of that, I was talking to Ashley over there at Parker Fasteners. They’re located right in the area in Buckeye, Arizona. Great name. I’m guessing Parker will be doing something special, too. Looking forward to that. Let’s get to this next group of floor interviews. Once again, thanks to the lovely and talented Lynn Dempsey. This is the fully threaded radio IFE 25 recap episode. Thanks so much for listening, everyone. Now let’s get back to the show floor.

Lynn Dempsey’s IFE 2025 Recap: Show Floor Energy & Observations

Here we are on the second day, and this is where I get in early and walk around and just see what’s going on. It’s a big show. It’s a little bigger than Fast and the Fair. We still do the no carpet in the middle, which is hard on old legs like mine. I’m in the camp of I’m glad we’re leaving Vegas, and it’s mixed. I’ve talked to a lot of people, and the show has been slower they believe than usual. It’s expensive. Everything costs. Everybody’s hoping for the new destination with Phoenix. It’s going to be a little bit cheaper and stuff.

I’m over here at the BBI booth, and they have their 100th anniversary and so their booth is like a little museum of the 100 years. They’ve got some great stuff. We’ve got some old-time pictures in gold frames and stuff. What a great legacy to be part of, a hundred years. It’s very cool. Their party last night was just absolutely fabulous. Everybody dressed up like the twenties and in gold. There were masks at the table.

It really was a good thing. I’ve got a picture here, bright and best, 1986. It’s a very neat display here. Now, when you first walk in, of course, we have the big shots. We have a Continental Arrow. We have R&D fasteners, alloy stainless steel. We have industrial rivets and fasteners. We have Goebel. Of course, we all look at it as we walk on this hard cement. You jump into the booth to get relief, Goebel, I tell you, that’s the number one place to jump off in.

They say they’ve got really thick carpeting. I’m right on it right now, and it is very thick. It’s wonderful. We have Dorkin, and of course, we have the Lindfast group. We have Optimus. Brixton’s right in front. It’s a very cool thing. We had a company that actually had, if you all remember, beer pong, except it was with big garbage cans and big, I cannot think of what you call the things that you throw into the can.

I have to stop over to see who won. The company’s name was Crossroad, and unfortunately, I didn’t see it. I don’t know if you had to drink like a bucket of beer, but I have to find out, so you’ll have to stay tuned. We’ve got WTC, Ken Forging, always a good sponsor. You walk into the international section, where you’ve got Taiwan and India, and China. We have two education sessions that are done by Wurth.

Crossroad: Bucket Ball Champions & Thread Repair Expertise

One’s in the international group and one is on our other side here, and lots of lectures. I will say the lectures have been full. This is the fullest I’ve seen them. Of course, a lot of it’s been on tariffs and stuff. A lot of good information was given on those tariffs and, of course, AI. We’re hoping for a busy day. However, we had a couple of good hours, and then it petered down. Everyone’s hoping for a better second day. As promised, I’ve got Crossroads here, and they’re in early. I’m talking to Scott Campbell. Tell me about this bucket ball.

We had people qualify in our booth with four stations. If they qualified, they were able to enter the bucket ball team championship. As you can see from our chart here, we had some pretty heavy, heavyweight finalists. The quarterfinals were Brighton, ABS, IFE, and American Ring. ABS and American Ring were in the final, and American Ring won the day.

American Ring wins a lot of stuff. They’re good golfers and they’re very competitive. Now it’s like beer pong. Did they have to drink if they got it in?

No, they drank before.

In the final, they had to chug a beer before they competed.

I’m going to go talk to that American Ring.

It was a lot of fun. We had a good time.

Tell me about Crossroads.

Crossroads is a master distributor selling to distributors only across North America, Central, and South America. We specialize in thread repair, although we have some other accessories like an easy chamfer that will chamfer steel, wood, pretty much any material. We are the stocking Midwest distributor for a fixed alliance and also the Black Book technical series.

Thank you for talking with me so early in the morning.

No problem. Thank you.

I’m here at the Best Cushion booth. You’ve been rated number one.

Thank you.

