The Hardware Connection

With a significant winter storm forecast to impact the Midstate this weekend, House-Hasson Hardware announced a change in plans for its Market event at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., consolidating the schedule to Thursday and Friday only and extending hours on both days. The decision comes as forecasters warn of snow, sleet and freezing rain that could make travel hazardous and disrupt plans for the weekend. 

Show organizers said the adjustment was made out of an abundance of caution and with safety top of mind for dealers, vendors and team members traveling to the event. The revised schedule keeps the core Market experience intact while giving attendees more time on the show floor to connect, shop and meet with partners. The event will showcase more than 600 vendors spread across two halls.

“Out of an abundance of caution — and with the safety of our dealers, vendors and team members in mind — we are consolidating the show to Thursday and Friday only, with extended hours,” House-Hasson said in a statement. “This adjustment keeps the Market experience intact and gives you more time on the show floor to shop, connect with vendors, and meet with the House-Hasson team.”

The company also emphasized that the event’s core features — including a special extended Bonus Buy Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Friday and a full slate of Thursday seminars — remain part of the revised agenda, offering dealers multiple opportunities to engage and gather insights. Organizers thanked attendees for their flexibility and partnership, expressing optimism that the Market will still deliver value despite the shortened schedule.

Winter forecasts for the region have grown increasingly firm in recent days. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for much of Middle Tennessee, including the Nashville area, with the National Weather Service and local meteorologists calling for a mix of snow, ice and sleet beginning late Friday and lasting into Sunday. Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing through the weekend, which could lead to dangerous travel conditions, icy roads and potential power outages in the broader region. 

News outlets covering winter weather have noted that this system is part of a broader storm expected to affect much of the South and Southeast this weekend, with snow and ice possible across a wide swath of states from Texas to the Carolinas. Millions of people are reportedly under winter storm watches or advisories as the system moves eastward. 

Thursday’s agenda will still host seminars about merchandising and operational, and Friday’s extended hours provide additional time to explore offerings from more than 600 exhibitors. The Bonus Buy Breakfast on Friday has become a staple at House-Hasson events, offering an early-morning opportunity for dealers to see featured products, bonus buys and deals before the show floor opens.

The storm’s expected timing — late Friday into Sunday — would have conflicted with travel plans for many attendees. Forecasters continue to update predictions as the storm approaches, and attendees are advised to monitor weather updates and travel advisories as they plan their departures and returns.

As the Market gets underway, dealers planning to attend should check event communications and weather forecasts before traveling. Organizers reiterated their appreciation for cooperation and urged everyone to travel safely.

Thomas “Tom” Delph, a longtime leader in the hardware and home improvement industry and a tireless advocate for independent retailers, has passed away at the age of 92 in Columbus, Ind.

Delph devoted more than six decades to advancing the business of hardware retailing through publishing, industry programs, and international trade collaboration.

He also holds a special place in the history of Hardware Connection. He coordinated and hosted the first-ever Beacon Awards, helping establish what would become one of the industry’s most respected platforms for recognizing excellence among independent hardware retailers. 

“For many in the Hardware Connection community, Delph was an industry touchstone, a steady hand, a generous mentor, and one of the people who helped set the tone for how the publication honors the people behind the stores,” said John Hammond, Hardware Connection senior business advisor. 

Delph’s career began in 1958 with the National Retail Hardware Association (NRHA), where he spent 26 years in a range of editorial, sales and marketing roles before becoming associate publisher, helping the association’s industry publications become resources for independent hardware store owners across North America.

In 1985, Delph joined Chilton Publishing as group publisher of the Yard & Home Care Group, where he oversaw four trade publications serving retailers of consumer hardware, paint, and lawn and garden products. He was responsible for budgeting, sales, marketing, and editorial direction, leading a staff of 30 and further strengthening the connection between manufacturers and retailers through high-quality trade journalism and market insight.

Beginning in 1995, Delph took on two roles that would define much of his later career. He became executive secretary of the Worldwide DIY Council, where he worked with 130 manufacturers of consumer hardware goods that sold products around the globe. The council’s activities included organizing international trade show pavilions, conducting annual meetings, and bringing together speakers from retailing, wholesaling, and manufacturing across multiple countries, helping foster global collaboration within the DIY and hardware sector.

