The National Fastener Distributors Association (NFDA) is pleased to announce that Tim O’Keeffe of G. L. Huyett (Minneapolis, Kansas) is the 2022 recipient of its Fastener Professional of the Year award.
The Fastener Professional of the Year award was created by NFDA to honor individuals and companies that make a substantial positive impact on people’s lives. Past recipients include:
In his nomination of Tim to receive this award, Mike McGuire of Worldwide Fastener Sources said, “Tim is not only one of the better innovators and mentors in our industry today, but Tim understands well the value of ‘paying it forward’.”
Tim O’Keeffe grew up in Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska with highest honors in 1983 with a degree in economics and minors in computer science, business, and philosophy. After a two-year stint at Procter and Gamble, he started a business brokerage in Kansas City in 1985. From 1985 to 1992 the firm closed on 300 deals, spanning a wide array of industries. In 1992 he purchased G.L. Huyett from Bob and Dolly Hahn. What started as a small single-employee business has now grown to 160 employees, four distribution centers, two manufacturing centers, a Minneapolis, Kansas headquarters, and a technology center in Sidney, Nebraska.
In 2020, O’Keeffe was inducted into the National Fastener Hall of Fame. In 2021 he was named by Worldwide Fastener Sources as its first ever Fastener Professional of the Year for “acumen, business culture, and charitable work.” He is a regular columnist for the American Fastener Journal, and he and his colleagues at G.L. Huyett invest in charitable work and community betterment. O’Keeffe was the Associate Chair of the NFDA from 2007-2010. In addition, he has taught college courses and is a consultant for private equity firms.
O’Keeffe is married to his high school sweetheart, Carol Quinn. They have five kids and four grandchildren.
Tim will receive his award at the NFDA Annual Meeting & ESPS® Welcome Reception in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 21, 2022.
Nominations for the next Fastener Professional of the Year award will open in January 2023.
To register for the NFDA Annual Meeting & ESPS® or to find out more information about NFDA and its programs, visit www.nfda-fastener.org or call 562-799-5519.