Mr. Daniel L. Florness has served as our chief executive officer since August 2024, and previously served as both our president and chief executive officer from January 2016 to July 2024. He began his career at Fastenal in 1996 and served as our chief financial officer from June 1996 to December 2002 and executive vice president and chief financial officer from December 2002 to December 2015. During his time as chief financial officer, Mr. Florness' experience with Fastenal expanded beyond finance, including leadership of product development and procurement, a portion of our manufacturing division, and, in later years, our national accounts business. In his role as chief executive officer, Mr. Florness provides the board with critical input on the development and implementation of high level strategies for Fastenal and on the overall operations and resources of Fastenal. In addition, his long prior tenure as chief financial officer makes Mr. Florness uniquely situated to provide the board with in-depth insight into Fastenal's financial planning, internal controls, and regulatory compliance. Mr. Florness also serves on the board of directors of H.B. Fuller, a publicly-held company in the global adhesives market, and is on the board of trustees of Emplify Health (f/k/a Bellin Gundersen Health System, Inc.), an integrated health care system primarily located in Wisconsin, as well as Upper Michigan, northeastern Iowa, and southeastern Minnesota. Additionally, he has served on the boards of various community organizations. On December 19, 2025, Mr. Florness announced his decision to step out of the roles of chief executive officer and director, effective as of the CEO Transition Date. Our board also appointed Jeffery M. Watts, our current president and chief sales officer, as our next chief executive officer, effective as of the CEO Transition Date.
Mr. Florness has been a director of Fastenal since 2016.