Andrea Bourdelais graduated from the University of Vermont in 1985 and Washington State University in 1991. She has one daughter Olivia who recently graduated from the University of Vermont. She moved from Wilmington NC to the Tristate area in 2017 to help run the family business, Level 1 Fasteners with her brother Ted Bourdelais who is the shop manager and her father Jack Bourdelais, who is retired in place. Andrea is the current president and majority owner of Level 1 Fasteners and is learning how to manage the business with the help and support of Jack and Ted. In 1959 Level 1 Fasteners was started by John E. Bourdelais and Jack Bourdelais in a garage in Huntington Park CA. Since its inception in 1959, Level 1 Fasteners, Inc. has produced high quality fasteners for aerospace, defense, medical and oil and gas industries. We began in the aerospace community in Southern California, putting fasteners on board the Mercury and Gemini spacecraft, as well as countless space stations, satellites, and aircraft. In the 1970’s our customer base shifted from aerospace to defense and oil and gas. We currently, have fasteners on most aircraft carriers and submarines built since the early 1970s. Level 1 Fasteners moved from Compton CA to Huntington West Virginia in 1993. Level 1 Fasteners Manufactures high quality, fully traceable fasteners. Traceable means that every part we make can be traced not only back to Level 1 Fasteners but actually to the company that forged the material that the fastener was made from. In the past three years, Level 1 Fasteners and its management company, High Performance Fasteners, had doubled its revenue in the past three years and is projected to double again in the next thee years.
SHOW NOTES:
- 3:32 Andrea take a minute, fill in some gaps from that brief intro and give us a little behind the curtain look into your company.
- 5:45 How did you get started in the family business?
- 7:19 What is your 30 sec pitch for Level 1 Fasteners?
- 9:16 What would you say is the number one thing you’re most excited about for Level 1 Fasteners right now?
- 9:58 How many employees do you have?
- 10:15 What is the impetus for that growth?
- 11:59 Is Level 1 Fasteners considered a member of the manufacturing industry?
- 13:31 What is your take on the state of manufacturing in WV?
- 14:40 Andrea, how long have you been at the helm leading the organization at Level 1 Fasteners?
- 15:04 What has been your best business moment so far?
- 16:04 What is a leadership take away from the pandemic?
- 17:13 PWV Commercial Break
- 17:50 What is your long term vision for Level 1 Fasteners?
- 18:59 How do you attract new customers?
- 19:41 What is the biggest challenge you’re facing right now?
- 20:36 What is one piece of advice you’d give to young business owners / entrepreneurs?
- 21:16 What is one thing you do every day that contributes to your success?
- 23:02 What is it like leading a family owned business?
- 23:47 What is one resource that you use in your business that you couldn’t live without?
- 24:29 What is the size of your facility?
- 25:01 What is one book or podcast that you would recommend for aspiring entrepreneurs?
- 25:51 Andrea, is there anything else you would like our listeners to know about your story or your company?
- 27:01 Andrea, how can our listeners learn more about your company and maybe even get in contact with you?
- 27:51 Outro