Join us for our 2022 Annual Threaded Fasteners Charitable Foundation Weekend! Our Open House will be held Friday, October 14th from 5-7pm at the Home Office followed by our Golf Tournament on October 15th with an 8am shotgun tee off. All proceeds from our charitable weekend benefit Team Focus; an organization that dedicates itself to providing father figures to young men who lack a father in their life. The mission of Team Focus is to provide a year-round program of support, encouragement, and Godly values that foster the development of life skills in young men without active fathers by supporting the family structure. We are excited to have this opportunity to raise money for Team Focus again this year and want to exceed our goal in helping these young men.
For questions or to register please contact Hali Gibson at hgibson@tfmfg.com
When I was a child, it was a common thing to hear adults say, “children are to be seen and not heard.” My parents along with many parents of that generation didn’t have the “privilege” of hearing the latest in how to build your children’s self-esteem. Actually, the expression comes from anold English proverb, dating from the 15th century. In the original form it was specifically young women who were expected to keep quiet. This opinion is recorded in the 15th century collection of homilies written by an Augustinian clergyman named John Mirk. When I read this, I was immediately taken back in time to when my 6 daughters were all still at home; asking them to keep quiet usually just cranked up their giggle box. I think about all the things I learned from listening to my children speak. Hearing from their heart, their dreams, and their aspirations.
So, what’s that got to do with Threaded Fasteners? Over the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to our leaders from our Distribution locations. We talked about servant leadership, and we looked at the acronym S.E.R.V.E.
S=See the things others don’t see, so you can do the things others won’t do
E=Engage with your team. Culture is not created from the Castle, you must engage
R=Responsible. If we are going to serve on another, we have a responsibility to each other
V=Vision. This is where we’re going, and this is how we’ll get there
E=Educate. Be committed to continuous education. What are you reading?
I’d like to focus in on the Engagement piece of this exercise. As our company grows, one of the critical parts of our success is to continue to promote Who we are. When you look at our culture poster, there are several layers of definition. Who we are, What we do and Why we do it. The Threaded Fasteners story can never be separated from who we are, and the culture that’s been created through each of your stories.
Back to the “seen and not heard” saying, I’d like to tweak this old English proverb. Culture should be “seen and not JUST heard.” We can never talk ourselves into a great culture. Culture is created by action, and those acts should be as visible as the nuts and bolts being manufactured, packed, and prepared for shipment. We can’t just “talk” a good game. If we are going to be authentic and honest, those character qualities should be in plain view.
So, the question I pose for myself, is our culture being demonstrated in my actions? Am I creating value in and for the people I serve?
Mobile, AL (January 20, 2022) – The Annual Threaded Fasteners Charitable Foundation Charity Golf Tournament to benefit Team Focus was successfully held on October 2, 2021, at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The Threaded Fasteners Charitable Foundation is excited to announce that $42,000 was raised to benefit the non-profit Team Focus, the most that the foundation has ever been able to present to Team Focus from this annual event weekend.
Threaded Fasteners Charity Golf Tournament organizers are especially grateful to all the gracious donors and sponsors of this important charity event benefiting Team Focus, including Taco Mama for sponsoring this year’s lunch.
Team Focus was founded in 2000 in Mobile, AL by Mike Gottfried and his wife, Mickey, to help boys ages 10 to 18 who lack father figures in their lives. The mission of Team Focus is to provide a year-round program of support, encouragement and Godly values that foster the development of life skills in young men without active fathers by supporting the family structure. Team Focus uses role models and positive influences in mentoring, tutoring and other interactive initiatives to reach the youngsters. Team Focus has worked with more than 3,000 boys and young men since it was founded.
One unique aspect of the Threaded Fasteners Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament is members of Team Focus receive a golf lesson during the golf tournament. Team Focus members are instructed on golf rules, etiquette, and technique. The lesson gives them the opportunity to try a new sport and to familiarize themselves with the lessons on manners, patience, and communication skills.
