International Fastener Expo (IFE) announced the recipients of the 2019 Hall of Fame and Young Fastener Professional of the Year Awards, which honors professionals who have made significant contributions to the fastener industry. The award ceremony takes place each year at the IFE event at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.
The Hall of Fame and Young Fastener Professional of the Year Awards recognize those who have made lasting inputs to the fastener industry on a national or global scale — and leaders (40 years old or younger) who already have a record of integrity and respect in the industry.
Ed McIlhon, Assembled Products, Inc. (API), and Martin “Marty” Nolan, R.L. English Co., were inducted into the 2019 Hall of Fame, and Baron Yarborough, Spring Bolt and Nut Manufacturing, was selected as the 2019 Young Fastener Professional of the Year.
McIlhon got his start in the industry at his father’s Iowa Industrial Products (IIP), where he served as president, developing IIP into a $60 million company in 1998. IIP was sold to Bossard International in 1999, and McIlhon served as president until 2005 when he purchased their kitting and bundling unit and created API, a key supplier to John Deere. McIlhon has played an integral role in negotiating the Fastener Quality Act, serving as co-chairman of the Public Law Task Force and testifying before Congress on behalf of the industry.
Nolan has been a manufacturer’s representative with R.L. English Co. in Cleveland, Ohio for 34 years. He is currently the vice president of the North Coast Fastener Association (NCFA), previously serving as president for four years where he was instrumental in the development of many initiatives, including the NCFA annual Distributor Social. He also served as chairman on the Fastener Industry Coalition (FIC), and has tirelessly promoted the fastener industry through www.fastenerblog.net and social media.
Yarborough is a third-generation fastener professional holding a BBA degree in management from Texas Wesleyan University. In 2014, Yarborough started a hands-on training program at Spring Bolt and Nut Manufacturing, and currently is director of sales where he leads the sales force, new business development, and marketing functions. He remains active as chairman of the Young Fastener Professionals, previously serving as president, and as a member of the Board of Directors at the Southwestern Fastener Association.
The awards are administered by the FIC, and award recipients were honored with a commemorative plaque at the IFE Awards Ceremony last week.
International Fastener Expo
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