Goebel: Phoenix Excitement & New Lock Bolt Systems

I’m here with Christian from Goebel. Are you going to miss Vegas?

I’m looking forward to Phoenix.

 

That’s good. Have you been to Phoenix? Is it going to the convention center?

I have not actually, so that’s my excitement for a new venue, change of scenery, so it should be interesting.

I’m looking forward to it, and I did know what you said here. Anything you want to tell me about Goebel here?

We’re just keeping pushing forward newest thing coming out from us is the two-piece lock bolt systems. We’re doing equivalents to all those, so keep an eye out for those in the near future.

KT Bolt: Busy Booths & Anticipating Phoenix

I’m here with Baron Yarborough, KT Bolt. Last time in Vegas.

Las Vegas, it’s been a pretty good one. I think it was a very busy show yesterday. We have a great booth placement. This is the second day of the show. This is the first time I’m getting out away from the booth. Obviously, we’ve been busy. It’s been a good show. Really hope to see what Phoenix is going to look like next year.

Now, are you leaving some memories in Vegas that should stay in Vegas?

No comment. I plead the fifth.

We’ll leave it with that.

SmartCert: Automation In Tools & Customer Connections

I’m over here in tools, as you can hear, and I found Lonni from SmartCert. What’s SmartCert doing in the tools?

We’re not exactly sure, but it’s been interesting to watch the machining. Just a little bit harder to have conversations.

I can understand. Last time in Vegas.

Comparing shows, I think we see a lot of familiar faces, which we also appreciate. I think FaceTime with customers and prospects for us is really critical. We love hearing from companies that are prioritizing the automation and efficiencies we know we can deliver on. So far, so good.

We’ll see how Phoenix is.

Yeah. That was our old stomping ground for some time. I love that it’s downtown in Phoenix because I was telling everyone they have had a really great revival down there. It used to be the downtown area where you didn’t really visit after dark. With a lot of new apartment buildings coming up, the restaurants have come in now, and it’s going to be a really fun city to be in.

Industrial Rivet And Fastener: The Economy Of Rivets

I am here at IFE Las Vegas.

I know that, but what for?

We’re Industrial Rivet and Fastener.

You are?

I’m Steve Sherman, Vice President.

How is the show?

It was good. Las Vegas brings back memories year over year. I’ve been coming here for about, I don’t know, 15 or 20. It was great to see it turn out. I like to see people actually advertising here and bringing their booths and some of the interactions that we’re having. It’s positive.

Are you ready to leave Vegas? We’ve been coming here that long, too. I’m ready. Are you?

I think a change is refreshing. Every change is an opportunity, and I love Phoenix as well. I’m looking forward to what IFE can do in Phoenix.

Anything you want to tell me about Rivet? You got anything coming out?

We have lots of great products. We start with the fastener. We’re experts in permanent mechanical products. Simple word for that. We believe that rivets are the most economical way of assembling a product. We don’t need to follow the helix of a bolt. The fastener itself is permanent, and it provides customers or end users, and distributors with a really low cost of solution of assembly.

Thank you for talking.

Thank you.

Impact Tool Supply: Durable Tools & Tariff Challenges

Tony Bernier, Impact Tool Supply.

How are things? We met at Midwest, and now I have to come over to the tools and find you, and you’re next to our friend, SmartCert. How’s the show going?

The show’s going well. A little bit slower today than yesterday, but that’s to be expected. Second day, we usually see exhibitors. First day, we see more people coming out for the show. They’re probably all hungover for the second day. Appropriately so, being in Vegas. Maybe it’ll be less so next year in Phoenix. I guess we’ll see.

That is true. Now I’m looking at all this metal steel on your table here. What about tariffs?

We have a wide range of products. We’re ten percent owned by a company in Taiwan. In some cases, given the shortage of American labor, we have to semi-finish parts here, send them to Taiwan for finishing, and they send the parts back to us. Even with that being the case that we might have to charge or we do have to charge a little bit more for the parts. Our tool life is second to none in the industry. We’re still able to, I believe, have the highest value parts in the industry, where you can get the most parts per tool.

