Washington State Distributor Keeps Growing in the Pacific Northwest

In an increasingly competitive and consolidated distribution sector, the giants of the market have long turned to service capabilities as differentiators when talking to current and prospective customers alike. But it’s not just the national players that are leaning on services: regional and local distributors are quick to tout their own attributes beyond their product lineups, as well, from vendor-managed inventory and purchasing assistance to engineering services to – in at least one case – delivery via plane or boat.

Each year, Industrial Distribution asks trade groups and industry associations across the distribution market to nominate companies for our annual Watch List: a profile of distributors who might not be household names, but can nonetheless tout years or decades of experience getting essential supplies to the industries that need them in their respective backyards. This year’s Watch List skews toward the western U.S. – three of the four companies featured in the following pages hail from west of the Rockies – but each distributor offers their own unique strengths: an 80-year-old fastener and MRO provider that continues to expand across the Pacific Northwest; a suburban Salt Lake City nail and staple business-turned-commercial construction supplier; an Ohio tool repair shop that expanded to equip the area’s construction segment; and an Alaska company that promises to serve even remote job sites across its vast home state — by air and barge, if needed.

These businesses’ extraordinary stories and capabilities reflect the broad landscape of the distributor sector as a whole, and show how even comparatively smaller distributors can still find ways to surprise the market — after all, it’s unlikely that you’ll see any companies on the ID Big 50 list rolling out barge service any time soon.

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This year’s edition of the "Watch List" begins with Tacoma Screw, a fastener and MRO distributor marking its 80th anniversary this year. The company now operates more than 20 branches across four states — and will soon expand into a fifth.

See the complete list in the latest edition of Industrial Distribution magazine.

Tacoma Screw

Company name: Tacoma Screw Products Inc.
Nominated by: AD
Top executive(s): Eric Niesz, president and CEO; Eric McGregor, COO; Jordan Ramos, vice president and general manager
Headquarters: Tacoma, Wash.
Year founded: 1946
Website: tacomascrew.com
Number of locations: 21
Key product categories: Fasteners, MRO, industrial supplies, safety
Total employee headcount: 380
Total SKU count: 45,000

Company commentary: Founded in 1946, Tacoma Screw Products Inc. is a family-owned and operated industry leader in the distribution of fasteners, tools, maintenance, shop and industrial supplies. With 21 fully stocked branch locations across the Northwest, Tacoma Screw serves more than 40,000 business account customers and maintains an inventory of over 45,000 products. Our diverse customer base includes retail, commercial and government organizations spanning manufacturing, construction, transportation, aerospace, maritime, agriculture, food processing, recreation, institutional operations, and all levels of local, state and federal government.

Tacoma Screw Products Inc.Headquartered in Tacoma, our corporate campus includes executive offices, a branch store and a 65,000-square-foot warehouse. Our primary distribution hub is a fully automated, 115,000-square-foot facility in Gig Harbor, Washington, which supports daily fulfillment and deliveries to all branch locations. Additional Washington locations include Everett, Kirkland, Ballard (North Seattle), Georgetown (South Seattle), Bremerton, Gig Harbor, Kent, Port of Tacoma, Olympia, Yakima, Pasco, Spokane, Burlington and Wenatchee. We also operate branches in Portland, Oregon; Boise, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, and Caldwell, Idaho; and Billings, Montana.

Tacoma Screw is committed to delivering exceptional customer service at every point of interaction. In addition to knowledgeable in-store counter staff, we provide on-Tacoma Screw Products Inc.site VMI support through experienced sales representatives and responsive assistance from our highly trained telephone sales team. For specialty or hard-to-find items, our resourceful purchasing agents leverage thousands of national and international sources to quickly locate and expedite products. When custom or oversized fasteners are required, our skilled machine shop team fabricates solutions to meet exact specifications. Our dedicated distribution center staff ensures every order is filled accurately and delivered on time.

Exceptional service is the foundation of our success, and our employees are the difference. We take pride in earning our customers’ confidence and trust while valuing the strong relationships we share with our customers and vendors. As we continue to grow, we look forward to expanding opportunities and strengthening partnerships throughout the regions we serve.

Do you offer an e-commerce platform? When was it established? Yes, we started e-commerce in 2014.

Recent company news: We recently acquired property to open branch no. 22 in Utah, with an expected opening in the first quarter of 2027. In 2025, our Gig Harbor distribution center went live fulfilling to all our branch locations. Gig Harbor is equipped with a fully automated multi-shuttle AS/RS system from Dematic. 

This article originally appeared in the January/February issue of Industrial Distribution magazine. Sign up here to subscribe to ID’s Today in Industrial Distribution daily newsletter.