What changed in this filing

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Item 1. Business

2025-02-06 compared with 2024-02-06 · 300 added, 169 removed, 341 unchanged (58% of the section changed)

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The year end is December 31, 2024 unless additional years are included or noted.

Fastenal Company (together with our subsidiaries, hereinafter referred to as 'Fastenal' or the company or by terms such as we, our, or us) began as a partnership in 1967, and was incorporated under the laws of Minnesota in 1968.

Fastenal Company (together with our subsidiaries, hereinafter referred to as Fastenal or by terms such as we, our, or us) began as a partnership in 1967, and was incorporated under the laws of Minnesota in 1968.

We opened our first branch in 1967 in Winona, Minnesota, a city with a population today of approximately 26,000.

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Over time, how and where we engage our customers has expanded and evolved.

Today we sell a broader range of industrial and construction supplies spanning more than nine major product lines through a global network of in-market locations utilizing diverse technologies such as vending devices, bin stock devices, and eCommerce.

The large majority of our transactions are business-to-business.

We provide additional descriptions of our product lines and market channels later in this document.

At the end of 2023, we had 3,419 in-market locations (defined in the table below) in 25 countries supported by 15 distribution centers in North America (12 in the United States, two in Canada, and one in Mexico), and two in Europe, and we employed 23,201 people.

At the end of 2024, we had 3,628 in-market locations (defined in the table below) in 25 countries supported by 15 distribution centers in North America, with 12 in the United States (U.S.), two in Canada, and one in Mexico;

and two in Europe, and we employed 23,702 people.

We believe our success can be attributed to the high quality of our employees and their convenient proximity to our customers, and our ability to offer customers a full range of products and services to reduce their total cost of procurement.

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We engage our customers primarily through branch and Onsite locations.

Branches and Onsites exist very close to our customers, usually within miles in the case of the former and most often within or immediately proximate to our customers' physical locations in the case of the latter, and together constitute our 'in-market' network.

Many of our customers engage with us through eCommerce, but in most cases these customers are utilizing eCommerce to supplement our service through our other channels.

Branches and Onsites exist very close to our customers, usually within miles of, and often within or immediately proximate to, our customers' physical operations.

Together, these constitute our 'in-market' network.

Many of our customers engage with us through eBusiness, but in most cases these customers are utilizing eBusiness to supplement our service through our other channels.

The following table shows, as of the end of each of the last 10 fiscal years, our consolidated net sales;

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their respective sales, as well as the average monthly sales per location that were generated from our branch and Onsite locations;

and our revenue generated from non-traditional sources:

and our sales generated from non-traditional sources:

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

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Branch locations 1,597 1,597 1,683 1,793 2,003 2,114 2,227 2,383 2,503 2,622

Branch revenue (1)

Branch sales (1)

$ 4,109.3 4,073.6 4,161.6 3,726.2 3,587.1 3,660.1 3,625.8 3,399.6 3,198.1 3,281.8

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Onsite locations 2,031 1,822 1,623 1,416 1,265 1,114 894 605 401 264

Onsite revenue (1)

Onsite sales (1)

$ 3,201.6 2,926.7 2,465.5 1,898.0 1,485.6 1,391.7 1,081.7 770.2 569.2 454.3

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$ 138.5 141.6 135.2 118.0 104.1 115.5 120.3 127.6 142.7 158.4

Other revenue (3)

Other sales (3)

$ 235.1 346.4 353.5 386.7 574.6 281.9 257.6 220.7 194.7 133.1

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3,628 3,419 3,306 3,209 3,268 3,228 3,121 2,988 2,904 2,886

Revenues attributable to our traditional and international branch locations (both of which are defined below), and our Onsite locations, respectively.

Average sales per month considers the average active base of branches and Onsites, respectively, in the given year, factoring in the beginning and ending location count, divided by total revenues attributable to our branch and Onsite locations, respectively, further divided by 12 months.

Sales attributable to our traditional and international branch locations (both of which are defined below), and our Onsite locations, respectively.

Average sales per month considers the average active base of branches and Onsites, respectively, in the given year, factoring in the beginning and ending location count, divided by total sales attributable to our branch and Onsite locations, respectively, further divided by 12 months.

This information is presented in thousands.

This portion of revenue is generated outside our traditional in-market locations, examples of which include revenues arising from our custom in-house manufacturing, industrial services, and other non-traditional sources of revenue.

This portion of sales is generated outside our traditional in-market locations, examples of which include sales arising from our custom in-house manufacturing, industrial services, and other non-traditional sources of sales.

In 2020, this included the effects of COVID-19, one response to which was substantial sales of pandemic-related products that were direct-shipped (versus sold through in-market locations) as a means of delivering critical supplies more quickly.

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Today, we believe there are few companies that offer our North American in-market location coverage.

In 2023, roughly 52% of our sales and 51% of our in-market locations were in major Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) (populations in the United States and Canada greater than 500,000 people), while 21% of our sales and 19% of our in-market locations were in small MSAs (populations under 500,000 people), and 27% of our sales and 30% of our in-market locations were not in an MSA.

In 2024, roughly 53% of our sales and 50% of our in-market locations were in major Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) (populations in the U.S.

and Canada greater than 500,000 people), while 21% of our sales and 20% of our in-market locations were in small MSAs (populations under 500,000 people), and 26% of our sales and 30% of our in-market locations were not in an MSA (populations under 50,000 people).

In our view, this has proven to be an efficient means of providing customers with a broad range of products and services on a timely basis.

Maintaining operations that are physically proximate to our customers' operations have represented, and continue to represent, the foundation of our service approach.

We have two primary versions of our branch locations :

1) A 'traditional branch' typically services a wide variety of customers, ranging from the local operations of large, national account customers to smaller local businesses.

Based on the unique characteristics of certain markets, some traditional branches will be structured and stocked to service retail customers.

The distinctions between our branch and Onsite locations are as follows:

Branch locations typically service a wide variety and number of customers, ranging from the local operations of large, national account customers to smaller local businesses.

Locations are selected primarily based on their proximity to our distribution network and employment and production data for manufacturing and non-residential construction companies.

We stock all branches with inventory drawn from all of our product lines and tailored by our district and branch personnel to the needs of the local customer base.

Since Fastenal's founding and through 2013, traditional branch openings were a primary growth driver for the company, and we experienced net openings each year over that time span.

However, new growth drivers, business models, and business tools have emerged and diminished the direct role of traditional branch openings in our growth.

Traditional branches were entirely U.S.-based until 1994, when we opened our first location in Canada.

At the end of 2023, we had 1,441 traditional branches in the United States and Canada, and they represented 51.0% of net sales.

Traditional branches are also differentiated by their operating styles.

Certain locations are Customer Service Branches (CSBs), which tend to feature a showroom and our standard stocking model of products designed for contractors.

Based on the unique characteristics of certain markets and the judgement of local leadership, different branch types have emerged over time.

In the United States and Canada, the most common type is the Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC), which tends to feature a limited showroom and stock customer-specific inventory.

These have the appearance of and function more like an industrial supply house and stocking location.

The United States and Canada also utilize a Customer Service Branch (CSB) , which tend to feature a showroom and a more standardized stocking model of products designed for contractors.

CSBs often conduct some business with non-account or retail-like customers.

However, this customer set typically represents less than 10% of sales at this type of location.

Other locations operate as Customer Fulfillment Centers (CFCs), which tend to feature a limited showroom and stock customer-specific inventory.

These tend to appear and function more like an industrial supply house and stocking location and often have fewer transactions with non-account or retail-like customers than in a CSB branch.

