The fasteners industry is hardly unique these days in licking the wounds inflicted by the economic downturn. Two companies based in different countries have some similar reflections on their related experiences.

Buddy Blattner is president of Active Screw and Fastener's Tucson, Ariz., office. In business for more than 65 years, Active Screw is based in Elk Grove Village, Ill., and also has offices in North Carolina.

"Prices are decreasing at an increasing rate," Blattner said. "You have to take a leap of faith that you know how to find it [product] at the right price. Guys who succeed, will do so by knowing where to go."

Active Screw supplies "large and medium OEMS, generally in the window and door business or household product lines," he said.

In addition, Blattner's company supplies household sprinkler systems, screws for hinges, and the unique screws and fastener materials needed to put garage doors (and garage door openers) together.

He laughs as he admits that this is not "a specialty by design, but the specialty we ended up with."

This flexibility can be seen at the Bolt Supply House in Canada, as well. For more than 50 years, Bolt Supply has served the four Western provinces of Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

"I think we're gearing up for a very feisty round of business going forward," said Bolt Supply's president, John McCann. "With the low interest rates, we're seeing a lot more reinvestment into the infrastructure. For example, people are buying more new equipment these days."

The brutal cold winter (even by Western Canadian standards) hasn't discouraged Bolt Supply's business. On the contrary, it may have helped.

"The oil and gas sector really impacts [us]. With high oil prices, and the cold weather patterns we've been experiencing, that's kept business buoyant," McCann said. "We're at an all-time high for [building] new drilling rigs in searching for oil and gas to meet the growing demands."

While Active Screw in Arizona and Bolt Supply in Western Canada work in vastly different climates, both executives hit on some common themes. For instance, housing, as with most in the fastener-related industries, has been healthy and profitable for them.

"Housing is doing extremely well," McCann said. "With low interest rates, people have been moving from apartments into new homes and [they] can make that transition at their current income levels."

Blattner shares the same view from Arizona, adding that the tapering off in housing construction predicted by some is "something we haven't seen yet."

Neither uses the economy as an excuse—nor tries to prepare excuses in case difficulties arise again.

"We have to be much better at adding value these days," said McCann. "That's where we're putting our focus…. Where there's no wind, row! And we plan to continue rowing harder than ever. We're going to make it a successful year by working harder at it."

"You can't stand still," Blattner insists. "You have to be change-oriented. There's an old saying: 'You can have price, quality and service. Pick two.' That's not good enough anymore. Now you have to be all three."