Pratt and Derry recognized by Fastener Show
The Fastener Show and the Fastener Industry Coalition announced plans to recognize two industry executives.
Bill Derry, chairman and CEO of Field Fastener, Machesney Park, Illinois, will be honored as the newest inductee into the Fastener Hall of Fame. Derry will join The Fastener Show’s 35 previous inductees at a ceremony that has been one of the hallmarks of The Fastener Show’s history. The special recognition award ceremony will take place on the show floor in the Sessions Area at The Fastener Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 3:30 p.m.
Derry has more than 45 years in the fastener industry, including over 20 years in leadership positions with Camcar Textron and Rockford Products. He and his brother acquired Field Fastener with only 12 employees in 1990, but the company has experienced an average 19 percent growth rate for the past 26 years and now has over 150 team members in 12 states and three countries. The company has been recognized as one of the nation’s best places to work and named one of Inc.’s Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies for the last seven consecutive years.
Derry was chosen as this year’s inductee because of his contributions to the fastener industry with an eye toward global change and competition. He serves as a mentor in Advancing Individuals through Mentoring, a program created by the National Fastener Distributors Association for Young Fastener Professionals. He also served as president of the National Fastener Distributors Association, and is a founding member of the Global Supply Alliance. He was also a key consultant in discussions with various governmental agencies during Congress’ deliberation and implementation of the Fastener Quality Act, and served as a delegate for three years to the Industrial Fasteners Institute.
Karalynn Sprouse of Emerald Expositions, the company that organizes the Fastener Show, “What the Fastener Coalition seeks to recognize in the Fastener Hall of Fame are leaders who can translate personal success into industry success. It takes a special kind of leader to contribute to the success of potential competitors for the enhancement of the industry as a whole, but to do so consistently over decades is even more rare. That’s why recognition of these professionals is such a worthy effort. We couldn’t be more pleased with Bill Derry’s induction into this prestigious group of scholars, innovators, leaders, and philanthropists in the fastener industry.”
Young Fastener Professional Award
Adam Pratt, president of Sherex Fastening Solutions, will be honored as the newest recipient of the Young Fastener Professional Award. The Young Fastener Professional of the Year Award recognizes and honors a young professional under the age of 40 who has made significant contributions to the fastener industry.
The Young Fastener Professional of the Year Award identifies young visionaries who bring people together, have an unimpeachable record of integrity and respect, and demonstrate innovative leadership skills. This year’s winner of the award exemplifies how innovation and business development together can push market change to success.
As president and founder of Sherex Fastening Solutions at age 24, Pratt has grown his Buffalo, New York, company of seven employees into a global manufacturer with 170 employees worldwide, focused on design and manufacture of fastening solutions for automotive, solar and other major industries. Sherex has developed products such as the patented Riv-Float and Riv-Float Short (solutions to the common problem of application misalignment), a full hex product line, and the largest diameter rivet nut product line available on the market today. With revenue now exceeding $30 million annually, Sherex has been nominated nine times as one of Buffalo’s top Fast Track businesses in western New York, and six times for Best Places to Work in Buffalo. His work in the Western New York area has been instrumental in the creation of Buffalo Manufacturing Works (of which Sherex is a member of the Founding Council), as well as supporting Western New York manufacturers as Chair of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s Manufacturer’s Council.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The March/April issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Joyce Lansdale and Vallen. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and David Kahle, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