That same year, Delph began his work as program director for the Young Retailer of the Year program at the North American Retail Hardware Association. Serving in that role through June 2012, he developed and oversaw the program as a consultant, managing industry nominations, selecting honorees, and producing the annual banquet that recognized outstanding young hardware retailers. The program became one of the industry’s most respected platforms for celebrating emerging leadership and encouraging long-term careers in independent hardware.

From 2012 through 2016, Delph served as senior account director for The Hardware Conference, continuing his lifelong role as a connector between retailers, manufacturers, and industry partners. During that time, he helped coordinate and host the Hardware Connection Beacon Awards.

Even late in his career, he remained deeply engaged in the business, valued for his institutional knowledge, his marketing insight, and his commitment to the independent channel. 

“Wherever he worked in the independent hardware industry, Tom worked to ensure that independent hardware retailers had a voice, a platform, and a future,” says Craig Cope, Hardware Connection publisher. “Through the Beacon Awards, publishing, international trade programs, and industry recognition, he helped shape how the hardware industry communicates, collaborates, and honors its own.” 

The National Retail Federation’s NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show drew about 40,000 retail professionals and more than 1,000 exhibitors to New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from Jan. 11-13. The annual event brought together retailers, suppliers and technology providers for three days of product demonstrations and education focused on topics such as artificial intelligence, inventory management, omnichannel strategy and customer experience.

More than 1,000 exhibitors filled the show floor with offerings that ranged from point-of-sale systems and inventory software to logistics tools, retail media platforms and AI-driven marketing and analytics. For independent hardware retailers, many of the solutions on display were aimed at addressing familiar pressures, including margin management, labor shortages, inventory risk and changing customer expectations.

Amazon Goes Into Orbit, AI Solutions Abound

One of the technology platforms highlighted at the show was Amazon’s Leo satellite internet network, formerly known as Project Kuiper. The system is designed to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband through a constellation of more than 3,200 low Earth orbit satellites, targeting areas where traditional internet service is unreliable or unavailable. For retailers operating in rural or hard-to-reach markets, the technology could eventually offer another option for connecting stores, job sites and remote locations.

Artificial intelligence continued to be a major focus across education sessions and the exhibit floor, with a strong emphasis on practical uses rather than experimentation. Retailers saw examples of AI being used to improve demand forecasting, personalize digital marketing, optimize labor scheduling and refine product search and recommendations. For hardware store owners, these tools are increasingly positioned as ways to reduce waste, improve in-stock performance and operate more efficiently with limited staffing.

Customer experience also remained a central theme. Several sessions focused on how service, product knowledge and local relationships continue to be important differentiators, even as more transactions move online. 

Technology providers at NRF reinforced that message by presenting tools designed to support store teams rather than replace them. Solutions ranging from AI-driven customer service platforms to digital “concierge” systems were positioned as ways to help employees serve customers more effectively across both physical and online channels, pointing to a future in which technology and human service work side by side.

AI Moving Into Store Operations

Innovation in store data mining was on display throughout the show. One example: London-based Quorso showed how its management platform is being used to turn overwhelming store data into clear, daily priorities for retail teams. The system connects into a retailer’s existing data and replaces dozens of reports and dashboards with a short list of actions that tell store leaders where to focus. 

At Tractor Supply Company, where Quorso is now fully deployed, the platform highlights sales leaks, category issues and specific SKUs that need attention, allowing managers to act quickly instead of digging through spreadsheets. Store, district and corporate leaders all work from the same view, with tasks and follow-ups automatically coordinated across levels. For independent hardware retailers operating multiple locations, this type of capability harnesses AI-driven tools to simplify operations and keep teams focused on what will have the biggest impact on performance each day.

