Peter Sullivan is retiring from AFC Industries.
Sullivan was president of Accurate Fasteners, which was acquired by AFC Industries in 2017.
Sullivan was the 2005-2006 president of the National Fastener Distributors Association. That was the year Dave Merrifield resigned as NFDA executive vice president and the board chose to hire an association management firm – Chicago-based SmithBucklin.
Sullivan started his working life on Wall Street and joined the family business in 1990. New email address: peter.sullivan@550LLC.com
His father Jack Sullivan and Jack O’Donoghue co-founded Accurate Fastener in 1960.
Accurate is located at 550 E. First St., South Boston, MA 02127. Tel: 617 268-8300


Brighton-Best International named Deborah Mann as director of business development.
Mann, who will concentrate on new markets for both Ironclad Performance Wear and Proferred Tools, will be located at BBI’s location in Long Beach, CA. Email: dmann@brightonbest.com
Owned by Ta-Chen International, BBI is a master distributor and importer supplying 7,000 distributors through 31 locations in six countries, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
The company’s global headquarters is in Taiwan, and the U.S. headquarters is at 5855 Obispo Ave., Long Beach, CA 90805. Web: brightonbest.com


Fast-Exec LLC announced a partnership with Mike McGuire. The executive recruiting firm was founded in 2015 by Jacqui Bate.
Al Bate had moved to the U.S. from the UK in 2008 to become managing director of the U.S. operations of multi-national fastener manufacturer / distributor TR Fastenings LTD, which he had worked for over 20 years. He joined Fast-Exec full-time in 2018.
Jacqui Bate had been in the IT industry and had managed TR’s Northeast U.S. sales operation.
McGuire co-founded the National Fastener Show & Conference in Columbus, OH, in 1980 and American Fastener Journal in 1982. In 2018, McGuire launched WorldWideFastenerSources.com.
Fast-Exec is based in Charlotte, NC. Email: albate@fast-exec.com Web: fast-exec.com


Rob Moe was named CEO of Sphere 1, a supplier network cooperative of fasteners, tools and concrete distributors.
Moe joined Sphere 1 in 2015 after a career including Duo Fast, Allied Fastener & Tools, Powers Fasteners and Lackmond Products.
Moe succeeds Carol Shackelford, who retired.
Sphere 1 is located at 16441 Scientific #150, Irvine, CA 92618. Web: Sphere1.coop


United Performance Metals received Pratt & Whitney-LCS approval for its Greenville, SC, branch. The approval allows UPM to begin providing LCS certified materials in both sheet and bar forms to its Southeastern customer base.
Cincinnati, OH-based UPM, an O’Neal Industries affiliate, distributes high performance specialty metals for industries including fasteners, aerospace, medical, power generation and energy markets. Web: upmet.com
UPM is an affiliate of the family-owned group of metals service centers O’Neal Industries. Birmingham, AL-based ONI reported $2.6 billion in 2018 sales from 80 global facilities. Web: ONealInd.com