The choice of operating style is made by local leadership and is based on local market considerations.

At the end of 2023, 15% of our traditional branches operated as a CSB and 85% operated as a CFC.

2) An 'international branch' is the format we typically deploy outside the United States and Canada.

We first expanded outside of the United States and Canada when we opened a branch in Mexico in 2001.

Since then, we have continued to expand our global footprint, and at the end of 2023, we operated in 23 countries outside of the United States and Canada.

Mexico is the largest of these, and we also operate in Europe, Asia, and Central and South America.

Our go-to-market strategy in countries outside of the United States and Canada focuses primarily on servicing large, national account customers disproportionately concentrated in manufacturing and heavily oriented toward planned fastener and non-fastener product spend.

We are not as well recognized in many of our non-North American locations as we are in the U.S.

However, our ability to provide a consistent service model, including vending, bin stocks, and Onsites, on a global basis is attractive to our customer base, much of which are the foreign operations of North American-based companies.

At the end of 2023, we had 156 international branches operating outside the U.S.

and Canada, and they represented 4.5% of net sales.

Traditional and international branches sell to multiple customers.

In each year since 2013, we have experienced a net decline in our total branch count, primarily due to consolidations in our U.S.

market, including net declines of 86 branches in 2023.

Our total decline since 2013 is 1,090 branches.

We will continue to open traditional and international branches in accordance with our overall strategy.

We believe the strategic rationalization that has produced a significant decline in our traditional branch network in the United States and Canada since 2013 is largely completed, and expect reduced closing activity beginning in 2024.

Onsite locations may influence the trend in our traditional branch count over time, but have not been the primary reason for our traditional branch closings.

The Onsite concept is not new, in that we entered into the first such arrangement in 1992.

However, it was largely a local option that grew slowly before we identified it as a growth driver in 2014.

We have made substantial investments toward accelerating its traction in the marketplace since 2015.

In this model, we provide dedicated sales and service to a single customer from a location that is physically within, or strategically proximate to, the customers' facility, with inventory that is specific to the customers' needs.

In many cases, we are shifting revenue with the customer from an existing branch location, though we also see new customer opportunities arise as a result of our Onsite capabilities.

The model is best suited for larger companies, though we believe we can provide a higher degree of service at a lower level of revenue than most of our competitors.

It has been our experience that the sales mix at our Onsite locations typically produces a lower gross profit percentage than at our branch locations, but we gain revenue with the customer and our cost to serve is lower.

At the end of 2024, 87% of our United States and Canada branches operated as a CFC and 13% operated as a CSB.

Outside the United States and Canada we typically deploy an International Branch .

These locations lack a showroom and tend to service fewer customers who tend to be large, national account customers disproportionately concentrated in manufacturing and heavily oriented toward planned product spend.

Regardless of what branch type ultimately evolves to service the unique features of a specific geographic location, all our branches share a common purpose and similar operating priorities.

We believe our ability to provide a consistent local service model on a global basis is attractive to our customer base, which consists heavily of North American-based multinational companies with significant foreign operations.

Since Fastenal's founding and through 2013, branch openings were a primary growth driver for us, peaking in 2013 at 2,687 locations.

Branches were entirely U.S.-based until 1994, when we opened our first location in Canada followed by opening our first branch location in Mexico in 2001.

Since then, we have continued to expand our global footprint, including into Europe, Asia, and Central and South America.

In the period from 2013 to 2023, we experienced a net decline of 1,090 in our total branch count, which was primarily due to consolidations in our U.S.

New growth drivers, business models, and business tools emerged and diminished the direct role of branch openings in our growth, resulting in a strategic rationalization to align our physical footprint with changes in our business strategies.

In 2024, we disclosed that this strategic rationalization had concluded and future openings and closings were likely to be more balanced and in accordance with the strategies and specific circumstances of local operations.

At the end of 2024, we had 1,499 branches in North America, which includes the United States, Canada, and Mexico, representing 52.2% of net sales and 98 branches outside of North America representing 2.2% of net sales.

Onsite locations are not new, having entered into the first such arrangement in 1992.

However, it was largely a local option that grew slowly before we identified it as a growth driver in 2014, at which point we made substantial investments to accelerate its traction in the marketplace.

In this model, we provide dedicated sales and service to a single customer from a location that is physically within, or strategically proximate to, the customer's facility, with inventory that is specific to the customer's needs.

In many cases, we are shifting sales with the customer from an existing branch location, though we also see new customer opportunities arise as a result of our Onsite capabilities.

The model is best suited for larger companies, though we believe we can provide a higher degree of service at a lower level of sales than most of our competitors.

It has been our experience that the sales mix at our Onsite locations typically produces a lower gross profit percentage than at our branch locations, but we gain sales with the customer and our cost to serve is lower.

We have identified over 11,000 manufacturing and construction customer locations in North America with potential to implement the Onsite service model.

These include customers with which we have an existing national account relationship today, and

potential customers we are aware of due to our local market presence with which we do not have a meaningful relationship today.

These include customers with which we have an existing national account relationship today, and potential customers we are aware of due to our local market presence with which we do not have a meaningful relationship today.

However, as awareness of our capabilities has grown, we have identified additional Onsite potential with certain agencies of state, provincial, and local government customers, and academia.

We also believe as we follow our existing national account customers outside the United States, our market potential for Onsite solutions will continue to expand.

The international opportunity is substantial, but our speed is limited by our relatively underdeveloped infrastructure in comparison to the United States.

We expect revenues from Onsite arrangements to increase meaningfully over time.

We had 1,822 Onsite locations as of December 31, 2023, which represented 39.8% of net sales, and signed 326, 356, and 274 new O nsite locations (referred to herein as signings) in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.

We also believe as we continue to follow our existing national account customers outside the U.S., our market potential for Onsite solutions will continue to expand.

The international opportunity is substantial, but our speed is limited by our relatively underdeveloped infrastructure in comparison to the U.S.

We expect sales from Onsite arrangements to continue to increase meaningfully over time.

At the end of 2024, we had 1,961 Onsite locations in North America, which included the United States, Canada, and Mexico, representing 41.6% of net sales and 70 Onsite locations outside of North America representing 0.8% of net sales.

As of December 31, 2024, we signed 358, 326, and 356 new Onsite locations (referred to herein as signings) in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.

At the end of 2024, we operated branches and Onsites in 25 total countries.

The following table provides a summary of the branches and Onsite locations we operated at the end of each year, as well as the openings, closings, and conversions during each year:

North America Outside North America

United States (1)

Canada Mexico Subtotal Central & South America (2)

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In-Market Locations - 12/31/22 2,707 276 177 3,160 21 45 80 146 3,306

2,668 262 152 3,082 20 37 70 127 3,209

Starting Branches 1,369 169 66 1,604 5 22 52 79 1,683

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In-Market Locations - 12/31/24 2,924 317 219 3,460 19 53 96 168 3,628

Includes the United States, the Dominican Republic, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Includes the U.S., the Dominican Republic, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Includes Panama, Brazil, and Chile.

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Includes the Netherlands, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Spain, France, and Belgium.

Beginning in 2022, the United States includes the Dominican Republic, Guam, and Puerto Rico which were previously grouped with other geographical regions.

Prior period figures in the above table may differ slightly from those previously disclosed due to this minor change in reporting.

The net impact of non-in-market locations or Onsite locations converted to branches, branches converted to Onsite locations or non-in-market locations, and closures of branches or Onsite locations.

We believe the profitability of our in-market locations is affected by the average revenue produced by each site.