What NRF Innovators Says About Where Retail Is Heading

The NRF Innovators section of the Big Show showed how retail technology is shifting from isolated tools to connected systems built to scale. The companies featured in the Innovators area met four criteria: it had to be new to the market (within two to three years), already tested in real environments, ready to scale, and tied to one of four retail pillars—ecommerce and online experience, business analytics, logistics, or in-store shopping. The Innovators showcase brought together 37 North American companies, 10 European firms and three from Asia, underscoring how global the retail tech race has become.

This year, a recurring theme within the Innovators pavilion was physical-digital blending as part of the customer experience. Another big conceptual theme rolled out here is called “gentle commerce”—a future where large language models (LLMs) and non-human agents will begin shopping directly from retailers. More simply: Retailers are being told to prepare for AI — not people — initiating purchases. That raises big questions about pricing, data control, merchandising, and brand loyalty. It’s quite possible that in the future, retailers will need to maintain visibility, pricing control and data alignment when AI systems, rather than people, are initiating transactions. 

Customer experience took a decidedly high-tech turn with Hypervsn, a company which pairs holographic display technology with an AI agent. The system can interact in real time, switch languages, and provide guided customer service.

In marketing, Backstroke showed how retailers can use AI to generate and A/B test dozens or even hundreds of email and SMS campaign variants automatically, integrating directly with platforms such as Klaviyo and lifting performance by 10–40 percent.

Hardware Connection January 14th issue — A Century Club cover story, a Retailer2Retailer about saving lives, and a thought leadership Q&A with an Orgill EVP about consultative selling anchor our January 14 issue.

Lummus Supply Co., with five locations in the Atlanta area, approaches growth with consistency and a customer-first approach.

When Will Lummus talks about carrying on his family’s legacy, he doesn’t reach for grand statements. He talks about people. About culture. About lessons that have been passed down quietly for a century and reinforced every day in the lumberyard, behind the counter and in the office.

“It’s an honor to be able to continue it,” Will Lummus says of leading the business, which boasts five generations of family members who have worked there. “Very few companies last past three generations. I’m proud of the people before me and the lessons they taught me along the way.”

Founded in 1925 as a sand business in Atlanta, Lummus Supply Co. has grown alongside the city itself. What began with R.H. Lummus Sr. pumping sand from Proctor Creek evolved through coal, drywall, lumber and engineered products as each generation responded to changing markets and customer needs. Through the years, one principle has remained constant: Take care of people, and the business will take care of itself.

Now, with its 100th anniversary, Lummus Supply Co. joins more than 1,000 independent hardware and building supply dealers nationwide as members of the Hardware Connection Century Club, a recognition reserved for businesses that have reached the milestone of 100 years in operation.

Business Shaped by Adaptabilit

The company’s early history was rooted in adaptability. Founder R.H. Lummus Sr. traded a cotton farm for a dairy farm on Bolton Road in Atlanta, only to discover that sand offered a more reliable livelihood. During the Great Depression, when construction slowed to a crawl, the family pivoted again. Lummus Sr. sold insurance door to door and even started a truck farm—a small farm producing vegetables for the local market—to stay afloat. Even as the business adapted to survive, caring for neighbors and customers remained central to how the family operated, with help often extended quietly and without expectation.

“My grandfather would give a guy a sack of coal and say, ‘Pay me when you can,’ ” recalls Robert Hugh Lummus II, the third-generation owner, grandson of the founder and former president and CEO. “That was really the beginning of Lummus Sand & Coal.”

World War II brought rationing and workforce shortages, but the company endured. When soldiers returned home, the family recognized the demand for housing and shifted fully into building materials. Many of the homes along Bolton Road were furnished with materials supplied by Lummus, tying the company’s story directly to Atlanta’s postwar growth.

By the late twentieth century, Lummus had expanded to as many as nine locations and became one of the Southeast’s largest drywall distributors. Then came the 2008 economic downturn.

“We were very fortunate that we didn’t have any debt,” says Bill Lummus, the third-generation family member who led the company through that period. “That’s what saved us.”

Culture Before Everything Else

When Will Lummus stepped into the role of president and CEO in July 2021, preserving the culture was nonnegotiable. “We’re not a corporate company,” he says. “Culture is huge with us. I never expect anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do.”

