The Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA) has concluded its 48th Annual Convention & Trade Show with an increased number of booths.
The event took place from 10 to 12 November at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, with nearly 2,800 distributors, manufacturers and rep agent members attending. The tradeshow’s footprint grew 10% from the previous year with 453 booths in total.
The trade show offered several educational workshops, covering multiple topics such as cyber security, competitiveness and finding success in conflict resolutions, to name a few.
Another notable session in the trade show included the Emerging Leaders Forum with a “Set Up to Step In for Effective Leadership” workshop. This session was designed for STAFDA members’ future leaders and managers who determine whether they will need to step up or step into new, expanded roles within their companies.
More than 300 exhibitors brought new products and offered show-only special deals during the event, while the Tech Pavilion offered the latest software, e-commerce and AI solutions.
STAFDA’s 49th Annual Convention & Trade Show will take place from 9 to 11 November 2025 in downtown Phoenix.
STAFDA has also announced its new leadership. Dale Hass II, President of AIS Industrial and Construction Supply, Denver, became STAFDA President, while Matt Kitchens, Vice President of Sales for California Service Tool, Hayward, CA, was elected STAFDA Vice President. Ron Credit, Harmco Fastener Co., Inc., Rochester, NY; Tyler Veth, ASI Contractor Supply (Auxiliary Service, Inc.), Lawrenceville, NJ, and Eric Wessinger, Richards Supply Company, Waco, TX, were elected to three-year terms on STAFDA’s Board of Directors.
Lastly, STAFDA has opened registration for its industry education programme Excellence in Distribution (EiD), which will be held from 11 to 13 March 2025, offering interactive workshops focused exclusively on wholesale distribution. Topics covered in the programme will include operational challenges, growing sales, branding, digital marketing, sales structure and compensation, HR, profitability, warehousing and inventory, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, procurement, policy and labour relations.
EiD is open to all companies in the construction and industrial channel.