We believe the profitability of our in-market locations is affected by the average sales produced by each site.

In any in-market location, certain costs related to growth are at least partly variable, such as employee-related expenses, while others, like rent and utility costs, tend to be fixed.

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This ability to increase our operating profit margin is influenced by:

(1) general growth based on end market expansion and/or market share gains, (2) the age of the in-market location (new locations tend to be less profitable due to start-up costs and, in the case of a traditional branch, the time necessary to generate a customer base), and/or (3) rationalization actions, as in the past several years we have seen a net decline in our traditional

There are many reasons why local or regional management might decide to close a location.

Key customers may have migrated to a different part of the market, factories may have closed, our own supply chain capabilities in a market may have evolved to allow us to service some areas with fewer traditional branches, and/or our customers may have transitioned to our Onsite model.

An Onsite location may also close because local or regional management determines that the business at the location is unlikely to scale sufficiently to justify our being on premise, in which case the relationship often reverts to being managed in a local traditional branch.

(1) general growth based on end market expansion and/or market share gains that increases the monthly sales of the location and (2) the age of the in-market location (new locations tend to be less profitable due to start-up costs and, in the case of a branch, the time necessary to generate a customer base).

The paths to higher operating profit margins are slightly different in a traditional branch versus an Onsite location, as the former will tend to have more fixed costs to leverage, while the latter will tend to have a smaller fixed cost burden but have greater leverage of its employee-related expenses.

In the short term, the Onsite program can hurt the profitability of our existing branch network as it can pull established revenue away from an existing branch even as its fixed expenses are largely unchanged.

We utilize additional types of selling locations within our network, but these tend to be more specialized in nature and relatively few in number, comprising less than five percent of o ur total selling locations.

We remain committed to a large, robust service network, including traditional branches, international branches, and Onsites;

In the short term, the Onsite program can hurt the profitability of our existing branch network as it can pull established sales away from an existing branch even as its fixed expenses are largely unchanged.

There are many reasons why local or regional management might decide to close an in-market location.

Key customers may have migrated to a different part of the market, factories may have closed, our own supply chain capabilities in a market may have evolved to allow us to service some areas with fewer branches, and/or our customers may have transitioned to our Onsite model.

We remain committed to a large, robust service network, including traditional branches, international branch es, and Onsites;

it r emains the indispensable foundation of our business.

With the growth we anticipate in Onsite locations, we believe our total in-market locations will increase further over time.

We anticipate that relatively stable branch count in the United States and Canada, combined with growth in branch count outside of the United States and Canada and growth in global Onsite locations, will result in an increase to overall in-market locations over time.

Our Business Tools

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FMI programs tend to generate a higher frequency of business transactions and, coupled with our fully integrated distribution network, foster a strong relationship with customers.

Bin stock (FASTStock ℠ and FASTBin ® ) programs, where product is held in bins in a customer facility, are similar to our vending business in that it involves moving product closer to the point of customer use within their facilities.

Such programs have existed in the industrial supply industry for a considerable time, with open bins being clustered in a racking system, each of which holds original equipment manufacturing (OEM) fasteners, maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) fasteners, and/or non-fastener products that are consumed in the customers' operations.

Historically, these bins were simply plastic and metal containers that held product and were visually inspected by our customers or Fastenal personnel to determine replenishment need.

These bins in some cases are organized and labeled into customized digital plan-o-grams, which we call FASTStock and allow for the scanning of product when it is at a minimum desired level.

However, in 2019 we introduced our FASTBin technology.

FASTBin is the evolution of FASTStock into a set of electronic inventory management solutions that automate process controls by providing 24/7 continuous inventory monitoring, real-time inventory visibility, and more efficient replenishment of bin stock parts.

These technologies come in three forms:

(1) scales that utilize a high-precision weight sensor system to measure the exact quantity on hand in real time, notifying Fastenal to replenish when inventory hits an established minimum;

(2) infrared (IR) that uses infrared sensors lining individual bins to provide real-time visibility of approximate quantity and inventory values, notifying Fastenal to replenish when inventory hits an established minimum threshold;

and (3) RFID, which is a Kanban system that utilizes RFID tags so that when an empty bin is removed from the rack and placed in a replenishment zone (also part of the same racking system), a notification is sent to Fastenal to refill the order.

These technologies provide superior monitoring capabilities and immediate visibility to consumption changes, allowing for a lean supply chain, reducing risk of stock-outs, and providing a more efficient labor model for both the customer and the supplier.

Industrial vending (FASTVend ® ) was introduced in 2008 to provide our customers with improved product monitoring and control.

Benefits include reduced consumption, reduced purchase orders, reduced product handling, and 24-hour product availability.

We believe our company has a market advantage by virtue of our extensive in-market network of inventory and local personnel.

For these reasons, the initiative began to gain significant traction in 2011, and we finished 2023 with approximately 111,800 FASTVend non-weighted devices in the field.

We believe that we have a market advantage by virtue of our extensive in-market network of inventory and local personnel.

For these reasons, the initiative began to gain significant traction in 2011, and we finished 2024 with approximately 119,800 FASTVend devices in the field.

We believe industrial vending has proven its effectiveness in strengthening our relationships with customers and helped to streamline the supply chain where it has been utilized.

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These are either configurable or are available in multiple configurations to accommodate the various sizes and forms of products that will be dispensed to match the unique needs of our customers.

Target monthly revenues per device typically range from under $1,000 to in excess of $3,000, with our flagship FAST 5000 device having a targeted monthly throughput of $2,000.

Beginning in the first quarter of 2021, we began to report a weighted FMI measure which combines the signings and installations of FASTBin and FASTVend in a standardized machine equivalent unit (MEU) based on the expected output of each type of device.

Target monthly sales per device typically range from under $1,000 to in excess of $3,000, with our flagship FAST 5000 device having a targeted monthly throughput of $2,000.

Historically, these bins were simply plastic and metal containers that held product and were visually inspected by our customers or Fastenal personnel to determine replenishment need.

These bins in some cases are organized and labeled into customized digital plan-o-grams, which we call FASTStock and allow for the scanning of product when it is at a minimum desired level.

However, in 2019 we introduced our FASTBin technology.

These technologies come in four forms:

(1) scales that utilize a high-precision weight sensor system to measure the exact quantity on hand in real time, notifying Fastenal to replenish when inventory hits an established minimum;

(2) infrared (IR) that uses IR sensors lining individual bins to provide real-time visibility of approximate quantity and inventory values, notifying Fastenal to replenish when inventory hits an established minimum threshold;

(3) RFID, which is a Kanban system that utilizes RFID tags so that when an empty bin is removed from the rack and placed in a replenishment zone (also part of the same racking system), a notification is sent to Fastenal to refill the order;

and (4) FASTClick, which is an electronic button utilized on products or in locations that do not lend themselves to a vending- or bin-based solution that allows a customer to signal they would like a replenishment activity without the need of a Fastenal representative.

Our weighted FMI measure combines signings and installations of FASTBin and FASTVend in a standardized machine equivalent unit (MEU) based on the expected output of each type of device.

We do not include FASTStock in this measurement because scanned stocking locations can take many forms, such as bins, shelves, cabinets, pallets, etc., that cannot be converted into a standardized MEU.

This conversion takes the targeted monthly throughput of each FMI device signed or installed and compares it to the $2,000 target monthly throughput of our FAST 5000 vending device.

For example, an RFID enclosure, with target monthly revenue of $2,000 would be counted as '1.00' machine equivalent ($2,000/$2,000 = 1.00).

