About Us

AJAX is a manufacturer and wholesale distributor of fasteners, tools, ladders, consumable products and other supplies used in OEM, MRO and throughout the lifecycle of large construction and engineering projects.

We specialize in manufacturing custom fasteners to your specifications and meeting your timeline.

Our team at our Jacksonville, FL location

Why our clients use us

We are obsessed with providing excellent service. This isn’t a platitude. Many of our new clients are surprised by how obsessive we are about service.
We can solve your crisis. We are your go-to partner. We will do what it takes to locate “hard-to-find” fasteners. When you need a custom fastener to meet your specifications, we can manufacture and deliver it to you in 24 hours or less.
We have done business with your industry. Our broad perspective means we know what works in your industry.
We work with clients worldwide. So far, we have worked with clients in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
We have strong financial strength and carry a large supply of inventory. By operating a debt-free business, we own all our products. This allows us to carry heavy stock which means you can rely on us to have the supply that you need.
We provide the highest quality of products. We do our best to provide the highest quality domestic or international products available. We are compliant with federal standards for quality materials.

Our executive leadership

“Our goal is to be recognized as best-in-class for the products and services we provide. My personal pledge to each of our customers is this – We will relentlessly strive to establish a professional relationship with you based on mutual trust, and we are committed to support the values of your organization.”

“My parents started this business 40+ years ago to provide stability and to build a legacy for our family and community. They chose fasteners – for as my father says, ‘If they aren’t building new, they are repairing old.’

Fasteners are used in every facet of life, are found everywhere and in everything. We provide what the world needs to ‘keep it together’.”

“I’m fascinated by what people engineer and how products work. I love being a nuts and bolts distributor. I get to learn about engineered products, and then I get to supply the fasteners that hold those products together.”

“David and I have been very blessed to have people support us and believe in our work ethic, strong character and dedication. We have always strived to be the best, and we founded our company primarily on integrity.

Our vendors have learned that we can be trusted. For example, if we have received an over-shipment, we pay for the material even when the vendor doesn’t realize their error. We do the right thing even if we are the only ones that will ever know.”

Our history

Prior to 1973, A-Jax founder David Baker worked as a sales engineer for a big corporation where he became familiar with the materials and specifications of bolts. He worked hard to develop strong relationships with his clients and to meet his commitments.

One day, David Baker’s company told him that they would not be able to live up to the commitment they made to one of his largest clients – at the time, the largest shrimp boat builder in the world.

David felt that his company’s commitment was also his own, so he researched which of his company’s competitors could provide his client the materials on time. When David proposed to his client to purchase the materials from the competitor, his client asked, “Why don’t I just buy them directly from you?”

David had been contemplating working for himself even though when he had told his wife Mary Anne that he wanted to sell “nuts & bolts” at wholesale, she thought he was a little crazy. His manager at the big corporation even encouraged him stating, “Well, you’ve always wanted to work for yourself.” Plus, he had just secured his first order from the largest shrimp boat builder in the world!

So, David and Mary Anne took out a second mortgage on their home and set up shop in February 1973 in a mini-market on St. Johns Bluff Road in Jacksonville, Florida.

They called their company Jacksonville Bolt & Screw, and at that time, they were strictly a distributor.

Founders David and Mary Anne Baker in front of our Jacksonville, Florida headquarters.

Working hard

While David scoured the industrial areas of town during the day to identify who he wanted to call, Mary Anne answered phones. They made 16-20 sales calls a day working into the night and putting in 16 hours per day 6 days a week. Within 3 weeks, they were going strong.

They took every job, even ones at cost to establish a reputation for excellent quality and service.

David and Mary Anne fondly recall putting their youngest daughter to work. “Maria was about 10 years old. I told her that I would pay her $0.01 for each box she packed. She didn’t take to it very enthusiastically, but one of her friends did. Her friend set up a production line!”