“Team Focus truly appreciates the numerous years of support from Threaded Fasteners, but we receive so much more than finances from this generous company,” Mike Gottfried said. “The remarkable relationships we have developed with the people who work there demonstrate their strong desire to help our young men become leaders in their communities.”
ABOUT THREADED FASTENERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
Based in Mobile, AL, Threaded Fasteners, Inc. (TFI) employees are dedicated to the communities they serve and have been involved in charity work since the company’s inception in 1979. By direct donations and fundraising, TFI has impacted the communities where they have locations – Mobile and Semmes, Alabama; Pensacola, Panama City, and Tampa, Florida; Gulfport and Meridian, Mississippi; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Dallas, Texas.
As the company continues to grow, so does the Foundation’s reach. From providing food to residents of tornado ravaged Oklahoma to cooking red beans and rice for those who suffered from flooding in Louisiana, the Foundation is pleased to be able to respond in times of need. The Threaded Fasteners Charitable Foundation Grant Cycles have supported many organizations and grants since inception in the communities where Threaded Fasteners has locations. Formalized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in 2011, the Threaded Fasteners Charitable Foundation is proud to partner with Team Focus in helping to support their organization as they change the lives of fatherless young men. If you would like to donate to the Threaded Fasteners Charitable Foundation, please contact Debbie Rogers at 251-432-0107.
(Left to Right) Debbie Rogers, Mike Gottfried, Billy Duren
RTC Threaders is the premier manufacturer of planetary threading equipment in the US. RTC designs, engineers, and manufactures a custom line of Planetary Threaders. The RTC Line of Eagle Planetary Threading Machines are considered the gold standard in the industry, these forever machines not only last longer than any competing machine on the market, but they are also considered one of the fastest threading machines available.
This morning on my drive into work, I was listening to a Podcast on Creative Thinking. When I was growing up, I’d often hear my grandmother say, “well, you know what they say,” when referring to some corrective measure she was about to send my way. I would reply every time with, “Mamma, who are THEY?” Not sure if that was creative or sarcastic; however, when we challenge our casual, but ingrained comments and thoughts, we are changing the way we think. Ever wondered why we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway? Just a thought.
The way we think drives the way we act, so what are your creative thoughts on value creation? Our mission statement, creating value in and for the people we serve, provides a thinking platform for our employee owners to grow their thinking box. Creating value, means bringing value where it did not exist before and the positive interaction in teaching, training, coaching, executing, and thinking are all part of the culture we are nurturing at TFI.
I had an opportunity to spend some time at our first ESOP advocate seminar in Mobile in May and was very encouraged by the participation as well as the information shared by our team. Almost every branch and operation center were represented at the meeting. Our intent was to share insights with the advocates as well as hear how we can better communicate ESOP related matters to our Employee Owners. We appreciate all the work our advocates are doing and encourage you to reach out to them with any of your questions.
In closing, with over 200 employee owners at TFI, we have a great resource in our team of “Thinkers.” I want to challenge you to take a look at your world through the lens of creative thinking. Our commitment to continued improvement means your ideas, your views, and your thoughts are not only welcomed, but encouraged. We are continuing to have a strong 2021 and I’m looking forward to sharing more of the exciting things happening at TFI.
Welcome to our S.E.E virtual Trade Show Booth! If you have any questions please give Erick Ramos a call at (813) 283-1850 or email eramos@tfmfg.com
Threaded Fasteners, Inc. is a 100% employee owned business founded in 1979 now with over 200 dedicated employee owners located among 11 branches in 5 states, TFI is uniquely placed to meet our customers global needs. Specializing in the manufacturing, custom packaging and distribution of steel fasteners, including tower and electric utility bolts, anchor bolts, A325 structural bolts, A394 tower bolts, nuts, washers and more. With over $7 million worth of inventory across seven distribution warehouses and a dedicated branch for National Distribution TFI is uniquely capable to meet the needs of customers. Threaded Fasteners can even provide parts that are 100% melted and manufactured in the United States.