An infrared bin, with target monthly revenue of $40, would be counted as '0.02' machine equivalent ($40/$2,000 = 0.02).

For example, an RFID enclosure, with target monthly sales of $2,000 would be counted as '1.00' machine equivalent ($2,000/$2,000 = 1.00).

An infrared bin, with target monthly sales of $40, would be counted as '0.02' machine equivalent ($40/$2,000 = 0.02).

The table below summarizes the signings and installations of, and sales through, our FMI devices.

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While there is a transactional element to our digital services, many of the solutions we invest in are intended to add value to customers by illuminating various elements of their supply chain.

In many cases, this provides insights that allow us to migrate transactional, 'non-sticky' (and traditionally high cost) online spend into a 'sticky' managed setting (such as our FMI programs).

These solutions take many forms:

1) Transactional .

Our transactional, or eCommerce, platforms (web verticals or integrated catalogs) provide a means for our customers to effectively and efficiently procure MRO and unplanned spend.

While there is a retail component to our transactional digital services, most of the revenue attributable to this is with our traditional customer base, nearly all of which purchase digitally as a supplement to other channels and tools that it utilizes with Fastenal.

We attribute the revenue generated from a customer location through our transactional platforms to the in-market location that traditionally services that customer location.

Our eBusiness includes eProcurement activities, which are integrated transactions, including electronic data interchange (EDI), and eCommerce (transactional website sales), which provide a means for our customers to effectively and efficiently procure MRO and unplanned spend.

While there is a retail component to our transactional digital services, most of the sales attributable to this is with our traditional customer base, nearly all of which purchase digitally as a supplement to other channels and tools it utilizes with Fastenal.

We attribute the sales generated from a customer location through our transactional platforms to the in-market location traditionally servicing this customer location.

2) Analytics .

Data analytics provide customers with detailed insights into their business operations.

FAST360° offers a comprehensive view of inventory and spending, allowing users to visualize product organization and analyze spending trends.

FAST360° Analytics uses Microsoft Power BI to offer stakeholders visualization tools for analyzing spend, supply channels, and cost savings.

FAST360° acts as the bridge between our fulfillment operations and a customer's view into our managed service model, and provides our customers with one central source of information.

These platforms empower users to make data-driven decisions, optimize operations, and improve efficiency by providing actionable insights into Fastenal-managed inventory and spending.

By incorporating visual representations of complex data into standardized and tailored reporting templates, the team collaborates with Fastenal's customers and business leaders to turn insights into action.

3) Digital Visibility .

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We will continue to build out our suite of Mobility applications.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), is the connectivity between our system and our customers' procurement systems – whether a direct integration into their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system or through a third-party procurement network or marketplace.

EDI is the connectivity between our system and our customers' procurement systems – whether a direct integration into their Enterprise Resource Planning system or through a third-party procurement network or marketplace.

These solutions provide a system-to-system exchange of electronic procurement documents (such as purchase orders, advanced shipping notices, and invoices for direct and indirect spend).

Our eProcurement Solutions provide a bridge between our FMI replenishment activity and our customers' procurement systems – creating an efficient, accurate and streamlined procure-to-pay (P2P) process.

FAST360° acts as the bridge between our FMI footprint and a

customer's view into our managed service model.

FAST360° surfaces data around these managed services as one central source of information as we manage our customers' OEM and MRO product lines.

This is achieved through our FMI technologies providing locational data around our FASTStock, FASTBin, and FASTVend footprint, and FAST360° being the means of surfacing that data and activities to our customers.

3) Analytics.

We provide solutions-based digital platforms (e.g., web verticals or integrated catalogs) which leverage our existing strategic environment by creating a means of migrating online spend offline, which illuminates our supply chain capabilities.

This is marketed under the FAST360° Analytics label, as it is an enterprise-centric extension of the digital visibility capabilities of FAST360°.

We bring value to our customers, as well as ourselves, by using these digital platforms and analytics to shift product from a 'non-sticky' transactional environment (which is online) to a 'sticky' strategic environment (which is our FMI programs).

We create customer cost savings opportunities through this directive by lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO) as the objective is to shrink the unplanned (and traditionally high cost), purely transactional spend bucket.

Our eProcurement Solutions provide a bridge between our

managed replenishment activity and our customers' procurement systems – creating an efficient, accurate and streamlined procure-to-pay process.

4.) Crib Management .

We host FASTCrib, a cloud-based software tool designed to provide customers with visibility and control of their entire supply chain.

It is an integrated platform that maintains customer-specific product catalogs, provides control and tracking of inventory levels, streamlines and consolidates procurement processes, and enables rich visualization and reporting in an environment with robust user controls.

It also has modules for asset tracking and integrates into our FMI suite.

FASTCrib creates a one-stop, just-in-time supply chain management capability for all of the products and services consumed by our customers, whether provided directly by Fastenal or other vendors.

Digital Footprint

Our d igital products and services are comprised of sales through FMI (FASTStock, FASTBin, and FASTVend) plus that proportion of our eCommerce sale s that do not represent billings of FMI services (collectively, our Digital Footprint).

We believe the data that is created through our digital capabilities enhances product visibility, traceability, and control that reduces risk in operations and creates ordering and fulfillment efficiencies for both ourselves and our customers.

Our d igita l products and services are comprised of sales through FMI (FASTStock, FASTBin, and FASTVend) plus that proportion of our eBusiness sales that do not represent billings of FMI services (collectively, our Digital Footprint).

As a result, we believe our opportunity to grow our business will be enhanced through the continued development and expansion of our digital capabilities.

Our Digital Footprint represented 60.4% of sales in 2024.

We believe our integrated physical and virtual model, when paired with our national (and increasingly international) scope, represents a unique capability in industrial distribution when compared to eCommerce as an independent sales channel.

We believe the combination of our broad product offering, physical presence on a global scale, and toolbox of services, specialists, and digital capabilities, produces a customer engagement model that is difficult for large and small competitors to replicate.

This is consistent with our strategy and offers significant value by providing differentiated and difficult to displace service.

We also believe it differentiates us when compared to web purchasing models as an independent sales channel.

We expect to continue to build out and develop our digital solutions over time.

Our greatest opportunity lies with the deployment of efficient and effective supply chain programs.

We are focused on addressing the four key components of people, products, processes, and technology to support this model.

We believe our global channels to market and business tools, including those that we consider to be growth drivers (Onsites, international expansion, FMI, and digital solutions), represent alternative means to address the requirements of certain customer groups.

These means get us closer to the customer and to where the product is actually consumed.

This is consistent with our strategy and offers significant value by providing differentiated and 'sticky' service.

Combined with ongoing strategic investments in end market initiatives as well as selling (in-market and otherwise) and non-selling (engineering, product specialists, manufacturing, etc.) employees, we offer a range of capabilities that are difficult for large and small competitors to replicate.

We are focused on addressing the four key components:

people, products, processes, and technology, to support this model.

Distribution Network

We operate 15 regional distribution centers in North America:

12 in the United States, two in Canada, and one in Mexico.

We also operate two distribution centers in Europe.

12 in the U.S., two in Canada, and one in Mexico.

We also operate one distribution center in Asia and two distribution centers in Europe.

These distribution centers give us approximately 5.1 million square feet of distribution capacity.

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We also utilize a network of Local Inventory Fulfillment Terminals (LIFTs) which reside within our existing distribution centers and are intended to support areas that have a dense population of FMI devices.

Traditionally, branch personnel were solely responsible for stocking and packaging inventory, delivering to a customer's location, and refilling the customer's devices.

