Willard D. Oberton

WILLARD D. OBERTON is President and Chief Executive Officer of
Fastenal Company. He became President in August 2001 and since
December 2002 he has been Chief Executive Officer and President.
He has worked at Fastenal since January 2, 1980. Starting out as
a trainee in the Winona facility, Mr. Oberton quickly moved on to
become an Assistant Branch Manager in Marshalltown, Iowa, and
then went on to manage branches in Owatonna and Mankato,
Minnesota, before becoming a District Manager in December 1981.
In June 1986, he moved to the position of Operations Manager, a
position that he held until April 1997, when he became the Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer of Fastenal. He is a
graduate of St. Cloud Technical College with a degree in
Marketing. Mr. Oberton currently sits on the Board of Directors
of the Merchant National Bank and the Merchant Bank Holding
Company and the Winona Youth Soccer Association.