SHOW NEWS: NIFS to Induct Lassiter, Liao

John Wolz

The National Industrial Fastener Show will induct Richard Lassiter, co-owner, chairman and CEO of Vegas Fastener Manufacturing, Las Vegas, and William Liao, publisher, Fastener World magazine, Taiwan, into the NIFS Hall of Fame.\
The two will be inducted at a Sunday luncheon during the 12th annual NIFS/West.
Liao started his fastener career in 1986 and founded Taiwan-based Fastener World magazine in 1987. From 2003 to 2007 he was chairman of the Taiwan Fastener Trading Association and remains an honorary consultant.
In 1989 Liao became the first Asian to lead a Taiwan delegation to the National Industrial Fastener Show. That year Liao brought 17 Taiwanese manufacturers to exhibit in Columbus, pioneering the international advertising and marketing for Taiwan fastener manufacturers. Liao said he has subsequently sold an average of 250 booths a year for NIFS.
Liao annually leads Taiwan delegations to 15 exhibitions around the world, including Fastener Tech, Fastener Fair Stuttgart and Coventry, Fastec, Practical World/International Hardware Fair, Hanover Messe, IWF, Wire & Tube D�sseldorf, Wire & Cable South Asia and other hardware and components related exhibitions.
Lassiter”s first fastener job was 40 years ago in California as a buyer for ITT Harper, a manufacturer and distributor of stainless steel and nonferrous fasteners. Lassiter also worked in sales for Southern Bolt & Screw, South Bay Bolt, and Majestic Fasteners.
Lassiter was interested in starting his own company and in 1972 with partner Doug Kreck opened the first fastener distributorship in Las Vegas: Nevada Nut & Bolt. Lassiter sold the company 14 years later to Dick Sawtell at Bonanza Nut & Bolt.
In 1976 Lassiter opened Nonferrous Bolt & Mfg. And in 1998 the company was sold to SPS Technologies. The aerospace fastener company closed Nonferrous in 2001 and after a two-year non-compete agreement expired, Lassiter partnered with Jim Foytik who had started Vegas Fastener Manufacturing in 2000. In 2001 another former Nonferrous owner, Ed Cebulko, became a partner at Vegas Fastener. The company provides fasteners to many industries around the globe from its 100,000 sq ft hot forge plant.
Lassiter also has ownership and participates in the management of other Las Vegas companies: G-2 Game Design, American Laser, LNC real estate.

” NIFS information is now available in nine languages, show manager Susan Hurley announced.
“Persons searching the web for information about fastener exhibitions in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish will be directed to a site providing an overview of our fastener industry exhibitions in their language,” Hurley explained.

” For the 12th annual November NIFS/West booth sales are approaching 800, Hurley announced.
Last year NIFS/West set a record at 688 exhibiting companies with 829 booths. The previous NIFS record was 653 in 1998 in Columbus, OH.
Thus far 594 companies have reserved 790 booths for the November 3-4, 2008, NIFS/West trade show. The floor plan provides for nearly 1,150 booths.
Hurley noted NIFS/West booth sales are running ahead of the record pace of last year. “This is a 4% gain in companies and an 11% gain in exhibit space, which translates to more space per company,” Hurley noted. �2008 FastenerNews.com