That mindset shows up in practical ways. Lummus Supply Co. employs close to 100 people, many of whom have been there for decades. Managers with 30 or 40 years of service are common. Entire families have worked at the company across generations.

“If you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of you,” Lummus says. “Nobody works for me. I work with everybody in my company.”

Employees echo that sentiment. Phil Tyson, who started in 1982, remembers when the company helped him build his first home, even cosigning his loan. Gary Hicks, manager of the Roswell, Ga., location, recalls being fully supported during a monthlong hospital stay in 2018, including continued pay and even a bonus.

Dennis Hughes, a branch manager with more than four decades at Lummus, tells a similar story about battling cancer. “They said, ‘Take your time. Do what you need to do,’ ” he says. “That meant a lot.”

Continue reading in the January 14, 2026 issue.

By Michelle Leopold —

Stan’s Ace Hardware co-owner Michelle Leopold, who operates six stores across the San Francisco Bay Area, has become a leading voice for fentanyl awareness. 

I often describe myself as the mom in our mom-and-pop Ace Hardware stores. My husband and I operate six Stan’s Hardware locations in the Bay Area, and I’ve learned that running a store sometimes means stepping into roles far beyond recommending fasteners, mixing paint or helping someone choose the right drill bit. More than a decade ago, I pushed for pesticide-free plants to support pollinators long before it became mainstream. That taught me that being a retailer can overlap with being a responsible global citizen. 

In the years since we lost our older son, Trevor, to fentanyl poisoning, that overlap has defined my life. Since we began our naloxone training events four years ago, the landscape has shifted dramatically: Awareness of illicit fentanyl has grown; naloxone, used to treat overdoses, has become widely available—often at no cost—and overdose deaths are declining in nearly every state. Because of this encouraging progress, 2025 was my final year hosting our large store events. But I’ll always use my voice to raise awareness that #OnePillCanKill, and I’m happy to train any first responder who asks. I carry naloxone with me everywhere. 

I never imagined how personal this mission would become. On November 17, 2019, Trevor died in his college dorm room after taking a single counterfeit pill that contained a lethal dose of fentanyl. He was 18. I am a mother to two boys—our younger son, Parker, and Trevor, whom I also carry with me everywhere. 

The day Trevor died, I told my husband, “We can’t be quiet about this.” I chose immediately to speak openly about fentanyl poisoning and the circumstances of Trevor’s death. Stigma never entered my mind—my focus was preventing other families from ever having to stand where we were. 

In those early months, I even had to learn what fentanyl was. I didn’t know the phrase “one pill can kill,” or that teens and young adults were dying after taking counterfeit pills they believed were safe. That lack of understanding troubled me. Parents felt alone. Kids assumed they were indestructible. So I began talking—first with small groups, then at schools and parent meetings, and eventually to anyone who would listen. 

When Covid struck, those conversations moved online. I hosted a Zoom event for International Overdose Awareness Day in August 2020, explaining fentanyl and how to recognize an overdose. Local news picked it up, and more conversations followed. I became one of the early parent voices in the Bay Area explaining the crisis. Trevor’s story began to travel far beyond our family. 

Partnerships and a Growing Mission 

By 2021, I was collaborating with local harm reduction organizations such as RxSafe Marin for Overdose Day. They had deep community roots and welcomed a retailer willing to stand on a sidewalk and teach overdose prevention. Together we organized naloxone pop-ups, handing out kits and showing people how to use them. At the time, access to naloxone (also known as Narcan) was still uneven, and overdose education and naloxone distribution met a real need. 

The turning point for our stores came in 2022. International Overdose Awareness Day falls on August 31, and a group of parents who had also lost children to this scourge were planning a Fentanyl Awareness event on August 21. I wanted to support both efforts. During a managers’ meeting, I floated a crazy idea: What if we used the week between those events to offer naloxone training at each of our six stores? I had barely finished the sentence before every manager said yes. 

That changed everything. 