As our sales through FMI devices have grown, this approach has resulted in redundant inventory in a territory and a greater proportion of our sales personnel's time being spent on non-sales activities.

Traditionally, branch personnel were solely responsible for stocking and packaging FMI-related inventory, delivering to a customer's location, and refilling the customer's devices.

As our sales through FMI devices have grown, this approach resulted in redundant inventory in a territory and a greater proportion of our sales personnel's time being spent on non-sales activities, an issue we are mitigating through LIFTs.

We primarily utilize a 'drop-and-deliver' model wherein a LIFT is responsible for stocking and packaging FMI supplies, producing inventory and accuracy benefits, and delivering them to the business unit, where delivery and replenishment is then performed by local district or branch personnel.

In a minority of cases we deploy a 'drop-and-scatter' model, wherein delivery and replenishment is also performed by LIFT personnel.

In 2023, approximately 8% of our FMI revenue was serviced through a LIFT, but over time we believe this figure can approximate 40% of our FMI revenue.

In 2024, approximately 10% of our FMI sales was supported through a LIFT, but over time we believe this figure can approximate 40% of our FMI sales.

Transportation

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We transport product from our in-market locations to our customers on a fleet of pick-up, box, and other trucks.

Expenses to maintain this fleet are considered selling-related transportation costs, which include lease charges, depreciation, and fuel, and are typically reflected in all other operating and administrative expenses.

Expenses to maintain this fleet are considered selling-related transportation costs, which include lease charges, depreciation, and fuel, and are typically reflected in all other SG&A expenses.

We have a mix of leased and owned vehicles, and at December 31, 2024, we operated approximately 10,200 units.

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Our Information Systems teams develop, implement, secure, and maintain the computer-based technology used to support business functions within Fastenal.

Corporate, digital, distribution center, and vending systems are primarily supported from central locations, while each selling location uses a locally installed Point-Of-Sale (POS) system.

Corporate, digital, distribution center, and vending systems are primarily supported from central locations, while each selling location uses a locally installed Point-Of-Sale system.

The systems consist of custom in-house developed, purchased, and subscription licensed software.

A dedicated Wide Area Network (WAN) is used to provide connectivity between systems and authorized users.

A dedicated Wide Area Network is used to provide connectivity between systems and authorized users.

Trademarks and Service Marks

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We have registered, or applied for the registration of, various trademarks and service marks.

Our registered trademarks and service marks are presumed valid in the United States as long as they are in use, their registrations are properly maintained, and they have not been found to have become generic.

Our registered trademarks and service marks are presumed valid in the U.S.

as long as they are in use, their registrations are properly maintained, and they have not been found to have become generic.

Registrations of trademarks and service marks can also generally be renewed indefinitely as long as the trademarks and service marks are in use.

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In most cases, the product has low per unit value but high per unit weight.

This presents challenges in moving product from suppliers, most of whom are outside of North America, to our distribution centers, as well as from our distribution centers to our branch, Onsite, and customer locations.

At the same time, fasteners are ubiquitous in manufactured products, construction projects, and maintenance and repair while also exhibiting great geometric variability based on use and application.

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For instance, non-fastener product lines benefit disproportionately from our development of industrial vending.

The most significant category of non-fastener products is our safety supplies product line, which accounted for 21.2% of our consolidated sales in 2023.

This product line has enjoyed dramatic sales growth in the last 10 years, which we believe is directly attributable to our success cross-selling safety supplies to customers that utilize us for non-safety products as well as our ability to market, deploy, and service industrial vending over that period.

The largest category of non-fastener products is our safety supplies product line, which accounted for 22.2% of our consolidated sales in 2024.

This product line has seen significant sales growth in the last 10 years, which we believe is directly attributable to our success cross-selling safety supplies to customers that utilize us for non-safety products, as well as our ability to market, deploy, and service industrial vending over that period.

We expect these variables to remain the primary drivers of performance for our safety supplies product line.

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These private label brands represented approximately 12% of our consolidated sales in 2024.

We believe it is also appropriate to think about our private label sales as a percentage of our non-fastener sales for two reasons:

We believe it is also appropriate

to think about our private label sales as a percentage of our non-fastener sales for two reasons:

(1) there is not a well-defined branded versus private label dynamic in fasteners as there is in non-fasteners;

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Over time we expect our private label sales as a percentage of our total non-fastener sales to increase, although oftentimes, these increases through specific channels are masked by the relative sales growth we experience with Onsite locations, which typically have a lower percentage of total sales of private label than in branches or sales through vending devices.

Detailed information about our sales by product line is provided in Note 2 of the Notes t o Co nsolidated Financial Statements included later in this Form 10-K.

Detailed information about our sales by product line is provided in Note 2 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included later in this Form 10-K.

Each product line may contain multiple product categories.

Inventory Control

Our inventory stocking levels are determined using our computer systems, by our sales personnel at in-market locations, by our district and regional leadership, and by our product development team.

Our inventory stocking levels are determined using our computer systems, by our sales personnel at in-market locations, and by our district and regional leadership.

The data used for this determination is derived from sales activity from all of our selling locations, from individual selling locations, and from different geographic areas.

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Manufacturing and Support Services Operations

In 2023, a pproximately 96% of our consolidated net sales were attributable to products manufactured by other companies to industry standards or to customer specific requirements.

The remaining 4% related to products manufactured, modified, or repaired by our manufacturing businesses or our support services.

The manufactured products c onsist primarily of non-standard sizes of threaded fasteners and hardware made to customers' specifications at one of our nine manufacturing locations, or standard sizes manufactured under our Holo-Krome ® , Cardinal Fasteners ® , and Spensall ® product lines.

The services provided by the support services group include, but are not limited to, tool and hoist repair, chain sling and hose fabrication, band saw blade welding, packaging, and other light manufacturing and fabrication.

In 2024, approximately 96% of our consolidated net sales were attributable to products manufactured by other companies to industry standards or to customer specific requirements.

The remaining 4% related to products manufactured, modified, or repaired by our manufacturing businesses or our industrial services.

These manufactured products c onsist primarily of non-standard sizes of threaded fasteners and hardware made to customers' specifications at one of our nine manufacturing locations, or standard sizes manufactured under our Holo-Krome ® , Cardinal Fasteners ® , and Spensall ® product lines.

These manufacturing products represent approximately 7% of our fastener sales.

The services provided by the industrial services group include, but are not limited to, tool and hoist repair, chain sling and hose fabrication, band saw blade welding, packaging, and other light manufacturing and fabrication.

We may add additional services in the future.

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Sources of Supply

We use a large number of suppliers for the standard stock items we distribute.

Most items distributed by our network can be purchased from several sources, although preferred sourcing is used for some stock items to facilitate quality control.

We use a diverse group of suppliers for the standard stock items we distribute.

Most items distributed by our network can be purchased from several sources, although preferred sourcing is used for some stock items to facilitate quality control, strong relationships, reliable lead times, and effective costing.

During 2024, we had a single supplier that accounted for more than 5% of our inventory purchases, whereas all remaining suppliers fell below that threshold.

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Customers and Marketing

We believe our success can be attributed to our ability to offer customers a full line of quality products, our convenient locations and diverse methods of providing those products, and the superior service orientation and expertise of our employees.

Approximately 70% to 75% of our customers are in manufacturing end markets, which encompasses fabricated products, heavy machinery, petrochemical, mining and aerospace and includes both OEM and MRO customers.