Hopefully, it picks up later on. The drinkers have rolled out of bed.

They have the hair of the dog underneath them, and they’re ready to come in and start walking the show again.

Otherwise, we’ll see you in Phoenix.

Yes, sounds good.

We’re at the Meet the Neighbors, and here’s one of our foreign neighbors.

W.J. Roberts Company: Domestic Spacers & Standoffs

This is Matt with W.J. Roberts Company.

Tell me the show.

A little slower than I remember. Some good quality leads in the morning yesterday, but after that, I mean, it tapered off, but there’s been traffic.

The second day seems busier, not busier than the first, but busier than other second days.

I mean, a couple of quality leads came through this morning, and that’s really all it takes. You need one good lead to make the show worth it anyway. We hope for the best.

That’s true. Tell me about W.J. Roberts. What do you have going on?

I have 53 years in business. Domestic manufacturer of spacers and standoffs.

Domestic no tariff troubles?

No tariff troubles. A little bit of raw material, but it’s enough to offset everything else. We can still be pretty competitive right now.

Will we see you in Phoenix?

We will definitely be in Phoenix. We got our booth reserved.

Patriot Bolt: Fast Turnarounds & Exotic Alloys

I’m over here at Patriot Bolt, and they’ve been in the news and Fastener Tech magazine, and stuff. I’m here with Bryce Oliveira.

I’m the VP of Sales at Patriot Bolt.

Tell me about Patriot Bolt. I’m not really familiar with you guys.

 

Lynn, we’re especially a Bolt manufacturer. We’re focused on fast turnarounds, exotic alloys, and really just meeting customers’ needs. We’re really focused on the service side of the business, asking the right questions and just making cool parts, and taking care of customers

You’re always very bright. We love the red, white, and blue at all the shows and everything. How has the show been?

The show’s been great. The theme this year we went with a fast speed race car theme, accurate. We wore our race car outfits yesterday. It’s been good for us. It’s been a good show with a lot of traffic. Good clients, good customers, good potential. We’re happy with the show. I would rate it a one of the better shows we’ve done.

Thanks for talking.

Thanks, Lynn.

We’re at Meet the Neighbors, and I’m across the way.

All Electronics Hardware: Onshoring Plastics Injection Molding

I’m Dale Stahl with all electronics hardware. Thank you, Lynn, for the introduction. We are a plastics injection molder. We do all of our molding in the Chi-Town area. If you’re looking to onshore or looking to break the status quo, reach out to AEH.

Tracy Lumia: Honoring A Legacy In The Fastener Hall Of Fame

I’m here with Tracy Lumia, Distributor’s Link Magazine. You had a very special honor. Your mama got honored yesterday. Tell me about it.

Yes, in the Hall of Fame. I am so incredibly happy and honored that the committee decided to choose her. She had passed away thirteen years ago, and they wanted to recognize her and her accomplishments. It was wonderful to get on stage and tell everybody about what I love about her and what I feel she contributed to the industry. It was a great day.

INxSQL: E-commerce Solutions & Continuous Improvement

You’re going to make me cry. I’m over at INxSQL here, and we got a break in action, and I’m here with Brandi Bertoia, Kristi, Darren, Ron, and Suzanne. How do you guys all feel about the show moving?

We’re excited for a change of scenery, a change of pace. I think it’s exciting to change it up after we’ve been here for so long.

I think Phoenix will be exciting.

I think Phoenix is going to be great. It’s going to be a nice change of pace for sure.

You’re going to miss Vegas, I can tell. I’m not going to miss Vegas. I’m ready to leave, you’re not ready, are you?

This is my third year, and I feel like once you’ve been through the strip once, you’ve seen it all.

It’s like my twentieth year, I’m like, “I am so tired of Vegas.” How about you?

I love Vegas, but I’m really looking for a change of pace with Phoenix.

I think we all agree. What memories do you guys have that you want to stay here in Vegas? You should see their shocked faces. Too bad I don’t have cameras here. Not a fair question. Nobody else has answered that either.

Does it stay in Vegas if you say it?

