Global Fastener News

1986 FIN Bristow Purchases A.C. Furlong

January 15, 1986 FIN – A.C. Furlong Company has been purchased by Ray. E. Bristow.
Bristow purchased the Portland, Oregon Furlong after resigning as general manager of the Ray Bristow Company.
The Furlong company was started by A.C. Furlong in 1929 and upon his death was taken over by his daughter Leona and her husband Arnold. Both have now retired.
A.C. Furlong is a stocking manufacturers rep company, which covers Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and northern California.
Currently A.C. Furlong represents such firms as Medalist, Rein Leitzke, Dack Industries, Lakeview Forge, Star Heel Plate and Everlock Chicago.
The company also owns and sells mild steel threaded rod, B-7, B-16 and stainless steel rod lock washers, tooth washers and coupling nuts. These products are sold through distributors and supply houses only.
Ray Bristow has been in the fastener business for over 20 years. He has served on the board of directors of the Western Association of Fastener Distributors and the National Fatener Distributors Association.
A.C. Furlong is located at 678 N. Thompson, Portland, OR 97227. ©1986/2010 Fastener Industry News

October 2, 1981 FIN – Ray Bristow Company, Inc., will make the first move of its 17-year life early next year.
The Oregon distributorship was founded in 1964 by Ray L. Bristow, a prominent fixture at the National Fastener Distributor Association meetings over the years.

At 73, Bristow is still president of the company, after 40 years of association with the fastener industry. He is now semi-retired. “He is quite boisterous,” his son, Ray E. Bristow, told FIN. “He makes himself known wherever he goes. He’s one of the old timers from back when the industry was more lively, when you would stand up on a soap box and fight for every dime you got.”

Ray and his brother, Dick, are both vice presidents and Tom Wood, secretary/treasurer, completes the management team.

The new building will provide 46,175 sq ft, more than double the 20,000 sq ft they are now in (including a building it bought across the street ten years ago). The new building can, be expanded by another 20,000 sq ft just by knocking down a wall.

The $1.4 million building is in Tualatin,, a suburb of Portland, rather than in the city itself as the old location is. It will have 6,459 sq ft of customer office space and 37,500 sq ft of racked warehouse space and parking for 60 cars.

Bristow serves two major markets: large OEMs and maintenance accounts.
One of its biggest accounts, with which it has dealt for many years, is Freightliner Corp., an OEM truck manufacturer. Other large accounts are Wagner Mining, Reynolds Metals, Crown Zellerbacks, and Martin Marrietta.

“One of the things that makes us very unique in our area,” the younger Ray Bristow told FIN, “is that we are one of the very few distributors who has an in-depth quality control program. We participate very heavily in the nuclear industry in Oregon, Washington and Northern California. We have two employees who are strictly responsible for quality control and that is all they deal with.
“We have a complete program and manual for the nuclear industry and an in-depth library of specs. We participate heavily in the Hanford, Washington nuclear reservation (a major nuclear power research center, and a major location for the Department of Defense’s nuclear weapons program) and a number of other areas. The nuclear industry is in a number of controversies now, but still, there are a number of projects we are participating in. There are also a number of coal-fired power plant projects in the area we are involved in.”

Bristow has one branch in eastern Oregon, at Pendleton (where the sweaters come from), about 240 miles from Portland. They have five employees there.

“We are getting increasing calls for documented quality other than from nuclear,” Bristow says. “As this business progresses, we are finding more and more need for the fastener specialist. People are putting in specifications dealing with heat treating, plating – this is one of the main reasons we got involved in this quality control and got some people who were qualified in the area.”

Ray says that Bristow is now a $4-5 million a year business. Five years ago it was “probably at the high $3 million range. Obviously the last couple of years we have not seen tremendous growth. Survival is the name of the game now.”

The new building is cement for the bottom seven feet. Above that is the naturally rust-colored metal. If things go according to plan, they will move in next February. ©1981/2010 Fastener Industry News

Update: Bristow was acquired by Endries International in 1984.