Meet the Staff

Craig Cope—Publisher/Principal; craig@thehardwareconnection.com

Craig is the current director of The Hardware Conference, which is the largest gathering of independent hardware dealers and is held annually in Marco Island, Fla. Previously he spent 13 years with Philip Morris, holding numerous roles in sales and retail marketing.

Doug Donaldson— Editor/Principal; doug@thehardwareconnection.com

Doug has 24 years of experience writing for hardware publications including Hardware Retailer/Do-It-Yourself Retailing and Farm Supply Retailing as well as various custom publications for hardware industry clients. He has written product-driven articles for top consumer publications including Men’s Journal, Better Homes & Gardens and Men’s Health.

Dan Akers—Marketing and Creative Director/Principal; dan@thehardwareconnection.com

Dan spent five years at NRHA serving as art director for Hardware Retailing and director of creative services and new media. He previously served as graphic designer for Riley Children’s Foundation and is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design.

Tom Chasteen—Founder/Principal; tom@thehardwareconnection.com

Tom is a third-generation hardware retailer. For 28 years he and his wife, Dale, directed The Hardware Conference in Marco Island, Fla., which has grown into the largest gathering of independent retailers in the industry. Tom is also a former manager of NRHA’s Southeast Region.

Dan Beck—National Account Manager; dbeck@thehardwareconnection.com

Dan spent 34 years working for The Daily Gazette Company, a daily newspaper serving the Capital Region of New York. He worked in various sales and marketing positions throughout his career. In his last 10 years he served as the general manager.

John Hammond—Senior Business Advisor; jhammond@thehardwareconnection.com

John spent 38 years at NRHA, serving as editor and VP-publishing and later serving 13 years as managing director. Since retiring from NRHA, he has done consulting work for several industry firms.