Setting themselves apart from the competition

When David and Mary Anne started, they made three commitments to distinguish themselves:

They would buy only American-made, name brand products
They would always have plenty of supply
They would provide excellent service

David secured his first bulk of materials by putting up $5,000 cash. His motto “If you’re gonna sell it, you gotta have it” was contrary to what other businesses were doing. So, when his competitors didn’t keep their commitments, the customers came to David.

A-Jax built a reputation of always having the supply that clients needed. As a result, their business flourished.

Many American companies in the 1970s transitioned from supplying American-made nuts and bolts to importing them. Imported products were mislabeled and not made of quality grade materials. American engineered products which used the imported nuts and bolts started falling apart, creating serious accidents and hazards. The whole industry was in uproar, and the federal government stepped in to implement regulatory measures.

Meanwhile, A-Jax business boomed since they supplied quality American-made products. From their inception, A-Jax has had a certification process in place to ensure products are of the highest quality.

A-Jax was also the first in their industry to be computerized. They fondly recall their IBM system 34 and how large the floppy disks were.

“We’ve been blessed”, David says, “but we’ve also worked really hard. Honesty, integrity, fairness and hard work… That’s what it’s all about.”

Our philosophy

We value people at A-Jax! We look for and foster honesty, integrity, fairness and a strong work ethic in our people, our clients and our suppliers.

Building a partnership with our clients

Since we believe that people buy from people, we are committed to building relationships with our clients. We instill an obsession with service into every member of our team. No matter who a client interacts with from our team, they will experience the highest level of service.

You can trust us to be your problem solvers and to keep our commitments.

Technical expertise

We build relationships with our suppliers to position ourselves as an expert solution provider for our clients, knowing everything we can about our products.

Over the years, we have proactively sought education from our suppliers to understand the materials used in our products and their various uses. In addition, our inside and outside sales representatives possess extensive product knowledge through frequent training from A-Jax and manufacturer representatives. Further, we are also known for working with engineers to create innovative products to meet client needs.

Winning results

We are proud of our record for establishing trust and loyalty with people. We are known for having employees that stay with us for decades, which accounts for our hundreds of years of combined industry knowledge. Also impressive is that we still have clients from 1973!

Our brands

A-Jax built its early reputation by carrying a large supply of only “Made in the USA” inventory and name brand products. Today, we do our best to provide the highest quality domestic or international products available. We provide DFARS compliant material, which means that our metals meet federal standards for quality. Learn more about DFARS.

Our brands include: DeWalt, Irwin, Lenox, Newell Rubbermaid, Powers, Milwaukee, Pop Rivet, ITW Buildex, Fein Power Tools, Simpson Strong-Tie, Louisville Ladder, Diamond Products, Sait/United Abrasives, Norton, Freud/Diablo, Jet/Wilton Tools, Loctite, 3M, Krylon and Generac.

Our community

Early in our history, we were told, “the harder you work, the luckier you get”, and we have seen how true those words are.

When we began in 1973, we were overwhelmed by the good people that came forward and contributed to our start-up. We had a long-standing history of being involved in our community, our church and the schools of our children… so our community rallied together to ensure our success.

One person gave us a truck to haul supplies. Another gave us a portable conveyor. Others offered financial assistance, their time and so much more.

Since our start, we have continued to receive support from our community. In short, we love giving back because we are thankful and feel blessed!

Highlights from our history in our community

Founders David and Mary Anne Baker served on the National Fasteners Distributors Association board.
In 1986, David Baker was named Small Business Leader of the Year by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
Children’s Home Society – Mary Anne Baker was a member for 20 years. She also served as local board chair and on the state board for several years.
Safe Harbor Boys’ Home – A-Jax has provided material and financial support.

Today in our community

In memory of one of our employees, we sponsored a Relay for Life team for several years. A-Jax also sponsors the Beaches Habitat under the Habitat for Humanity organization.

What you should do now

If you would like unparalleled service from a world class work-force, then contact us for more information.