We rely on fasteners to hold our world together every day. What truly makes them dependable are the people who bring their skill and dedication to every part we deliver. The People Behind the Bolts blog series is our way of shining a light on members of the Birmingham Fastener family – their journeys, their values and the impact they make both at work and at home.
For Alan Starns, one small opportunity changed the whole arc of his career.
In 2015, Alan needed a job to help support his young family. When a role opened in our shipping department, he jumped at it.
Over the next six years, Alan processed pick tickets and kept orders moving. It was steady work, and he quickly proved himself both reliable and thorough. But he also had a knack for finding better ways to do things.
“They’re still using methods of processing orders today that I came up with while I was there,” he says. His ability to streamline processes, often by building spreadsheets and tools on his own, didn’t go unnoticed.
When the company needed help preparing data for a major digital project, Alan raised his hand, eager to take it on. He spent months compiling thousands of SKUs, proving he could bridge the gap between operations and technology. Shortly after, he officially joined the IT team.
Alan’s path into IT was anything but traditional. “I had no official experience,” he explains. “I just knew my way around computers. Everything I know – Excel, Photoshop, Lightroom – I taught myself piece by piece. I’d figure out the one thing I needed to do now and then build from there.”
His initiative made him an invaluable asset on a lean team. Through the years, Alan and two others handled IT for more than a dozen locations.
“Until this year, it was still the three of us supporting 17 locations,” he recalls. “We stayed busy.”
Even while tackling IT tasks across the company, Alan was drawn to more creative projects. He began designing brochures and graphics, snapping photos and taking videos in his downtime. Soon, those side projects became essential to the company’s marketing initiatives.
“We needed someone in office who could take on design work and handle these types of things,” he says. “Over the past few months, it’s really ramped up. And now IT is working to backfill my role so I can move to marketing full-time.”
The transition feels like a natural fit, combining Alan’s technical background with his long-standing creative drive.
Before Birmingham Fastener, Alan rarely stayed in one place for long. In nearly a decade of call center work, he would move on after a couple of years whenever the walls started to feel too familiar. He was always looking for the next challenge or a change of pace.
That pattern shifted when he came here. Alan is still growing, still contributing and still excited to come to work 10 years later.
“We all have those days where you wake up and you’re tired and don’t want to go to work,” he says. “But since day one, I’ve never had that feeling because of where I work. Every other job I’ve had, there were days I thought, ‘I don’t want to go to that place.’ I’ve never once felt that way at Birmingham Fastener. Not once.”
The difference comes down to culture, and teamwork in particular.
“It’s like a football team,” Alan explains. “The quarterback may be the face of it, but who would he be if he didn’t have receivers to catch his passes or backs to break through the line? Everybody looks good in their position, but only because of the team around them. That’s exactly how it is here.”
When Alan isn’t at Birmingham Fastener, you’ll most likely find him in front of a stage. Live music has been part of his life for decades. So, when he received a work camera in early 2024, he decided to bring it with him to a show. To his surprise, the photos came out better than expected – and word spread quickly.
“All the bands I photographed loved them,” he says. “Now, if there’s a local band I haven’t shot yet, they’re reaching out to me and asking if I can come photograph their show.”
Photography isn’t about money for Alan. It’s his passion project.
“I’ll never charge for live photos,” he explains. “It’s my way to stay involved and give back to the heavy music scene here in Birmingham.”
At home, life is just as lively. Alan and his wife are raising their daughter while also opening their home to rescue dogs.
“We have five that are ours,” Alan says, “but because my wife is the adoption coordinator for a foster-based rescue, I honestly can’t remember the last time we had fewer than eight dogs in our house.”
From shipping to IT to marketing, Alan’s career at Birmingham Fastener shows how one opportunity can open the door to many more. Along the way, he’s contributed lasting processes, supported locations across the country and found a role that blends his technical expertise with his creativity.
For someone who once sought change every couple of years, his decade-long tenure says a lot. “I love this company,” Alan says. “I think I’ve found the place I want to retire from.”
Interested in becoming part of the Birmingham Fastener team? Learn about all we have to offer and apply today.