The remaining 25% to 30% of our customers fall primarily into non-residential construction (general and commercial contractors), reseller (retail and wholesale trades, dealers, and rental businesses), transportation (transportation services, such as air, train, maritime or truck transport, as well as fulfillment centers) and state and local government entities, including schools, school districts and universities.

Our model is built around a broad product offering, timely fulfillment processes, convenient physical locations, extensive digital and services capabilities, and the superior service orientation and expertise of our employees.

We believe we are successful because of our ability to integrate these features into supply chain solutions that are tailored to the specific challenges

of our customer's operations.

When deployed effectively, we have demonstrated the ability to assume responsibility for portions of our customer's sourcing operations while reducing the cost, lowering the risk, and increasing the scalability of our customer's supply chains.

Our value proposition is focused on improving the operating effectiveness and reducing the total cost of ownership of our customer's supply chains.

Approximately 70% to 75% of our customers are in manufacturing end markets, which encompasses heavy machinery, fabricated products, process industries (oil & gas, petrochemical, mining, pulp and paper, etc.), and transportation components (automotive, aerospace, etc.).

We provide both the OEM and MRO needs of these customers.

The remaining 25% to 30% of our customers fall primarily into non-residential construction (general and commercial contractors), reseller (retail and wholesale trades, dealers, and rental businesses), transportation services (air, train, maritime or truck transport, as well as warehousing and fulfillment centers), and state and local government entities, including schools, school districts, and universities.

Based on our customer profile being oriented toward manufacturing, our business has historically been cyclical.

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While slumps in one industry served by us can rapidly spread to other interrelated industries, locally or globally, we still believe this customer and market segment diversity provides some insulation from economic changes that are not across multiple industries and geographic regions.

Second, while a meaningful part of our revenue is derived from products that are incorporated into final products, we also have a significant portion of revenue that is derived from products used to maintain facilities.

This latter source of revenue tends to be impacted by cyclical changes, but its rate of change tends to be less dramatic.

Our national accounts program is aimed at creating contractual agreements with single or multi-location customers.

These contractual programs are intended to help improve our customers' supply chains by identifying productivity and efficiency gains throughout their organization.

The scale and scope of the OEM and MRO products that these companies need to manage is very complex and costly.

We believe that our broad product offering coupled with our ability to execute and curate a dedicated service model for each of their sites provides us with a unique advantage and allows us to provide them with a total cost of ownership benefit.

Additionally, our local presence as part of a national, and increasingly international, footprint, our ability to provide a consistent level of high-touch service, and our ancillary capabilities around manufacturing, quality control, and product knowledge, are attractive to these multi-site customers.

We believe our advantage with these customers has only been strengthened as we have added other channels, such as Onsite, FMI, digital solutions, and resources to serve these customers' unique demands.

As a result, in 2023, national accounts represented 60.3% of our consolidated sales, compared to 57.8% and 56.6% in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

We believe sales to national accounts customers will continue to increase as a percentage of our total sales over time.

In an in-market location, we track our customers' business activity through 'active accounts', which is defined as any customer account with purchase ac tivity of at least $100 per month .

Customers often have more than one active account at a single in-market location, reflecting their utilization of different Fastenal services, and frequently have active accounts at many in-market locations across our global network.

In 2023 , we averaged 105,448 active accounts per month and approximately 99.4% of the sales in our in-market locations are derived from our active accounts (the remainder was from walk-in or infrequent, non-account, and small account customers).

Traditionally, our in-market locations, particularly our traditional and international branches, prioritized acquiring additional active accounts and expanding the products and services sold to new and existing active accounts as a means of growing sales.

Over time it became clear that the pursuit of smaller accounts consumed significant organizational energy and the large majority of new active accounts did not meaningfully increase in size.

Further, the development of our web capabilities provided us with an alternative means of more efficiently servicing these smaller customers.

Since 2020, our in-market locations have sought to shift our smallest customers to our web channel while shifting

their selling focus to 'key accounts', which is defined as any customer account with purchase activity of at least $2,000 per month.

Key account customers have typically been able to utilize a wider range of our products and services, and as a result have exhibited greater potential to increase in size while being more efficient to pursue and support.

In 2023, we averaged 39,266 key accounts per month and approximately 92.4% of the sales in our in-market locations were derived from our key accounts.

Second, while a meaningful part of our sales is derived from products that are incorporated into final products, the greater proportion of our sales is derived from products used to maintain facilities.

This latter source of sales tends to be impacted by cyclical forces, but its rate of change tends to be less dramatic.

Approximately 72% of our consolidated sales in 2024 were with customers whose spend was subject to a contractual agreement between ourselves and the customer.

The terms and conditions of these contracts will vary from customer to customer, with the most common features being the scope of products and services rendered, product and service pricing, payment terms, delivery expectations, quality obligations, warranty and liability exposure, and contract duration.

Many contracts will also incorporate expectations for direct (e.g., cost) or indirect (e.g., process productivity and efficiency) savings that are expected to be achieved over the course of the contract and the interval at which progress toward these expectations will be reviewed.

Our contractual programs fall into three broad categories:

• National accounts represent the largest proportion of our contract business, accounting for 63% of our consolidated sales in 2024.

This program is aimed at multi-location customers where the scale and scope of the OEM and MRO products that need to be managed are very complex and costly.

We believe our broad product offering coupled with our local presence as part of a national and increasingly international footprint, our ability to provide a consistent level of high-touch service, and our ancillary capabilities around manufacturing, quality control, and product knowledge, are attractive to these multi-site customers.

Further, we believe our advantage with these customers has only been strengthened as we have added other capabilities, such as Onsite, FMI, digital solutions, and resources to serve these customers' unique demands.

• Local and regional contracts tend to establish terms and conditions for a customer's locations that have a more limited geographic scope, typically falling within an individual district or region.

The scale and scope of the products and services that are addressed tend to be narrower and less complex than is the case for national account agreements.

Some agreements cover the entirety of a customer's operations where the locations are focused in a specific geographic territory.

Other agreements may represent a subset of a customer's North American or global operations, with additional locations either covered by separate local and regional contracts, being serviced on a transactional basis, or not being serviced at all.

In the former case, we often try to migrate the customer to a national agreement.

• Government contracts establish Fastenal as an approved supplier of MRO products to facilities managed by local, state, or municipal authorities.

We do not generate meaningful direct sales from federal government agencies.

These agreements are not different in function from local and regional non-government contracts.

However, they generally involve different priorities, are heavily influenced by stricter regulatory obligations, and require specialized knowledge and processes to negotiate and maintain compliance.

We anticipate sales to contract customers will increase as a percentage of our total sales over time.

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018

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Key Accounts 39,467 39,266 39,151 36,190 33,794 34,621 32,895

Our basic unit of measurement of customer b usiness activity in an in-market location is an active account, which is defined as any customer account with purchase activity of at least $100 per month.

In 2024, approximately 99.5% of the sales in our in-market locations were derived from our active accounts, with the remainder being from walk-in or infrequent, non-account, and small account customers.

We have reported on the quantity of our active accounts annually, as set forth in the table above.

The table also includes a subset of our active accounts, called 'key accounts'.

This is defined as any customer account with purchase activity of at least $2,000 per month.

Key accounts have been a greater focus of our selling activities since 2020 because they typically utilize a wider range of our products and services, and in 2024, approximately 93.2% of the sales in our in-market locations were derived from our key accounts.

During 2024, no single customer represented 5% or more of our consolidated net sales.

Direct marketing continues to be the backbone of our business through our local in-market selling personnel, as well as our non-branch selling personnel.

