Profile of Fastenal Company 2004 Fastenal Company was founded in 1967. As of December 31,  2004, the Company operated 1,533 store sites located in 50  states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, and the  Netherlands and employed 5,502 people at these sites. In  addition, there were 2,444 people employed in various  support positions. The Company sells approximately 515,000  different types of industrial and construction supplies in ten  product categories. These include (approximately): 251,000  different types of threaded fasteners and miscellaneous  supplies; 85,000 different types of tools; 70,000 different  types of metal cutting tool blades; 37,000 different types of  fluid transfer components and accessories for hydraulic and  pneumatic power; 10,000 different types of material handling  and storage products; 9,000 different types of janitorial and  paper products; 13,000 different types of electrical supplies;  21,000 different types of welding supplies (excluding welding  gases); 11,000 different types of safety supplies; and 8,000  different types of raw materials (metals). As of December 31,  2004, the Company operated twelve distribution centers  located in Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas,  Georgia, Washington, California, Utah, North Carolina,  Kansas, and Ontario, Canada. Approximately 94.8% of the  Company’s 2004 sales were attributable to products  manufactured by others, and approximately 5.2% related to  items manufactured, modified or repaired by either the  Company’s Manufacturing Division or one of its Support  Services. Since December 31, 2004, the Company has opened  additional store sites.  This Annual Report, including the sections captioned “President’s Letter to Shareholders,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysi s  of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Stock and Financial Data,”contains statements that are not historical in  nature  and that are intended to be, and are hereby identified as,“forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Lit igation  Reform Act of 1995 (the “Reform Act”), including statements regarding technology conversions, anticipated cash growth, retentio n of  gross profit margin improvement, the implementation of the Company’s Customer Service Project (CSP) and its anticipated impact  on the Company’s inventory stocking model, inventory turns and cash flow, the leveling off of sales growth and the variabilityof  sales at older stores, growth in inventory, the expansion of foreign operations, capital expenditures, expected purchases of store  locations, funding of expansion plans, and dividends. A discussion of certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to  differ materially from those predicted in such forward-looking statements is included in the section of this Annual Report captioned  “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” The Company assumes no obligation to  update either such forward-looking statements or the discussion of such risks and uncertainties.  Quincy, IL store before & after its Customer Service Project (CSP) conversion 