Sullivan, Tuttle-Stock Lead NFDA

John Wolz

Peter Sullivan of Accurate Fasteners is the new president of the National Industrial Fastener Distributors Association, and Bryn Tuttle-Stock of Spencer Products Co. was elected vice president.\
Sullivan succeeds Tim Meyer of Meyer Retaining Ring as president.
Sullivan and a committee of NFDA leaders will begin the search for a new executive to replace Dave Merrifield, who resigned effective April 1 after eight years as executive vice president.
The search could involve new avenues for the NFDA, Sullivan suggested. “We are not limited to things we have done in the past.”
New initiatives could include a more international focus to assist members with issues such as foreign currency, Sullivan explained.
Sullivan started in the industry “making boxes” at the South Boston based distributorship founded in 1960 by John Sullivan and Jack O”Donoghue.
Peter Sullivan ventured off to Wall Street for a non-fastener career before rejoining the family business in 1990.
Elected to the board as distributors were: Buddy Blattner, Active Screw & Fastener; Gary Huck, W�rth Adams Nut & Bolt Co.; and Donna Kempka, Global Fastener & Supply Inc. Char Cooper of Cable Tie Express was elected to the associate position on the board.
James Sullivan of Chicago Hardware & Fixture Co. succeeded Rebecca Branson of Threaded Rod Co. as associate chair; Jeff Hepner of Telefast Industries Inc. became associate vice chair; and Char Cooper of Cable Tie Express was elected to the associate board position.
Second Woman President
When Tuttle-Stock becomes president a year from now she will be only the second woman president in the NFDA”s 38-year history. In 1988 Mary McClure of then Capitol Bolt & Supply Inc. became the first woman to head NFDA.
Branson, the outgoing associate chair, pointed out that the board meeting where Tuttle-Stock was elected was the “first one with four women in the room” and thanked the NFDA for showing that “diversity.”
Tuttle-Stock recalled being initially uninterested in NFDA because she perceived it as “a good ole boys” club” but soon “found that was not the case at all. I hope the entire membership can feel that.”
In college Tuttle-Stock recalled having no interest in joining the company founded by her father and her two uncles. In 1992 one uncle encouraged her to consider a fastener career and suggested learning about fasteners by starting in the quality control department. “He opened the door and I”ve never left,” Tuttle-Stock explained.
Currently Tuttle-Stock is sales manager for Spencer”s Twinsburg, OH, branch.
Over the years Tuttle-Stock has found “customers have become harder. Purchasing people are more focused on pricing pressure and less on relationship building.”
The job of NFDA president is to “keep addressing the issues which arise,” Tuttle-Stock finds. The board needs to be aware of “what is happening at the time” and “what can people take home” from NFDA meetings.
Development committee chair Char Cooper reported NFDA membership stood at a total of 252 with 139 distributors and 113 associates. With 16 new members and 16 lost during the past year, membership is equal to a year ago.
Cooper called for “increasing the value to NFDA members and increasing meeting attendance and participation” based on a combination of program, product and location.
Cooper presented Tim O”Keefe of G.L. Huyett the “Top Gun Award” for developing and leading the NFDA”s “We Want You” promotions at the National Industrial Fastener Show / West last fall.
O”Keefe responded by calling for more participation. “You are members of this organization, not customers of this organization.”
Branson reported three new “Train the Trainer” programs will be released in the fall.
Jim Derry of Field Fastener Supply Co. encouraged members to take advantage of the NFDA / e-fastener.com alliance for buying or selling surplus fasteners. Fastener companies can buy online for free even without joining e-fastener.com. �2005 FastenerNews.com