We set up tables outside our stores and partnered with harm reduction groups to supply naloxone. We invited employees, customers and neighbors to take part. I handed out flyers to nearby businesses and kept the message simple: Whoever shows up, we’ll teach you. Throughout the week, we trained hundreds—one family, one carload, one curious teenager at a time. Employees felt empowered, customers felt welcomed and the community saw a hardware store taking on an unexpected but meaningful role. 

Inside the stores, we framed Narcan as another safety tool. When someone buys a fire extinguisher, I don’t assume they live with an arsonist—they’re preparing to protect someone else. Naloxone is similar. You can only save another person’s life with it. That comparison helped reduce stigma and let people understand why carrying naloxone matters. 

As the work expanded, so did the reach of Trevor’s story. Because I had spoken out from the beginning, reporters sought our perspective. Articles appeared locally and internationally. I use the hashtag #TrevorIsEverywhere because his story has traveled farther than he ever got to in life. Each time I talk to parents, students, Scouts or seventh graders, I think of his friend in his dorm that fateful night, who didn’t know the signs of an overdose and didn’t have naloxone. Knowledge changes outcomes, and I want young people to have information Trevor didn’t. 

Continue Reading in the January 14, 2026 issue.

David Mobley, Orgill’s executive vice president of sales, outlines how shifting customer expectations, innovation investments and market-based pricing tools are redefining distributor-retailer relationships. 

After more than two decades in sales leadership positions at Orgill, David Mobley assumed his current role as the company’s executive vice president of sales. Promoted to the executive team at the end of 2021, he has helped guide a quiet but significant shift in how the sales organization operates—moving from traditional order support to a truly consultative model centered on strategy, profitability and long-term growth for independent retailers. 

Mobley emphasizes practical, data-driven tools such as market-based pricing, assortment planning and tailored retail programs, while also championing initiatives such as Orgill’s new Innovation Center that enable new concepts to be tested and refined before they reach customers. In this exclusive conversation with Hardware Connection, he offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the Orgill sales team works with retailers and where its support is headed. 

Hardware Connection: How has the Orgill sales team’s role changed most during your tenure, and what new capabilities are you prioritizing? 

Mobley: While the role of the Orgill sales team has transformed significantly over the past decade, our core mission—“Helping Our Customers Be Successful”—remains unchanged. The needs of the independent home improvement retailer have shifted from a traditional focus on products to a highly technical and strategic approach to retailing. Success in today’s market requires a comprehensive loyalty program, an informative, shoppable website and a precisely curated assortment mix—all delivered at a retail price that reinforces market competitiveness. The Orgill sales team is dedicated to serving as a trusted partner, working side by side with our retailers in a consultative role. 

Of all the tools Orgill provides, which do you think are the most underused by retailers, and why do you believe they represent untapped opportunity? 

I’d point directly to our Custom Market Retail Pricing solution. To win today, retailers must shift from being margin-driven to being market-based. Today’s shoppers are highly informed; they know what a product should cost. If you price solely on margin percentage, you risk being uncompetitive on high-visibility items. Our tool separates gross margin goals from retail price setting, allowing you to match big-box competitors on key products while recovering margin elsewhere. It’s a proven way to build consumer trust without sacrificing your bottom line. 

Across your customer base, what separates the retailers who consistently handle volatility well from those who struggle? Are there common behaviors or operational habits you notice? 

Most retailers are natural problem solvers, so handling volatility often feels like just another day at the office. However, true volatility management means maintaining unwavering stability, service and profitability despite rapid and unpredictable market shifts. Whether driven by consumer demand, supply chain disruptions or economic instability—challenges we’ve seen plenty of recently—the retailers who thrive are those who expect change. They don’t just react; they get ahead of it and embrace it. Change creates opportunity, and when handled correctly, opportunity drives sustainable growth. 

Continue reading in the January 14, 2026 issue.

R.P. Lumber has opened its 91st location with the debut of a remodeled home center in Carlyle, Ill., expanding the family-owned company’s footprint in Clinton County.

The Carlyle store at 1351 William Rd., opened Jan. 12 following an eight-month renovation of the former Wiegman Ford property. The project converted the longtime commercial site into a full-service home center to serve professional contractors and DIY homeowners.

