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.
Meet Cheryl Wade, whose 38-year journey shows how adaptability and communication can build a career and a company.
Cheryl first walked through our doors in 1988 as a senior at Minor High School. The founder, Howard Tinney, had visited Minor’s business education program looking for an afternoon helper.
Cheryl signed on as an order entry clerk, earned school credit and moved from part-time to full-time after graduation. Over the years, she rotated through purchasing, manufacturing sales and a corporate sales and data analysis role.
“I’ve done everything but drive a forklift and work in accounting,” she jokes. But her breadth of experience is exactly why teammates turn to her when they need help.
When Birmingham Fastener implemented a new ERP system, Cheryl decided to future-proof her skills. In her 40s, she taught herself SQL so she could pull clean data and build the reports teams needed.
Her initiative quickly made an impact – Cheryl helped train sales teams across locations on the new system, created analyses that informed decisions and became the go-to for “low-level tech support” when a spreadsheet or query wouldn’t cooperate.
Today, she works under the CFO’s organization in data analysis and still fields the “Can you help me with Excel?” calls with a smile.
Cheryl has seen Birmingham Fastener transform from a hands-on, everyone-does-everything shop to a nationwide operation. She remembers when hitting $1 million in a month was a milestone.
Now, some divisions cross that mark in the first week. She credits recent expansion across the country and into Mexico with accelerating that momentum. “Growth brings growing pains,” she says, “but also opportunity.”
Even as the footprint expanded, the culture stayed open. “You can walk into [president and CEO] Brad Tinney’s office,” she says. “If something on a document doesn’t look right, I can ask questions. It’s not closed off.”
That same openness fuels the service customers feel every day.
In a market where parts are standardized and pricing stays competitive, service is where we win. Early in Cheryl’s career, when a rush order came in, everyone would work together to pack it up and get it out quickly. Sometimes that meant boxing 45,000 pounds of bolts on a Saturday so they were ready for the truck.
Today, better systems and stronger teams keep projects on schedule. But Cheryl recognizes the constant is how we show up for customers. She points to communication as the core value from The Birmingham Fastener Way that helps make it all work.
“If you can’t get good information out to your teammates,” she says, “they can’t make good or productive decisions.”
Cheryl is one of the three longest-tenured employees companywide. Ask around and you’ll hear it – if you need clean data, a commission calculation, a quick SQL tip or an Excel lifeline, Cheryl is your first call.
She has watched leaders grow up in the aisles, mentored teammates across departments and even seen her son’s career develop here. Over the last 14 years or so, he’s moved through different areas of manufacturing to his current role in the packaging department.
When she’s not at work, Cheryl unwinds with factory-builder games and Stardew Valley on her PC. She also likes to keep a steady rotation of British comedy and dote on Bo and Belle, sibling cats she and her husband adopted from a local shelter.
Retirement is still a ways off, but Cheryl is already picturing what comes next. She hopes to expand the pack by adopting a rescue dog and has lined up “doggy daycare” with family if she needs it. Until then, the in-office rhythm suits her – teammates nearby, problems to solve and customers to support.
Cheryl’s story mirrors Birmingham Fastener. She started with grit, keeps adapting, communicates clearly and puts customers first. Do that for long enough, and you don’t just watch the company grow, you help build it.
Interested in becoming part of the Birmingham Fastener team? Learn about all we have to offer and apply today.