I started with Fastenal in 2000. I was going to college and needed a job. My good friend and current General Manager Jay Roe recommended Fastenal because it offered strong pay and valued their employees. I worked there for a year and a half and had the opportunity to run my own store in Monett, Missouri. Two years later, I had an opportunity to become a District Manager. Currently, I have 14 stores and 50 employees on my team.

At first, Fastenal was just a job, but then I began to see how well Fastenal treated their employees and all of the opportunities that were present. The first thing that really stuck out to me was that, unlike most companies, most of the day-to-day decisions are made locally by the men and women that run the individual stores. Each branch is run like a small business by the employees. I knew that most companies were not like this, and that is what led me to making a career out of it. I could have stayed in Monett and remained a General Manager for years to come. Fastenal did not make me move, but presented me with the opportunity for advancement, and I ran with it.

With this company, you get to make many of the decisions yourself, so dig into your business. No matter if you are a part-time warehouse employee or an Assistant Manager, learn the business. With Fastenal, the sky is the limit. You have complete control over your career.

My Fastenal story is probably similar to yours . . .

Upon graduation from college, I worked in a position related to my major, but didn’t like it, so I began pursuing other options. I made application at numerous businesses in Winona and was willing to take "any clerical job," when Fastenal contacted me to set up an interview for the receptionist opening I had applied for. I was offered the position back in October 1988 and the rest, as they say, is history. Back then, I didn’t know I’d be here 18 years later, but as the weeks folded into months and the months into years . . . time has gone by so quickly.

Has it really been 18 years?

Even in those first few weeks at the switchboard, I knew I was going to like this place. By nature, I’m motivated and driven, so I fit well into the Fastenal culture. The work environment was fast-paced, I was able to do a variety of different tasks, and was given the ability to implement ideas related to my position. I’ve been given different opportunities and have made several department moves since 1988 – first to Purchasing, then to Insurance, eventually Benefits, Payroll and now, my current role--leading several different areas including Payroll, Benefits, EEO/AA, Insurance (Auto & Work. Comp.), Legal, and The Fastenal School of Business. I am also a member of our Board of Directors.

I feel lucky to have found Fastenal . . . to have a job I can’t wait to get to in the morning and be able to interact with people from so many States, Provinces, and Countries. I’m a good example of our "promotion from within" philosophy, and due to our Company’s growth, opportunities for advancement continue to be available in all areas . . .

When Travis began his career at Fastenal, he wasn't initially thinking that this would be a long-term venture. "I was a 17-year-old junior in high school in 1998, and this was the job to get me through high school. After working in the Order Picking department for a few months, I decided that this company is where I wanted to be and where I felt I was needed the most."

Travis started in the warehouse part-time and rose up the ranks to be a Receiving Manager for our Distribution Center in North Carolina.

"Fastenal is a Company that consists of the finest people, is ever changing, is growing and providing great opportunities. The people truly are the best part of the company. Fastenal has provided me with the ability to grow and be able to choose the career path that I have. Looking back, I would not change anything, and I can say that it has been a great ride.

As an International Student from Caracas, Venezuela, I started job-seeking halfway through my senior year. I came across Fastenal at a job fair, and here I am, 7 years later.

My career with Fastenal has been filled with many opportunities. I have been fortunate enough to work in many areas of the business. Believe it or not, I have held 6 different jobs in the 7 years I have been here. My latest achievement is to have the privilege to be the Regional Finance Manager for the New England Region. Someone once said to me that working for Fastenal is like getting your master's degree while getting paid. Fastenal has allowed me to have a good life without giving anything up.

I am fortunate to have found Fastenal; most people spend their lives searching for that place where they fit. My first real job became a perfect fit for me. I am addicted to what I do, but mostly, I am excited about what bigger challenges will come next.

My Fastenal career began in Sioux Falls, South Dakota as a Manager Trainee. Within three short months, I moved up the ranks to Assistant Manager, and three months later, I was promoted to General Manager and opened my own branch in Watertown, South Dakota. Six months down the road, I was promoted to the 1st District Sales Manager of New Jersey, less than 1 year after that became the 1st District Sales Manager of Nova Scotia, Canada, and most recently have been District Sales Manager in my current market for 9 years.

Since my inception into Fastenal, I have seen the Company grow fifteen-fold in terms of revenues, number of employees, and number of locations. It is gratifying realizing my contributions have impacted our past, present, and future success. My perception of Fastenal today is much the same as it was in 1994. Although we have grown from $110 million in sales to $2 billion in sales, I see as much future growth and opportunity today as I did the day I was hired. What excites me the most is the fact that as big and as successful as we currently are . . . we possess only about one percent of the highly fragmented industrial market.

To me, this spells one word . . . opportunity!

I've been with Fastenal for almost 13 years, now, and it has been a great Company to work for. Fastenal has given me the freedom to do whatever interests me. I started out as a part-time employee in our Dallas Distribution Center; right then, it was explained to me about all of the open doors within the Company that I had to choose from. I worked my way through each department in the Distribution Center, and was given the opportunity to be the Shipping Manager for the South Central Region. While in that position, I also drove our truck routes when drivers were sick or on vacation.

I was then promoted to manage the Picking/Inventory Department at the Distribution Center, which was the largest department at that time. My next door opened up at our Carrollton, TX store location where I was put into a sales role. This opened my eyes to a whole new side of the Company. After only five months in that role, I was headed to Denton, TX to be the General Manager. I had the freedom to organize and plan the layout of this location, which let me not only use some of my creative skills, but also develop many more.

After getting the store running, I returned to Carrollton as Assistant Manager. At that time, this was the largest store in the region. While at Carrollton, I was a part of a great team that taught me many things about myself, and also the business. We were able to be the number one store, seven out of 12 months in the $225-plus category in 2003. In January of 2004, I took over our Dallas location as General Manager. I took all of the skills I had learned over the last 11 years, and in 18 months went from a $35k store to a consistent $120k store with a $201k month in September, 2005.

I have seen the leadership of this company grow and develop, always with an emphasis on ethics and customer service. I have seen the development of the Fastenal School of Business, which gives each employee the ability to be the best in their position and marketplace. I am proud to work for Fastenal, and for the leaders we have within Fastenal. This is the type of Company I always hoped to be with. Fastenal was the first real job that I had after high school, and I see no reason why it's won't be the only one!

I am the current Operations Manager for a Fastenal Distribution Center. When I began with Fastenal in January of 1997, I needed a job that would help me through medical school. I started part-time pulling orders in the warehouse at our Washington Distribution Center. It did not take me long to realize that this Company was not like any other that I had ever worked for. As I rose through the ranks of the Distribution Center, I changed my career choice and focused on business and leadership. The driving force of this change was the decentralized leadership structure at Fastenal.

Every day, each person makes decisions that impact a group of people. Everyone has a voice, and everyone with a great idea is heard. When we work together as a team for a common goal, there is no other industrial supplier that is better than Fastenal.

I work for the greatest Company, and will continue to--wherever that may take me!