I don’t know. Why don’t you say it?

Nope. What else do you want to tell me about INxSQL?

We are really focused on enhancing all of our e-commerce solutions and our product in general. It’s this constant improvement in trying to make our customers more efficient and adding in different automation pieces where we can to try to lessen the burden on our customers and make their jobs more valuable and more efficient.

That says it all. Thank you, INxSQL.

Thank you.

Ken Forging: Marketing Strategies & Customer-Centric Culture

I’m over here at Ken Forging.

I’m Connor Kovach, Chief Strategy Officer. Deanna Wall, Sales and Marketing Manager.

They happen to be in the same class that I got into, but I got in a little late with Joe Shoemaker from AFC and Rosa Hearn, who was in marketing. Tell me about it.

I thought it was really interesting, and being new in the industry, in the space, I’m unfamiliar with different marketing strategies with this. I thought they really shed some great light on some great benchmarking techniques to really help carry us forward. I think we’ll be taking those back and reviewing those, and seeing how we can implement those ourselves.

I think they did have a lot of good real-life scenarios and things that we can capture data on that we can analyze, and hopefully put a new marketing plan in place and capture more sales that we don’t currently have.

Joe, when he was up there talking, I thought it was interesting. He brought up the initials of the ABC, which is always closing, and that was what I grew up with. You should all be doing like eight, ABE, always be educating. How do you feel about that?

I feel it’s very important because if you don’t know yourself, what you’re providing solutions to, you’re providing your customers, how are they supposed to know as well? It’s helpful to educate your customers, but you also need to be educated as well and take the steps to support the education of your staff.

I think it’s important with the products that we sell because we do have to teach our potential customers about the products, and then they can educate their customers, and eventually, you’re building those long-standing relationships.

Rosa had us do the E. Draw the E on the forehead. How’d you guys do on that?

I did it. I was facing Deanna, and so I did it facing her, but I think that’s because that’s the culture of Ken Forging, is we are always customer-facing and emphasizing how our customers view us and what’s going to be most beneficial to them. That’s attributed to the culture.

I would agree with what Connor said. We’re very customer service-oriented. Every call, every customer is the only call you’re going to get that day. I think Rosa does emphasize that in her presentation and what she teaches.

I agree with you. Two different lecture styles, as we would say, great information all the way through. Two different presentations there. I’m assuming that E was correctly drawn towards each other. Just checking it. Anything else you want to say about the class?

I had the opportunity to go last year. This year was just as great. I think Rosa is a great resource. I think we’ll take back some of the things that we learned today and take them to our team, and hopefully gain some new marketing strategies and new customers.

I think it’s awesome how our presenters were able to cater to both me, who’s new to the industry, and also a veteran like Deanna, who has a vast amount of knowledge. I think they were able to cater to all of us. Each of us with different perspectives, and we all have something different to bring back, so I’m very grateful for that.

Vogelsang Fastener Solutions: Business Growth Amidst Uncertainty

Thanks for talking. I’m over here with our friend Nick from Vogelsang Fastener Solutions. How’s the show?

The show has been a very interesting show. I’m hoping that it’s a success. Yesterday morning was extremely busy and went all the way to noon, and then people went out to eat, and we didn’t see them again for the rest of the day. This morning, surprisingly, on the second day, we had more people come through, and I’m very excited about that prospect.

How’s business been? Business was very rough to start the beginning of the year. The second quarter was very solid, and the third quarter was stronger than that. We’ll end up being up for the year.

You agree with the FDI that’s like, I think, 51 or something, 52?

Yes, I agree that things are going in a positive direction right now.

Have you been able to plan for next year, or is everything on hold waiting to see what happens?

We are doing both. We are playing the middle ground. We are making some plans for next year. There are some other bigger shows that we’ve held off on. We’ll see what they’re going to do. It’s going to really depend on how the next few months go with our government.

You just recorded everybody else that I’ve talked to. That is true. We’re all on hold.

Until further notice, because six of our plants are over in Europe. We’re subject to a 50% tariff, which is not going to be a long-term sustainable. We’re hoping for calmer minds for bail.