Direct marketing continues to be the backbone o f our business through our local in-market selling personnel, as well as our non-branch selling personnel.

We support our sales team with multi-channel marketing including direct mail and digital marketing, print and rad io advertising, targeted campaigns, promotional flyers, and events.

In recent years, our national advertising has been focused on a NASCAR ® sponsorship through our partnership with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing ® as the primary sponsor of the No.

17 car in the NASCAR ® Cup Series, driven by Chris Buescher.

Our national advertising has been focused on a NASCAR ® sponsorship serving as a primary partner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing ® , which stands as one of the longest tenured-brands in NASCAR.

In 2020, our sports marketing efforts were extended when the National Hockey League (NHL ® ) awarded us as the preferred MRO supplier of the sport.

Seasonality has some impact on our sales.

The first and fourth quarters of each year are typically our lowest volume periods, given their overlap with winter months in North America during which our direct and indirect sales to customers in the non-residential construction market typically slow due to inclement weather.

The fourth quarter also tends to be more greatly affected by the Thanksgiving (October in Canada and November in the United States), Christmas, and New Year holiday periods, due to plant shut downs.

In contrast, the second and third quarters of each year typically have higher revenues due to stronger non-residential construction activity and relatively fewer holidays (although Good Friday will sometimes fall in the second quarter and the 4th of July will always fall in the third quarter).

The first and fourth quarters of each year are typically our lower volume periods, given their overlap with winter months in North America during which our direct and indirect sales to customers in the non-residential construction market typically slow due to inclement weather.

The fourth quarter also tends to be more greatly affected by the Thanksgiving (October in Canada and November in the U.S.), Christmas, and New Year holiday periods, due to plant shut downs.

In contrast, the second and third quarters of each year typically have higher sales due to stronger non-residential construction activity and relatively fewer holidays (although Good Friday will sometimes fall in the second quarter and the 4th of July will always fall in the third quarter).

Our business is highly competitive and includes large national distributors whose strongest presence tends to be in more densely populated areas, and smaller regional or local distributors, which compete in many of the smaller markets in which we have branches.

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For instance, many competitors maintain a local, branch-based presence in their markets, while others use vans to sell products in markets away from their main warehouses, while still others rely on catalogs or telemarketing sales.

Recent years have seen the emergence of eCommerce solutions, such as websites, and while this channel has been embraced by many traditional distributors, it also has introduced non-traditional web-based competitors into the marketplace.

Recent years have seen the emergence of eBusiness solutions, such as websites, and while this channel has been embraced by many traditional distributors, it also has introduced non-traditional web-based competitors into the marketplace.

The diversity of product and service models supported in the marketplace is a reflection of the equally diverse product and service needs of the customer base.

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The convenience of a large number of in-market locations in a given area, combined with our ability to provide them with frequent deliveries to such branches from centrally located distribution centers, facilitates the prompt and efficient distribution of products.

We also believe our FMI solutions, supported by an in-market location, provide a unique way to provide our customers convenient access to products and cost saving solutions using a business model not easily replicated by our competitors.

We also believe our FMI solutions, supported by an in-market location, provide a unique way to serve our customers with convenient access to products and cost saving solutions using a business model not easily replicated by our competitors.

Having trained personnel at each in-market location also enhances our ability to compete (see 'Employees' below).

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Organizational support personnel consists of:

(1) Sales & Growth Driver Support personnel (approximately 35% of category), which includes sourcing, purchasing, supply chain, product development, etc.;

(1) Sales & Growth Driver Support personnel (35%-40% of category), which includes sourcing, purchasing, supply chain, product development, etc.;

(2) Information Technology personnel (35% to 40% of category);

and (3) Administrative Support personnel (25% to 30% of category), which includes human resources, Fastenal School of Business, accounting and finance, senior management, etc.

and (3) Administrative Support personnel (22% to 27% of category), which includes human resources, Fastenal School of Business (FSB), accounting and finance, senior management, etc.

Employee Profile

As of December 31, 2023, we had 23,201 employees worldwide, with 18,539 of those employees located in the United States (U.S.), 3,038 employees located in Canada and Mexico, and 1,624 employees located overseas in 24 other countries throughout the world.

Of the employees noted above, 18,701 are located in the U.S., 3,304 are located in Canada and Mexico, and 1,697 are located overseas in 23 other countries throughout the world.

Based on our EEO-1 data for 2024, in the U.S., females and minorities constitute 24.1% and 24.3% of our workforce, respectively.

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In certain roles, there may also be a portion of compensation based on contribution to attaining predetermined departmental or project and cost containment goals, most of which are focused on either customer service or better execution of company-wide activities.

Because we believe the growth in the company's stock value should be the reward for achieving long-term success consistent with being an owner, we have a stock option plan.

Because we believe the growth in our stock value should be the reward for achieving long-term success consistent with being an owner, we have a stock option plan.

In the case of certain foreign employees, we have a stock appreciation rights plan.

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Our Human Resources department develops efficient processes to expand our reach and pool of diverse talent while balancing the needs and requirements of data collection and storage.

We have created a standardized framework for posting jobs and interviewing for positions, supplemented with training through the Fastenal School of Business (FSB).

We have created a standardized framework for posting jobs and interviewing for positions, supplemented with training through the FSB.

We have a Diversity and Compliance team that is heavily involved in developing this standardized framework, which ensures its integrity.

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FSB provides core curricula focused on key competencies determined to be critical to the success of our employees' performance.

In addition, we provide specialized educational tracks within various institutes of learning, as well as training plans based on roles within the company.

In addition, we provide specialized educational tracks within various institutes of learning, as well as training plans based on roles within Fastenal.

These institutes of learning are advanced levels that provide specific concentrations of education and development and have been designed to focus on critical aspects of our business, such as leadership, effective best practices, sales and marketing, products, supply chain, and distribution.

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As part of our comprehensive Supply Chain Security program, we also evaluate our suppliers' approach to labor to ensure that they are using appropriate, and appropriately compensated, employees and ensure upstream supply chain visibility on globally sourced products.

With a local and global supplier base, continuous monitoring and local representation is a necessity to ensure protocols are triggered when risk may be evident, ensuring a safeguard against poor and/or impaired quality and regulatory violations that may otherwise impact our reputation or ability to effectively operate in the marketplace.

With a local and global supplier base, continuous evaluation and local representation is a necessity to ensure protocols are flagged when risk may be evident, ensuring a safeguard against poor and/or impaired quality and regulatory violations that may otherwise impact our reputation or ability to effectively operate in the marketplace.

This is performed not only at the time of supplier vetting and onboarding, but for the life of the relationship with the supplier.

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In 2024, approximately 26% of our total company-wide inventory spend was with small and/or diverse businesses.

This flows from our Supplier Diversity program, as part of which we are committed to building supply chain relationships with small businesses and businesses with diverse ownership including women, minorities, veterans, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) owned Certified LGBT Business Enterprise ® Suppliers.

This flows from our Supplier Diversity program, as part of which we are committed to building supply chain relationships with small businesses and businesses with diverse ownership.

Available Information

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Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act are available free of charge on or through our website at www.fastenal.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports have been filed with or furnished to the SEC.

Information about our Executive Officers

The following section sets forth the name, age, and business experience for the past five years of the executive officers as of the filing date of the Form 10-K.

Unless otherwise noted, the positions described are positions with Fastenal or its subsidiaries.

