Members of the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association love Nashville, Tennessee, and Music City, USA, certainly loves STAFDA! Nearly 2,800 distributors, manufacturers and rep-agent members joined the party for the association’s 48th Annual Convention & Trade Show on Nov. 10-12. After increasing the number of booths available in the exhibit hall five times, STAFDA’s two-day trade show footprint grew 10 percent from the previous year with 453 booths, including three 50-foot x 50-foot islands and eight 20-foot x 20-foot islands.

Education is STAFDA’s jam. By bringing the highest-quality speakers to the STAFDA Convention, beginning with Sunday morning workshops, attendees were able to create a personalized agenda focusing on their own educational goals. Topics included “Cyber Security: Stop Today’s Hackers,” presented by STAFDA AI and cybersecurity consultant Mike Foster; “Stay Competitive & Continue to Grow When Price Matters Most,” presented by James Dorn; “Finding Success in Conflict Resolution,” presented by Scott Tillema; and “Unleashing Your Superpower: Get the Best from Yourself & Those Around You,” presented by Jamie Turner. JJ DiGeronimo provided action-based strategies during the Women in Distribution Luncheon as attendees teamed up in “Finding & Aligning Your Career Catalysts.”

Rising stars aligned with Mark Noon for the Emerging Leaders Forum with his “Set Up to Step in for Effective Leadership” workshop. The session was designed for members’ future leaders and managers who are determining whether they will need to step up or simply step in to new, expanded roles within their companies.

For attendees 35 and younger, a six-member panel sparked interesting conversations and discussions during the NextGen Luncheon. The panel, featuring an intergenerational combo of two distributors, two manufacturers and two rep members, interacted with audience members and covered a variety of industry-spanning subjects. The audience also included college students studying industrial distribution, supply chain management or related majors.

A record number of university students brought a youthful vibe to the Convention & Trade Show as they shared their insights and experiences throughout all convention activities, including a speed interviewing session with STAFDA members seeking new employees and interns. They also competed in the STAFDA Student Supply Chain Competition, where teams used a web-based business simulation program focused on working capital management. They pulled from their well of knowledge in supply chain management, sales, operations and other business skills. The winning team advanced to the qualification round of Inchainge’s Annual Global Student Challenge. Congratulations to the combined team of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and Stanford University!

It wouldn’t be a trip to Music City, USA, without live music! STAFDA’s Opening Jamboree at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum was six floors of folk, country and bluegrass music, as well as a songwriting session intertwined with the icons and artifacts that bring the genre to life. For two hours, attendees were able to kick up their boots, enjoy a great meal and take in the best of Nashville with their colleagues.

Education became the underlying beat of STAFDA’s General Session on Monday morning. The association’s president, Andrew Hartman of Hartman Independent Company in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, shared the teachable moments found in the history of his third-generation, family-run business. Foster then took the riveted audience on a tour of artificial intelligence and what it currently can do for members to help maximize use of their time and increase efficiency. Foster was then joined on stage by a panel of members and industry partners to look further into what AI is doing for their companies. Panelists included Hartman, STAFDA vice president Dale Hahs from AIS Industrial & Construction Supply, Patrick Murray of ORS Nasco, Josh Mason with Milwaukee Tool, Ken Novak with HATCH quantified and Nelson Valderrama of Intuilize Inc.

More than 300 exhibitors brought new products, offered show-only special deals and demoed their best during the trade show. Brand-new innovations were spotlighted in the Power Aisle, with expanded hours to include viewing opportunities for all attendees during the trade show. Distributor attendees were able to vote before the show opened, choosing their favorite new item while the aisle was open on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Congratulations to Evolution Power Tools for being STAFDA’s 2024 Power Aisle Distributors’ Choice Award winner!

Within the exhibit hall, the sold-out Tech Pavilion brought the latest innovations in software, e-commerce and AI solutions to members to demo and investigate. Consultants Row included STAFDA-endorsed service providers and experts offering face-to-face advice and information, as well as offering STAFDA-only discounts. The new STAFDA Theater gave exhibitors a chance to offer extended demos to a larger audience outside of their booth space.

In his last STAFDA workshop before retiring, Alan Beaulieu’s Economic Workshop on Tuesday featured his in-depth and relatable analysis of a wide variety of economic factors, including global forces, inflation trends, AI, electricity prices and other critical factors. Educated and ready to do their part for the construction/industrial economy, attendees resumed their trade show business dealings. A down-home Southern luncheon was served in the exhibit hall to nourish attendees as they shared a meal and conversations.

Meanwhile, spouses and companions were able to go on one of two optional day-tours. They could take a jaunt to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery or visit the historic Belle Meade Plantation – both offering scenic views of the Tennessee countryside.

Mark your calendars for STAFDA’s 49th Annual Convention & Trade Show on Nov. 9-11, 2025, in downtown Phoenix. Registration opens June 23, 2025, at 8 a.m. Central Time. You must be a member to attend.

For more information, contact STAFDA member services director Catherine Usher at 262-784-4774 or cusher@stafda.org.