Fastenal opens store in NR

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Pictured (left to right), General Manager Mark Mullozzi, Lori Simpson and Cary Halverson pose outside the new Fastenal store in New Richmond. The business held an open house and grand opening event last Thursday.

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A growing construction and industrial supply company has opened up shop in New Richmond.

Fastenal is located at 1433 Cernohous Ave. in the same building as Oevering Homes, in the New Richmond Business and Technical Park.

Since 1967, Fastenal has grown from a small-town fastener store in Winona, Minn. into a Fortune 1000 company.

The 2,300 stores across the nation, Canada and Mexico stock everything from tools to cleaning supplies to home improvement items. Much of their merchandise is what one can find in a typical hardware store.

“We’re an industrial and construction supply company,” said Mark Mullozzi, general manager at the New Richmond store. “But we’re open to the public. We’re going to be similar to a hardware store, but the difference is we sell things at lower prices and we sell bulk.”

Prior to the New Richmond store’s opening a few months ago, the closest Fastenal store was in Hudson.

But the company is continuing its policy of opening more stores across the U.S. to add convenience and improve service for customers, Mullozzi said.

“We feel there’s a lot of potential in this area,” he said. “We wanted to get as close to our New Richmond, Somerset, Amery and Clear Lake customers as possible.”

For Mullozzi, who lives in Roberts with his family, the opening of a New Richmond store was a dream come true. He previously worked at stores in Hastings, Minn. and Hudson, but he’s always enjoyed this part of St. Croix County.

He said everyone he’s met in the area has been welcoming and helpful, which is quite a departure from some places he’s worked.

Since opening the local store, Mullozzi said he’s been pleasantly surprised by the reaction from customers.

“It’s gone better than I expected,” he said. “We already had a base of customers when we opened up, but it’s grown from there.”

The goal for every Fastenal store is to be as close to the customers as possible, so they’re able to get the supplies they need in a hurry.

“It’s always been about relationships,” Mullozzi said. “Anybody can sell anything they want, but the important thing is to be local and offer convenience to customers.”

The New Richmond store currently has four employees, although a new fifth employee will start work soon.

Store hours are 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fastenal also has a 24-hour emergency service line for customers who find themselves in need of supplies in the evenings and over the weekend.

“If they call our hotline, we can get them the parts they need and keep them moving,” he said.

Tags: new richmond, business, retail, industry