Tacoma Screw Products Inc. opens new store in Billings

The new Tacoma Screw Products Inc. store in Billings carries more than 45,000 products, including a vast assortment of fasteners in all shapes and sizes. To illustrate the range of products in inventory, store manager Glenn Clark reached onto a shelf and pulled down a hex nut the size of a softball and heavy enough to prop open a barn door. There¡¯s a good reason for carrying fasteners that big, said John Wolfe, executive adviser for Tacoma Screw Products, Inc. ¡°Let¡¯s say you have a large crane that¡¯s down and it¡¯s costing you $1,500 per hour not to have it operating,¡± Wolfe said. ¡°If you come in our store and say you need six bolts that are 2½ inches wide by 8 inches long, there¡¯s a good chance we have it,¡± he said in a telephone interview from the company¡¯s headquarters in Tacoma, Wash. ¡°That may be the only six bolts in that size that we sell in a year,¡± Wolfe said. ¡°But we know that customer will come back. Our philosophy is to carry a full inventory.¡± The Billings store is located at 4540 S. Frontage Road, across the interstate from Cabela¡¯s. Dick Anderson Construction was the general contractor. About the Company Tacoma Screw Products Inc. started in 1946. The majority of its sales are in the business-to-business sector. The company serves more than 45,000 business accounts. The company also sells products on its website, tacomascrews.com, and its outside sales staff serves clients throughout the Northwest. But store managers like Clark also take pride in having just the right fastener for homeowners and hobbyists as well. They won¡¯t bat an eye over selling a single bolt or screw, Wolfe said. The Billings outlet is the company¡¯s 18th location and the first in Montana. ¡°We usually add about one store per year, sometimes more,¡± Wolfe said. He said each store¡¯s inventory is customized to reflect the needs of the local economy. For example, the company¡¯s store in Twin Falls, Idaho, does a lot of business with mining companies in Nevada. Stores in eastern Washington cater to farmers and ranchers. All employees receive extensive training and are knowledgeable about the products they sell. Clark has worked for the company for 25 years, and many other employees have similar experience, Wolfe said.