This time last year we were in the thick of covid, now we have not only made it through this challenge but each of our teams have risen above and beyond our expectations. Every day I hear stories about members of our team being servant leaders to others and it makes me proud and grateful to be a part of this team.
This month I challenged our branch and operation leaders to take a “Head-Up” Day. We spend so much time doing head down work, it’s necessary to spend some time doing head up work if you are going to grow your business. This is not a day off, but a day ON; a day away from the office to work “ON” their business verses working “in” the business. Goal setting, planning, dreaming, assessing, and creating a model to move their team forward. I am looking forward to taking what we learn from this day and using it to make sure we are carrying out our mission.
Our company is experiencing an incredible growth spurt and with growth comes layers of challenges that often cannot be anticipated. As with every challenge, an opportunity will arise for leaders to step forward and seize the day. Our company is littered with potential and emerging leaders and I am looking forward to working with you as you grow into these game changing roles at our company. Who will be the next leader to step forward? How about you!
We have just closed out our second month of 2021 and we are off to a great start. Both January and February have proven to be very successful and anticipation is high for a continuance of the same for March.
Chattanooga is settling into their new digs and the Meridian, MS office is up and running, so I am looking forward to great reports from both new locations. Our team is still working on several exciting new ventures in 2021, so make sure to stay tuned for updates. Currently, we have over 200 employee owners on our team and we look forward to adding to those numbers. It truly is an exciting time at TFI.
Our ESOP Advocates will be gathering in Mobile in May for an ESOP seminar that includes creative and dynamic ways to promote ownership. The group has been meeting through virtual platforms up to this point because of travel and distancing protocols, but we believe the worst of the Covid-19 restrictions are behind us and we look forward to this gathering later in May.
Our contractor has been selected for our new building project in Semmes and we will be breaking ground very soon. We are anticipating opening the facility by the end of the year. This new facility will allow our shipping and fabrication teams to relocate less than a mile from manufacturing. When materials are galvanized, they will be directed to the new facility for shipping and storage. This will open floor space for new equipment, thus allowing manufacturing additional room for growth.
This past month we also completed our first class in TF University, part of our envision 2030 plan. This first class centered on professional communication and was a beta test for coaching and training team members on the art of communication. The class was developed and taught by an English professor and the feed-back from the attending employee owners has been great. We are working on rolling this out on a larger scale in the near future.
Our Tulsa team celebrated 10 years as part of the TFI family last month; it’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years. I’m so grateful for all the folks in Tulsa and the wonderful contribution they make to our organization.
We have dropped the green flag on 2021 and we are off to the races. Our teams have set lofty goals for 2021 and we are extremely excited about the positive momentum we have coming off a great 4th quarter. One of my 2021 goals is to generate a summary presentation at least once a quarter to keep you informed as to the goings on at TFI.
We do have an exciting announcement on our latest addition to the TFI Family of companies. At the end of January, we closed on an acquisition in Meridian MS with Construction Fasteners. For over 20 years Construction Fasteners has been owned and operated by Craig Melancon and we are blessed with this opportunity to have Craig and his team join the TFI family. Our new Meridian operations becomes our 11th location as Threaded Fasteners Meridian Branch. This acquisition will allow our teams to merge forces and to expand our footprint in the Central Mississippi market. Craig and his team bring a wealth of knowledge to our family and we are looking forward to great things from our new Meridian partners.
January 7th marked the 1,000 Day of no Time-Lost Incidents at our Semmes Manufacturing facility. Our Chattanooga branch is moving to a larger facility in a more strategic location, this expansion is a testament to our Chattanooga team’s hard work. In addition to this wonderful news our team is working on many great things to come in this month and this year, we are currently working on the plans for the new building in Semmes as well as potential acquisitions.
As our nations, communities and companies still deal with Covid issues, I am praying that the worst of this will pass soon. I am looking forward to 2021 and keeping you updated on our progress is an important part of my 2021 goals.