Yes, let’s hope.

ALOX4: The Promising Future Of AI In The Industry

Anders Green from ALOX.

Let’s talk about your lecture on AI.

The lecture makes it sound like I was admonishing everybody. Which, of course, was instructional. We talked a little bit about AI because everyone does, and what I noted there was a report from MIT recently that said 95% of corporate AI projects are failing or at least not producing good ROI, and that sounds awful, but then you think, “5% really are working.”

This is exceptionally promising because, really, AI right now is sitting in the same spot the internet was in 1998. When we all thought that the internet was going to do everything, and then Pets.com collapsed, and no one did any commerce on the internet for a decade. You look at where we are now. I think that’s where we are now with AI is that yeah, we tried a lot of stuff and people spent a lot of money and a bunch of it went into the toilet, but we’re starting to find out what works.

AI right now is sitting in the same spot the internet was in 1998. Share on X

That is true. Brian always says that, too. He says, “AI, we don’t know if it’s working yet.”

It will. I think that we’re getting a lot of experience there. I discussed a little bit about cloud technology, and we got pretty deep into what an actual virtual machine is and how it can help a fastener distributor ship, maybe increase their safety and reliability, and connectivity, and how that works. That was super fun for me, and I think people took away some good info from it.

You had a pretty good crowd there.

IFE has been doing a good job of promoting these events and the speakers. I’m super happy with how it turned out.

I am too. I even took notes.

Carmen Vertullo: A Tribute To A Fastener Legend

You’re an excellent student. Thank you very much. I’m here with Carmen Vertulo, and let’s talk about Lawrence.

Lawrence Klaus is no exaggeration, an absolutely precious person in our business in the industry. I’ve known him for over twenty years. I first met him when he came on board to help teach the certified fastener specialist class. It’s no exaggeration when I say that starting from there, he was training before that with his own company, NNI. Now he’s the IFI training director, and he has probably put together more training programs, had more fast and professionals in his classrooms than all the other of us put together, maybe double that many.

He’s joined you on the wall.

He joined me on the wall, yeah. That’s what this is all about, I guess. We are both Fastener Hall of Fame recipients. It’s a real honor to have been able to talk about him at the awards ceremony. We have a couple of things in common. We both have adopted kids. We love Fasteners. We love our family. We love Jesus. He’s a great leader in his church at home.

He and his wife have five kids, two of whom are foster kids and are now adopted. I will tell you, he and Kate give their lives to those kids, especially the adopted ones, who would not have a life without what they’ve done for them. They’re really very special people. He’s a scout master. He’s a baseball coach, and he serves on all the fastener committees. The chairman of a couple of different committees is the sub-chair.

I know he’s chair of the SA fastener committee and at least the chair of at least two subcommittees on an SCMF sixteen, and he shows up. He is just there when you need them. I love working with him, plus I thought he was younger than he is. I said, unlike me, we don’t have this in common. He’s got a lot of tread left on him, but he’s 59 years old.. I said, he looks like he’s 35.

We’ll get him to do the mutter, right?

Yeah. As a matter of fact, he lives right near where the bed was built in the MWFA meeting. Lincolnshire. He said he could almost walk there. I think he came over to look at the bed built last time, but we love him, and I’m always happy to get to work with him. Lois and I got to know him and Kate pretty well, coming to these meetings, and she comes now and then. She cannot come very often because they got those five kids and she cannot get out that often.

We both wish congratulations.

Congratulations to you, Lawrence. Well deserved. It’s like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You wonder, “How did that guy get in there, and that guy’s still not in there.” When I got it, I thought, “Lawrence should have had this a long time before me.”

Now you’re both in it. That’s good.

That’s very good. We’ll see him at the next FTI event, I’m sure, as I think the LA CFS class is coming up. Thanks for talking.

Thank you.

 

Important Links

• International Fastener Expo
• Fastener Training Institute
• Leo Coar on LinkedIn
• Todd McRoberts on LinkedIn
• Distributor’s Link Magazine
• BrAInstorming – Episode 219 – Past episode