In the 1980's, stainless steel fasteners were sometimes difficult to come by. Except for a few major importers that supplied distributors, inventory was not readily available. Carl Brantley realized stainless steel would never gain wide spread acceptance in the US market place as long as this system kept the pricing out of reach for the average consumer. His plan - to invest heavily in imported stainless steel and sell directly to the OEM. In 1984, he opened Marine Fasteners.

At that time, boat builders across the US were the single largest users of stainless steel fasteners. This market recognized the advantages of stainless steel, and immediately jumped at the new competitive prices Marine Fasteners offered. Within 4 short years, Marine Fasteners was recognized as the premier supplier of stainless steel fasteners to the marine industry.

Primary supplier to America's largest boat building groups

Industrial sales grew slower as buyers initially hesitated at the low pricing Marine Fasteners offered. It was the early 90's and fastener quality was national news. Throughout this stormy period of federal agents raiding fastener distributors nationwide, Marine Fasteners' reputation for quality was never questioned.