YBI portfolio company launches technology, brand

April 29, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

A Youngstown Business Incubator portfolio company is on track to become the next Amazon for industrial supplies.

Hudson Fasteners Inc. launched 13 Forces Product Genius, the latest business-to-business, or B2B, e-commerce platform.

The company said it will utilize the technology to launch 1IndustrialWay.com, a complete rebranding of HudsonFasteners.com.

“We’re trying to make it easier for B2B customers,” said Cris Young, the company’s executive vice president.

She said the new brand will incorporate seven websites that the company utilizes for specific markets. The technology will make its online industrial-supply catalogs less time-consuming for clients to find and buy the products.

“It’s simplifying the search and the purchase,” she said.

Hudson Fasteners is a third-generation, family-owned wholesale fastener-distribution company, which has operated since 1946. The company relocated to YBI from New York in 2012. The company is led by CEO Lisa Kleinhandler.

Gene Groys, an entrepreneur in residence at YBI and mentor, said in a statement that Hudson Fasteners is ripe for investment.

“These women exemplify the true meaning of entrepreneurship. They’ve brought a truly differentiated product to market that solves a huge problem in the industry, and they command an enormous social media presence to garner fast adoption,” he said.

Jim Cossler, CEO of YBI, said the company’s relocation to the No.1 university-affiliated business incubator speaks volumes about its programs, and that the new technology would bode well for the company.

“I think it’s a really good deal,” he said.