News from Current Issue
New Stores:
• Westlake Ace Hardware, a subsidiary of Ace Hardware Corp., has acquired Turner Hardware in Farmers Branch, Texas, as well as four stores from Watkins Hardware.
• Nelson True Value is opening a new store this year in Prairie du Chien, Wis.
• Les and Jeremy Melnick, who own five stores in Illinois, have acquired Leader Ace Hardware in Fox River Grove, Ill.
• Talbert Building Supply is opening a new location in Asheboro, N.C.
• Cameron Eggert has acquired Jerry’s Ace Hardware in Kenyon, Minn., from Jerry and Judy Houglum and has renamed the business Kenyon Ace Hardware.
• Shafer’s Ace Hardware is opening a second store in Eureka, Calif.
• Rocky’s Ace Hardware has acquired Greenville Ace Hardware in Greenville, R.I.
• Bob, Bobby and Renee Heuser opened Heuser Ace Hardware in Bluffton, S.C., in March.
Kudos To:
• True Value Co. recognized 13 members as Best Hardware Store in Town award winners for 2014: Louisa Hardware, Louisa, Va.; Altadena Hardware, Altadena, Calif.; Auburn True Value Hardware, Auburn, Calif.; Hooker Hardware & Auto, Hooker, Okla.; True Value of Rawlins, Rawlins, Wyo.; Martens Reedsburg True Value, Reedsburg, Wis.; Table Rock True Value Hardware, Kimberling City, Mo.; Woodsfield True Value Home Center, Woodsfield, Ohio; Killingworth True Value Hardware, Killingworth, Conn.; Fairmont True Value, Fairmont, Minn.; Hammer & Wikan True Value, Petersburg, Alaska; Stanley’s Hardware, Philadelphia, Pa.; and True Value Home Center, Mandaluyong City, Philippines.
• Kimps Ace Hardware in Green Bay, Wis., run by third-generation owner Craig Kimps, is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
• Lanier’s True Value Hardware in Lexington, N.C., owned by Gail Lanier, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
• Rick Alspaugh, owner of Alspaugh’s Ace Hardware in The Woodlands and Kingwood, Texas, was recognized as one of the first small businesses to join the America’s Heroes First Foundation payroll deduction plan with nearly all of his 80 employees contributing about $20 each month to support the assistance program for military families.
• Apex Tool Group was recognized as the Ace Hardware Foundation vendor of the year.
People on the move:
• Grant Howe has joined ECi Software Solutions as chief technology officer.
Wholesalers in the News:
• Ace Hardware Corp. has signed an exclusive license and distribution agreement with Ace Colombia del Norte SA, which currently operates three stores in Colombia with plans to develop more.
• Ken Marble, president and owner of Horizon Distribution, has been elected to the board of directors for PRO Group.
• True Value Co. reported gross billings of $2.01 billion (up 6%) and revenue of $1.49 billion (up 5.9%) for fiscal 2014. The co-op posted earnings of $41.1 million, down 25.7% from the prior year.
• Home Hardware Stores Ltd. has been named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for the third year in a row.
• Orgill has announced plans to spend $10.2 million to expand its Sikeston, Mo., distribution center by 250,000 square feet. The 795,000-square-foot facility was built in 2009.
Other News:
• Builders FirstSource, the sixth largest pro-oriented lumber dealer in the United States, is acquiring the second-largest, ProBuild, for $1.63 billion in cash.
For the Full Story:
• Ace Hardware Corp. has rolled out a national launch of its Free Store Pickup program at participating member stores. Consumers can check item availability on acehardware.com and then place an order for in-store pickup the same day. For more details click here:
www.acehardware.com/storepickup.
• Ace Hardware Corp. is introducing the Ace Center for Excellence, a new division designed to share the strategies and key principles of the company’s commitment to customer service with businesses and organizations from around the world. For more information click here:
www.acecenterforexcellence.com.
Former Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice Impresses
at Ace Show
Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State, received a standing ovation after delivering an inspiring keynote address at the Ace Hardware Corp. Spring Convention in Las Vegas, Nev., last month.
Rice, who also served as U.S. National Security Adviser under President George Bush and now works as a professor at Stanford University, shared her opinions about world developments and encouraged Ace members to continue their leadership roles in their communities.
“This is an exceptional country that has always managed to do the impossible,” Rice said. “We’re not just an ordinary people. We know deep down and the world knows that when we face a crisis or we face great powers behaving badly, there’s only one country that can meet the challenge—the United States of America.”
Rice fielded a few questions from the crowd and then offered up what advice she would give a small business owner such as an Ace Hardware retailer. “I admire who you are and what you do. If you could encourage others to do the same, that’s what we need. We’re not going to solve our problems without good education and employment, and that begins with each and every one of us,” Rice said.
