SUMMER 2021

38 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

38 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK INDUSTRIAL FASTENERS INSTITUTE 6363 Oak Tree Boulevard, Independence, OH 44131 TEL 216-241-1482 FAX 216-241-5901 EMAIL info@indfast.org WEB www.indfast.org IFI SOARING EAGLE AWARDS 2021 by Salim Brahimi At an awards ceremony held during the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI) in Scottsdale, Arizona, the IFI Soaring Eagle Technology Award was presented to Chad Larson of Lejeune Bolt Company, and the IFI Soaring Eagle Meritorious Service Award was presented to Laurin Baker of The Laurin Baker Group. The 2021 Soaring Eagle Technology Award Recipient is Chad Larson The IFI Soaring Eagle Technology Award is named after Roy P. Trowbridge. It recognizes individuals who have extensive experience in the industrial fastener industry and who have made significant contributions to the technological advancement of the industry. Contributions may be through extensive work on fastener standards committees; the publication of widely acclaimed principles or documents; and/or through the development of fastener-related equipment, products or processes which have been widely acknowledged as advancements in fastener technology. Chad Larson serves as the President of Lejeune Bolt Company in Burnsville, Minnesota. Chad’s career in the fastener industry has spanned 30 years and he has worked in manufacturing, distribution, sales, production, quality assurance and now executive management. Chad Larson is recognized for his service and on-going contributions to the fastener industry, especially in the field of structural bolting. He initiated and led a massive CHAD LARSON - IFI SOARING EAGLE TECHNOLOGY AWARD RECIPIENT undertaking to combine six divergent ASTM structural bolt standards into a single coherent standard that has vastly improved standardization of structural fasteners. The ease with which ASTM F3125 was adopted by the entire supply chain is a testimony to Chad’s knowledge and meticulous grasp of the details. His innovative Torque+Angle 144 ksi Fastening System combines improved technologies with appropriate methodologies to achieve an “error-proof” turnkey system for fastener installation and pretensioning, while also simplifying the design of bolted connections. These contributions are significant and enduring advancements in the state of the art of structural bolting. TECHNICAL ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 116