May 2023 Newsletter

Meet Blake Ray

Chief Executive Officer
bray@portlandbolt.com
Blake joined Portland Bolt in April 2023. Before Portland Bolt, Blake was with Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC) since 2007. PCC is a global manufacturer based in Portland, OR. Blake’s career spanned across several divisions including forging, investment casting, aerostructures, and fasteners for the aerospace and industrial markets.
He started in operations in 2009 as a Production Supervisor, progressed until 2014 to become General Manager with direct P&L ownership, and then most recently a multi-plant Vice President.
Blake’s passion for American manufacturing started as a co-op with John Deere in 2004. Earlier in his career, he had a two-year stint as a shop and traveling engineer for a professional motorsports team. Blake and his wife Mary are both Virginia Tech alumni and now call Milwaukie, Oregon home. They have 3 children. For hobbies, Blake enjoys being with his family and friends, playing golf, traveling, enjoying the outdoors, and cheering on the Hokies at every opportunity.
Meet other employees →

Meet Geoff Hankerson

Chief Financial Officer
ghankerson@portlandbolt.com
Geoff joined Portland Bolt in March 2023 after 12 years with another long-time Portland-based manufacturing company ESCO Corporation (now a division of the Weir Group, PLC). He held several Finance and Business-related roles at ESCO with an emphasis on Strategy, Financial Planning & Analysis, M&A, Financial Reporting, and Corporate Finance and Accounting.
Earlier in his career Geoff worked as an Analyst in the investment industry at a CUSO, RIA, and Mutual Fund company. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA©) and member of the CFA Society of Portland since 2012.
Geoff and his wife Sara are both born and raised in the Portland area and currently reside in Lake Oswego. They have one daughter Sophie.

Education: University of Oregon, B.S. with a double major in Economics, and Business Administration.
Hometown: West Linn, Oregon.
Activities / Interests: All things Oregon and the PNW has to offer including Skiing, Golfing, Biking, Hiking, and Lake days (wake surfing, SUP, kayaking). We also enjoy spending a lot of time in Central Oregon.
Sports: Oregon Ducks, Portland Trail Blazers, Team Haas, and the Detroit Lions.
Meet other employees →

Portland Bolt Hosts KPFF Consulting Engineers

On April 27, Portland Bolt hosted 15 engineers from KPFF, a local consulting engineering firm. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to learn more about the engineering and design process of a construction project, while the KPFF engineers received a brief presentation and a tour of our 137,0000-square-foot manufacturing facility and hot-dip galvanizing line.

One reason we designed the most technically comprehensive website in the construction fastener industry was to assist engineers in the design phase of a construction project. Some of the many services we can offer engineers via phone, live chat, email, or our website are listed below.

1. Experienced salespeople that are eager to answer technical questions
2. www.portlandbolt.com is the most technically comprehensive construction fastener website in the industry
3. More than 360 fastener-related FAQs
4. Budgetary pricing to assist in the design process
5. Strength Requirements by Grade Chart
6. Fastener Torque Chart
7. Nut Compatibility Chart
8. Various tools and calculators
   Portland Bolt’s manufacturing and galvanizing capabilities
   We appreciate engineers passing our name along as a potential source for the anchor bolts and nonstandard fasteners used on your projects. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any fastener-related questions.
   Is your firm interested in a tour?  Contact us!

What is the Difference Between 304 & 316 Stainless Steel?

304 vs 316 Stainless Steel

When stainless steel fasteners are specified in the construction industry, 304 and 316 stainless steel are by far the most common. Although 304 and 316 are simply the type of stainless raw materials used to produce a finished fastener to an ASTM specification, it is also
common for the finished fastener to be specified as just 304 or 316. The difference between 304 and 316 stainless fasteners is in the chemistry.
Learn More→

Damen Green Line “L” Station

Chicago, IL

Residents of Chicago have been heavily anticipating the new construction of the Damen Green Line “L” Station. Located at 2001 W Lake Street in the Near West Side intersection with N Damen Avenue, the new structure will replace a vacant lot that was once the original Damen stop opened in 1893. Chicago’s Damen Station was opened in a once lively neighborhood in an effort to reach the World’s Fair on the south side.

For this project, Portland Bolt was called upon to provide the required anchor rods, nuts, heavy hex couplers, and custom square plates. The anchor rods were specified as ASTM F1554 Grade 55  and were provided in a galvanized finish,
which we do in-house with our hot-dip galvanizing line. These anchor rods were paired with a high-strength A194-2H nut, a high-strength heavy hex coupling nut meeting ASTM A563 Grade DH, as well as a custom square plate washer meeting the requirement of A572-50.
Learn More→

March Madness Bracket Challenge Recap

Thank you to the 369 participants in the 2023 March Madness Bracket Challenge. This year’s champion was Javier (El Carnero) followed by Jonathon (Timberland Jon) who finished as the runner-up.
Come back in September for our 17th Annual NFL Survivor Pool with cash and prizes worth more than $900.
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