7/7/2014 5:44:00 PM
HEADLINES
SHOW NEWS: Coar & Sakhuja Named To NIFMSE Hall of Fame
Leo Coar
Surinder Sakhuja
Distributors Link founder, editor and publisher Leo Coar and Stelfast Inc. founder Surinder Sakhuja were named to a renewed National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo hall of fame in conjunction with the annual trade show.
Held from 1982 to 2008, NIFMSE management has revived the program for 2014.
Coar started in the fastener industry in 1954 with Southern Screw Company and in 1967 he left to start his own rep agency.
While on the road making sales calls in the New York area, he noticed the selling companies could use the exposure of a national fastener magazine, so in 1977 he recruited his sister-in-law, Mary Ann Marzocchi, from Southern Screw to help start Distributors Link. Originally based in New Jersey, Link is now published out of Naples, FL.
Coar’s fastener career also included owning a nut manufacturing business in Detroit and currently Aluminum Fastener Supply Co. Inc. in Naples. He sold his rep agency to David Shuster more than 25 years ago, but it remains named Leo J. Coar Associates.
Marzocchi passed away last December and Link is now headed by Coar and director of sales and marketing Tracey Lumia. Web: linkmagazine.com
Sakhuja earned an industrial engineering degree in London in 1964 and immigrated to Canada in 1965 and subsequently worked for several Toronto companies. In 1971 a friend wanted to sell his small factory manufacturing. After a few meetings over the next three days, Sakhuja acquired Industrial Gear Company on July 6, 1971.
The company later became ESES Limited.
He met former Infasco marketing manager Tony Kolody and in 1974 he hired Kolody to get ESES involved in buying and selling of nuts. Also in 1974, Sakhuja bought a small Ohio manufacturer of aircraft bolts and screws.
In 1976, Sakhuja registered Stelfast Fasteners Inc. in Canada and the U.S.
Today Stelfast has seven U.S. distribution centers plus two in Canada and a plant in Taiwan manufacturing cold formed fasteners and related products from M6 to M30.
Sakhuja’s daughter, Simmi Sakhuja, is now president and sole shareholder of Stelfast USA. Her husband Carmine Tomasso is director of purchasing; Don Haggerty is president of the commercial division; and Todd McRoberts is vice president for auto parts. Web: stelfast.com
The inductees will be recognized by NIFMSE during the opening reception for the October 22-24, 2014 conference and trade show, at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas. Web: fastenershows.com ©2014 GlobalFastenerNews.com
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