R.P. Lumber CEO Robert Plummer said the new location builds on the company’s established presence in Clinton County, Illinois, where it already operates stores in Highland, Greenville, Odin and Lebanon.

“Opening a store in Carlyle allows us to be even closer to our customers and provide added convenience, broader product access, and the level of service they’ve come to expect from us,” Plummer said.

The Carlyle location carries hardware, power tools and building materials, including lumber, drywall, siding and roofing. The store also offers decking products such as treated lumber, composite decking materials and roofing supplies.

The store will provide jobsite delivery, free project estimates and kitchen and bath design services, supporting both small repair jobs and larger construction projects. 

The remodeled building sits near major traffic corridors in Carlyle, next to a Walmart and across from McDonald’s, a location Plummer said allows the location to be more accessible. For more information, see the company’s press release. 

“This project reflects our long-term belief in Clinton County and the people who live and work here,” Plummer said. “We’re excited to serve the Carlyle community for many years to come.”

R.P. Lumber was honored with a Retail Beacon Award by Hardware Connection in the 2023 class of Beacon honorees, recognizing it as one of the industry’s standout independent hardware and home improvement retailers. 

Ace Hardware has received multiple national recognitions recently, including placement on Forbes’ 2026 Best Customer Service list, and a 2025 Ecommerce UX Award from the Baymard Institute for its digital shopping experience.

In the Forbes ranking, Ace placed No. 36 overall among more than 3,500 brands evaluated, putting the retailer in the top 2 percent of companies measured for customer service. The list is based on consumer feedback collected over a 12-month period, with customers rating brands on factors such as helpfulness, speed, range of services and how well issues are resolved. The annual ranking, produced in partnership with customer-insights firm HundredX, evaluates brands across industries based on more than 158,000 consumer responses submitted over the past year. Participants rated companies on criteria including helpfulness, speed, range of services and problem resolution. 

Ace also ranked as one of the highest-placed home improvement and hardware retailers on the list.

“To be recognized by Forbes and, more importantly, by customers themselves, is a powerful validation of what makes Ace different,” said Kim Lefko, chief marketing officer at Ace Hardware. “Being helpful isn’t just a promise; it’s our standard. Our red-vested heroes are trusted neighbors in the communities they serve, and this recognition reflects the pride they take in that role.”

This past December, Ace was also named a 2025 Ecommerce UX Award winner by the Baymard Institute, earning Top 1 percent performance for desktop ecommerce in the home and hardware category. The award recognizes retailers whose websites deliver high-quality user experiences based on usability testing and benchmarking against hundreds of user-experience guidelines.

The Baymard recognition reflects Ace’s continued investment in its online platform, including efforts to make it easier for customers to find products, navigate information and complete purchases.

The annual ranking, produced in partnership with customer-insights firm HundredX, evaluates brands across industries based on more than 158,000 consumer responses submitted over the past year. Participants rated companies on criteria including helpfulness, speed, range of services and problem resolution. Out of more than 3,500 brands reviewed, only 300 earned placement on the list, placing Ace Hardware in the top 2 percent of evaluated companies.

Ace stood out among retail peers as one of the highest-ranked home improvement and hardware brands, reinforcing the role that local store expertise and customer interaction play in the overall service experience.

“To be recognized by Forbes and, more importantly, by customers themselves, is a powerful validation of what makes Ace different,” said Kim Lefko, chief marketing officer at Ace Hardware. “Being helpful isn’t just a promise; it’s our standard. Our red-vested heroes are trusted neighbors in the communities they serve, and this recognition reflects the pride they take in that role.”

Ace has in recent years emphasized associate training, service initiatives and customer experience programs designed to strengthen interactions at the local level. As part of that effort, thousands of associates earned Product Knowledge badges in 2025, and the company continued its “Service So Good, It’s Guaranteed” promise, which assures customers they will find what they need in stores or have it delivered at no charge.

The Forbes Best Customer Service rankings underscore the importance consumers place on brands that combine product availability with knowledgeable support and resolution when challenges arise — key elements for retailers and cooperatives operating with local ownership at the center of their business model.