The Young Fastener Professionals organization has appointed three new members to its Board of Directors. Joining the Board of Directors are Baron Yarborough of Spring Bolt & Nut Mfg., Jessi Solt of G.L. Huyett and Amber Artz of the Boulder Company. According to Ryan Kertis, the President of the Young Fastener Professionals, these new Board members embody the “spirit of our organization and bring the essential aptitude, proficiency and energy to the table which will enable YFP continued success.”

In addition to thee three national Board members, Derek Dandy of Bodycote also joined the Board for the Mid-Atlantic Young Fastener Professionals; Michael Robinson of The Dyson Corporation and Bob Morrissey Jr. of American Ring joined the Board for the North Coast Young Fastener Professionals; Kenny Sanker of Blue Chip Engineered Products joined the South East Young Fastener Professionals Board; Matt Roberts of W.J.Roberts Co., Inc.  joined the North East Young Fastener Professionals Board; and Mike Ricciardi of ITW Shakeproof joined the Mid-West Young Fastener Professionals Board. 

The existing Board of Directors Ryan Kertis, Melissa Patel, Aaron Shushan & Bryan Wheeler will remain in their positions throughout 2017.

In a series of interviews, we will be introducing you to these new members of the Young Fastener Professionals Board. We introduce you to Amber Artz of the National Board for the Young Fastener Professionals.

BIO

I graduated from Bellevue University with a Bachelor Degree in Human Resource Management. After being offered a position in sales for a local park furniture manufacturer, I started to learn about the manufacturing process, coating options, etc. It was a big change from managing and hiring people to doing sales but I quickly learned my personality was very well suited for the sales environment. A classmate worked for The Boulder Company and contacted me about a Project Manager position so after several interviews, I accepted the position. The advantage to working in sales over Human Resources is that I get to keep the relationships moving forward with my customers versus when I was hiring people, I turned them over to their managers and hardly got to see them ever again. It is one of the aspects I like most about sales – my customer relationships.

In my current position, I am responsible for new business development, quoting, purchasing, managing projects and seeing the sales process through from beginning to end to ensure my customers’ needs are being met. I look forward to the challenges that the fastener industry has to offer and finding new solutions for my customers on a daily basis. When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family and traveling.

  • How did you enter into the fastener industry? 
    I started my career with The Boulder Company in July 2013 as a Project Manager. A high school friend of mine worked for the company and thought I’d be a good fit in the role they were looking to fill. I had several years of project management and sales experience so I entertained the idea. After two interviews and getting some follow-up questions answered, it seemed like a good fit to me as well so I joined the team.
  • You are a representative of The Boulder Company. What is your role in the company?
    My current role with The Boulder Company is as a Strategic Account Manager. I am responsible for Inside and Outside Sales duties including meeting with current and prospective customers, determining what their needs are, preparing quotes, negotiating pricing and closing the sale. I also do a lot of my own sourcing of parts and manage projects all the way through the purchasing process to make sure the parts get to my customers in a timely manner.
  • What are your favorite aspects of the fastener industry?
    One of my favorite aspects of the fastener industry is that I am learning something new every day. The industry is always changing and there are always new solutions to customer problems. Being able to learn and help my customers find solutions is very satisfying.
  • Why do you think that having the Young Fastener Professionals organization is so important in the fastener industry?
    I think it is important because there is knowledge that all of the veterans in the industry know and that needs to be passed along to the younger generation. The Young Fastener Professionals organization was designed to do just that. I also think it is important because young professionals bring fresh ideas to the table and our organization will assist in presenting them to the industry in an organized manner.
  • Describe your role on the Young Fastener Professionals Board of Directors.
    My role on the Young Fastener Professionals Board of Directors is to help facilitate the exchange of knowledge from veterans to young professionals in the industry, bring new ideas to the industry and be a contact in the networking group that is available when needed to other people in my region.
  • What do you hope to bring/contribute to the future of the Young Fastener Professionals?
    I hope to bring more young professionals in my region to the organization, make the presence of the Young Fastener Professionals name more apparent to distributors and manufacturers and connect our organization to local colleges with distribution programs in order to reach out to the younger generation and peak their interest in the industry.

 

We’d like to thank Amber for taking time to share her story and we anticipate seeing more from her and all of the new members of the Young Fastener Professionals. 

 

Related Links:

 

Fastener Interviews, Fasteners, The Fastener Museum