Robert Allan “Bob” Lehman, 90, died December 29, 2018.  

He started in the fastener industry in 1956 as an intern for All Stainless Inc. in Boston while earning his bachelor’s degree at Northeastern University on the GI Bill. After graduating, he started his first sales job at Albany Products in Connecticut where he met his future wife, Joyce, who was working as the assistant to Edith Cameron.  

In 1961, he became president of a startup company called Bell Fasteners in Paramus, NJ.  During his 15 years with Bell, he strengthened the ties between distributors and suppliers as he vowed to sell through distribution only.  

He was active in the National Fastener Distributors Association and was a Metropolitan Fastener Distributors Association board member.

After Bell Fasteners was sold in 1976, the Lehman family moved to Southern California and he became Western region vice president for fastener distributor AFCOM Inc. However, in his heart, he was always a supplier, and he soon became general manager of the California branches of both Bossard and Majestic Screw & Bolt.  

In 1980, he and Joyce started Pacific Warehouse Sales. The initial business model was to be a stocking manufacturer’s representative and a wholesale distributor. Using his contacts from his East Coast days, he found manufacturers wanting to partner with PWS. In 1985, Deb, the first of his three daughters, started at PWS and was joined soon by her sisters Kelly and Tracy. Bob had a dream of having his whole family working in the fastener industry.  

He was instrumental in starting the Western Association of Fastener Distributors – now known as the Pac-West Fastener Association. He was WAFD secretary from 1982-1985 and later board member of the Los Angeles Fastener Association as well.

In 1993, Bob and Joyce moved to Phoenix and gave their daughters ownership of the company. In 1994, Bob was inducted into the IFE Fastener Hall of Fame.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Joyce “Bonnie”; daughters, Deb Kanne (Larry), Tracy Nelson (Todd); and Kelly Lehman; two grandsons, Ryan and Tyler Kanne; and brother, Charlie Lehman (Sally).

A memorial service will be at 11:30am Wednesday, January 9, 2019, at the Old North Church, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, CA.

Memorial donations may be made to the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation: rizzo44.com. Memories of Bob may be shared at: bob-lehman.forevermissed.com. Messages to the family may be sent c/o Pacific Warehouse Sales, 15368 El Prado Rd., Chino CA, 91710. Email: Kelly@PacificWarehouseSales.com