Name Employee of

Since Age Position

Florness 1996 61 Chief Executive Officer and Director

Watts 1996 53 President and Chief Sales Officer

Broersma 2003 45 Executive Vice President – Operations

Drazkowski 1995 53 Executive Vice President – Sales

Jansen 1992 54 Executive Vice President – Manufacturing

Holden Lewis 2016 55 Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Lisowski 1994 57 Executive Vice President – Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer

Miller 1999 50 Senior Executive Vice President – Sales

Oas 2015 40 Executive Vice President – Human Resources

Papenfuss 1999 61 Executive Vice President – Strategy and Communications

Soderberg 1993 53 Senior Executive Vice President – Information Technology

Florness has been our chief executive officer since August 2024.

From January 2016 to July 2024, Mr.

Florness was our president and chief executive officer.

From December 2002 to December 2015, Mr.

Florness was our executive vice president and chief financial officer.

From June 1996 to November 2002, Mr.

Florness was our chief financial officer.

During his time as chief financial officer, Mr.

Florness' responsibilities expanded beyond finance, including leadership of a portion of our manufacturing division, our product development and procurement, and our national accounts business.

Florness has served as one of our directors since January 2016.

Watts has been our president and chief sales officer since August 2024.

Watts' responsibilities include establishing priorities, setting goals, and providing guidance and oversight concerning Fastenal's global sales activities.

From May 2023 to July 2024, Mr.

Watts was our chief sales officer.

From December 2016 to April 2023, Mr.

Watts was our executive vice president – international sales.

From March 2015 to December 2016, Mr.

Watts was our vice president – international sales.

From June 2005 to February 2015, he served as regional vice president of our Canadian region.

Prior to June 2005, Mr.

Watts served in various sales leadership roles at Fastenal.

Broersma has been our executive vice president – operations since October 2023.

Broersma's responsibilities include oversight of our supply chain, compliance, supplier development, content, property management, supply to fulfillment distribution, and logistics operations.

From June 2022 to October 2023, Mr.

Broersma served as our senior vice president – operations.

From February 2021 to June 2022, Mr.

Broersma was our vice president of procurement and supply chain.

From February 2016 to February 2021, Mr.

Broersma served as our vice president of international operations, leading all global operations.

From December 2012 to February 2016, Mr.

Broersma was the regional vice president for our continental Europe locations, while living in the Czech Republic.

From February 2011 to December 2012, Mr.

Broersma served as the director of Asian operations, while living in Shanghai, China.

From December 2007 to February 2011, Mr.

Broersma served as the regional operations manager of our distribution center located in Scranton, PA.

Broersma joined Fastenal in 2003 and, prior to 2007, served in various roles of increasing responsibility within our branch locations.

Drazkowski has been our executive vice president - sales since July 2023.

Drazkowski's responsibilities include oversight of growing and maintaining Fastenal's overall contract portfolio including national accounts, government and industry specific sales, support, and development teams.

From October 2019 to June 2023, Mr.

Drazkowski was our executive vice president - sales and oversaw our Western United States business.

From December 2016 to September 2019, Mr.

Drazkowski was executive vice president – national accounts sales.

From October 2014 to December 2016, Mr.

Drazkowski was our vice president – national accounts sales, from September 2013 to September 2014, he served as regional vice president of our Minnesota based region, and from November 2007 to August 2013, he served as one of our district managers.

Prior to November 2007, Mr.

Drazkowski served in various sales leadership roles at Fastenal.

Jansen has been our executive vice president – manufacturing since January 2016.

Jansen's responsibilities include oversight of our industrial services, quality assurance, aerospace, manufacturing operations, and EHS management.

From December 2010 to December 2015, Mr.

Jansen was our executive vice president - operations.

From November 2007 to December 2010, Mr.

Jansen was our executive vice president – internal operations.

From May 2005 to November 2007, Mr.

Jansen served as our leader of systems development (this role encompassed both information systems and distribution systems development).

From April 2000 to April 2005, Mr.

Jansen served as regional vice president of our Texas based region.

Prior to April 2000, Mr.

Jansen served in various roles of increasing responsibility within our operations teams.

Lewis has been a senior executive vice president and the chief financial officer of Fastenal since December 2022.

As chief financial officer, Mr.

Lewis manages our finance, accounting, audit, and general counsel functions, and plays a central role in effectively executing and communicating company strategy, with a concentration on profitability, efficiency, and assets.

He also oversees our M&A and Investor Relations efforts.

From August 2016 to December 2022, Mr.

Lewis served as our executive vice president and chief financial officer.

He joined Fastenal following a long career as a senior equity analyst covering industrials, including Fastenal, for full-service investment banks.

Lewis held various senior roles with a variety of organizations in the investment banking industry from 1994 to July 2016.

As reported in December 2024, Mr.

Lewis provided written notice to Fastenal of his resignation as senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective on April 16, 2025.

Lisowski has been our executive vice president - chief accounting officer and treasurer since December 2020.

From August 2016 to November 2020, Ms.

Lisowski was our controller, chief accounting officer, and treasurer.

Lisowski was our controller and chief accounting officer from October 2013 to August 2016, and also served as our interim chief financial officer from January 2016 to August 2016.

From March 2007 to October 2013, Ms.

Lisowski served as our controller – accounting operations.

Lisowski joined Fastenal in 1994 and, prior to March 2007, served in various roles of increasing responsibility within our finance and accounting team.

Miller has been our senior executive vice president – sales since January 2020.

Miller's responsibilities include sales and operational oversight of our United States business.

From November 2015 to December 2019, Mr.

Miller was one of our executive vice presidents – sales.

From January 2009 to October 2015, Mr.

Miller served as regional vice president of our southeast central region based primarily in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Prior to January 2009, Mr.

Miller served in various sales leadership roles at Fastenal.

Oas has been our executive vice president – human resources since February 2023.

As executive vice president – human resources, Ms.

Oas leads our human resources department, which includes payroll, benefits, diversity and compliance, general insurance, and the Fastenal School of Business.

From March 2015 to January 2023, she was our director of compliance – human resources.

From 2010 to February 2015, Ms.

Oas practiced employment law for a firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota and later acted as a solo practitioner in Winona, Minnesota.

Papenfuss has been our executive vice president – strategy and communications since November 2024.

Papenfuss' responsibilities include leading marketing, sales enablement, and sales development, as well as driving strategic initiatives and enhancing communication efforts in the areas of technology, sales, and environmental, social, and governance to ensure alignment with overall business objectives.

From February 2014 to October 2024, Ms.

Papenfuss was our vice president of contract development and support.

From July 2006 to February 2014, Ms.

Papenfuss was our director of government and diversity affairs.

Papenfuss joined Fastenal in 1999 and, prior to July 2006, served in various roles of increasing responsibility.

Soderberg has been our senior executive vice president – information technology since December 2020.

From May 2016 to November 2020, Mr.

Soderberg was our executive vice president – information technology.

From May 2014 to May 2016, Mr.

Soderberg served as our executive vice president – sales operations and support.

From April 2010 to May 2014, Mr.

Soderberg was one of our vice presidents – sales.

From April 2005 to April 2010, Mr.

Soderberg served as regional vice president of our Washington state-based region.

Prior to April 2005, Mr.

Soderberg served in various sales leadership roles in the mid-Atlantic area of Fastenal.

The executive officers are elected by our board of directors for a term of one year and serve until their successors are elected and qualified.

None of our executive officers is related to any other such executive officer or to any of our directors.

Compared sentence by sentence after normalising whitespace, quotation marks, case and digits, so re-formatting and restated figures do not read as changed language. Wording changes appear as one removal and one addition. The current filing and the prior one are authoritative.

What changed 10-K

Item 1. Business