Daniel Kuhlman, longtime Acme Tools leader, passes away
Daniel Kuhlman, who served as Acme Tools’ president for more than 50 years, died on September 9 in Grand Forks, N.D.
He joined his father, Acme Electric founder George Kuhlman, in 1962 and expanded the family-owned company into tool sales, which sparked the growth of the business over five decades as a premier retailer of tools and equipment in the Upper Midwest.
After opening the first store in Grand Forks, Kuhlman expanded North Dakota operations to add stores in Bismarck, Fargo, Minot and Williston, North Dakota. He developed a tool catalog that was mailed to millions of customers and grew into the company’s mail order division in the mid-1980s.
Kuhlman created the Tool Crib of the North brand, which became known nationally and was used to launch the company’s first e-commerce website in 1999 that was sold the same year to Amazon.com. He invested in new e-commerce technology in 2010, relaunching as AcmeTools.com, and established Acme Tools as a leading authorized online retailer of tools and equipment. Kuhlman supported the growing online business by building a distribution center in Grand Forks and adding a second distribution center in the Twin Cities suburb of Burnsville, Minn.
Kuhlman also started Acme Rents in 1995 and Acme Equipment in 2013. He served on the advisory board of Stanley Black & Decker and many other tool and equipment manufacturers.
Kuhlman made Acme Tools an early member of Evergreen Supply Network, joining in 1991. Acme Tools has been named Evergreen Distributor Member of the Year eight times.
Acme Tools celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023.
