Do it Best IT exec to retire
Do it Best Corp. VP of Information Technology Mike Altendorf will retire effective Aug. 10, capping a 30-year career in home improvement. Altendorf joined Do it Best Corp. in 2009 as director of IT business planning and architecture and was appointed VP of IT seven months later.
Altendorf’s contributions to the co-op also include establishing a business intelligence platform, many new operational systems, and numerous upgrades to both software and hardware systems. Altendorf is especially proud of his team and enjoyed contributing to their growth. One example was the creation of Techapalooza, the co-op’s annual in-house, week-long technology conference that draws respected industry leaders and speakers from across the country.
The co-op expects to name Altendorf’s successor later this spring, and is conducting a search, both internally and externally.
Prior to joining Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp., Altendorf served for more than 20 years at Ace Hardware, including five years as its vice president of IT. His first job as a high school student was at a lumberyard and hardware store in his native Chicago, where he worked for 10 years.
“I am so honored to have been able to help lead and grow our IT team at Do it Best Corp. over the last decade,” Altendorf said. “And I’m privileged to have spent so much of my career in the home improvement industry. From my very first experience in this industry as a teenager, I’ve learned how rewarding it is to help independently owned businesses grow and thrive. The industry includes so many wonderful family businesses and great people.”
In addition to his extensive professional experience, Altendorf has been an active as a volunteer and educator in the communities he’s called home. He served on the faculty at Northern Illinois University prior to relocating to Fort Wayne, where he continues to serve on a professional advisory board for the department of computer science at Purdue University Fort Wayne and the industry advisory board for computer science at the University of Saint Francis; he is also a member of the board of advisors for Carmel, IN-based Eleven Fifty Academy, a nonprofit organization focused on computer-programming training. He recently completed his term as board chair with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center. He also serves on the Parkview Health System Foundation board and has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana for several years.
“Mike has been the driving force behind a period of tremendous growth with our IT team – an era that has had a profoundly positive impact on our members,” explained Do it Best Corp. President and CEO Dan Starr. “On behalf of our members and fellow team members, we are incredibly grateful to Mike for his years of service and commitment to making this co-op and his community a better place.”
Altendorf’s contributions to the co-op also include establishing a business intelligence platform, many new operational systems, and numerous upgrades to both software and hardware systems. Altendorf is especially proud of his team and enjoyed contributing to their growth. One example was the creation of Techapalooza, the co-op’s annual in-house, week-long technology conference that draws respected industry leaders and speakers from across the country.
The co-op expects to name Altendorf’s successor later this spring, and is conducting a search, both internally and externally.
Prior to joining Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp., Altendorf served for more than 20 years at Ace Hardware, including five years as its vice president of IT. His first job as a high school student was at a lumberyard and hardware store in his native Chicago, where he worked for 10 years.
“I am so honored to have been able to help lead and grow our IT team at Do it Best Corp. over the last decade,” Altendorf said. “And I’m privileged to have spent so much of my career in the home improvement industry. From my very first experience in this industry as a teenager, I’ve learned how rewarding it is to help independently owned businesses grow and thrive. The industry includes so many wonderful family businesses and great people.”
In addition to his extensive professional experience, Altendorf has been an active as a volunteer and educator in the communities he’s called home. He served on the faculty at Northern Illinois University prior to relocating to Fort Wayne, where he continues to serve on a professional advisory board for the department of computer science at Purdue University Fort Wayne and the industry advisory board for computer science at the University of Saint Francis; he is also a member of the board of advisors for Carmel, IN-based Eleven Fifty Academy, a nonprofit organization focused on computer-programming training. He recently completed his term as board chair with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center. He also serves on the Parkview Health System Foundation board and has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana for several years.
“Mike has been the driving force behind a period of tremendous growth with our IT team – an era that has had a profoundly positive impact on our members,” explained Do it Best Corp. President and CEO Dan Starr. “On behalf of our members and fellow team members, we are incredibly grateful to Mike for his years of service and commitment to making this co-op and his community a better place.”