Jeff Watts promoted to president of Fastenal
Fastenal Co. has appointed Jeff Watts to the position of president, effective August 1.
Watts, a 28-year company veteran with deep global sales experience, will succeeds Dan Florness, who will be voluntarily vacating the oresident position on the effective date. Florness will continue to serve as Fastenal's CEO and as a member of its board of directors.
In addition to serving as president, Mr. Watts will continue in his role as the company's chief sales officer (CSO), a position he has held since May 2023. As CSO, his responsibilities include establishing priorities, setting goals, and providing guidance and oversight for the company's global sales activities, which today span 25 countries.
Watts brings decades of sales experience to both roles, having previously served as Fastenal's executive vice president, international sales; vice president, international sales, and regional vice president of the company's Canadian business. Prior to this, he served in a variety of sales roles on the district and local market levels, giving him a direct understanding of what's important to our customers and to our employees around the world. He joined the company (as a part-time branch employee) on February 5, 1996.
"I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as [resident of Fastenal," said Watts. "After 28 years of witnessing our tremendous growth and innovation, I look forward to leading our team to continue delivering outstanding value to our customers and stakeholders."
"Fastenal operates with a simple style: find great people, ask them to join, and give them a reason to stay," said Dan Florness. "We also operate with four simple values: ambition, innovation, integrity, and teamwork. Jeff adds two more, humility and resiliency. Jeff joined Fastenal when our Canadian expansion was just starting. He learned from the perspective of direct customer engagement, and continued to push our success across the globe. I believe our customers, employees, and shareholders will be well served by his leadership. Go Blue!"
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The November/December issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Kimball Midwest. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and Mike Marks, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
