The 50-year fastener veteran founded Copper State in 1972 with a staff of six employees and a 6,000-square-foot warehouse.
Phoenix-based fasteners distributor Copper State Bolt & Nut shared that the company’s founder, Robert Calfee III, died on July 23 at the age of 90.
Calfee founded Copper State in 1972 with a staff of six employees and a 6,000-square-foot warehouse. Initially focused solely on distribution, the company expanded into fastener production when Calfee bought another Phoenix property to begin making bolts.
Today, the family-owned company has more than 600 employees across 38 locations and over 500,000-square-feet of warehouse space, supporting over 16,000 customers throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Calfee was one of the founders and initial board members of the Western Association of Fastener Distributors (now Pacific-West Fasteners Association) in 1982.
Today, Copper State’s family leadership continues as his five daughters own the company, including CEO Sarah Shannon and Distributor Director Gigi Calfee. Gigi is on the National Fastener Distributors Association Board of Directors for 2024-2025 and has also served on the Pac-West board.
“My dad has protected the company by reinvesting in a long-term model,” Shannon said in a 2022 article on GlobalFastenerNews.
Copper State was No. 56 on MDM’s 2024 Top Fasteners Distributors List. Traditional fasteners still comprise nearly half of the business, alongside construction products, industrial supplies, safety products, tools and accessories and the company’s manufactured products.
The Copper State website includes a “Letter from the Founder” in which Calfee states the following:
“I have been peddling fasteners for over fifty years. My goal from the start has been to be the best distributor in the United States. I want to be known as providing the best customer service around town and I want my suppliers to think of me as their best customer. At Copper State Bolt & Nut Co., you won’t find voicemail, long lines, back orders or rookies. You will find lots of inventory, same-day service, and an extremely knowledgeable sales staff.
I often remind my employees “If we do business today, like we did yesterday, we won’t be around tomorrow”. We welcome change at every level of our business to improve customer service and operations. Unsatisfied customers are the only customers I don’t like.”
Find the local obituary for Robert Calfee III here.
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Mike Hockett
Mike Hockett is MDM’s executive editor, having joined the publication in March 2022. He oversees MDM’s editorial content and direction, coordinates with contributing authors, conducts interviews with executives in the wholesale distribution space and serves as the editorial face of MDM at industry events. He has extensively covered the distribution and manufacturing sectors since 2014. Hockett works from his home in Madison, WI. He can be contacted at mike@mdm.com.
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