Do it Best celebrates 70 years

Do it Best Corp. celebrated its 70th anniversary at its world headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where it was joined by local city leaders.

Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry, New Haven Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Charlie Hatten and City of New Haven 3rd District City Councilman Craig Dellinger were in attendance, in addition to 400 current and former Do it Best Corp. employees.

Henry and Dellinger both declared “Do it Best Corp. 70th Anniversary Day” in each of their cities, remembering the date in June 1945 when Arnold Gerberding incorporated Hardware Wholesalers Inc. in Fort Wayne.

The company officially became known as Do it Best Corp. in 1998 after merging with Our Own Hardware, a regional co-op serving the Midwest.



“It’s incredible to think about how much has changed since our founding," said Do it Best president and CEO Bob Taylor. "From those humble beginnings as a regional hardware co-op, we’ve grown to serving more than 3,800 member-owned locations throughout the United States and in 54 other countries. At the same time, a big part of our growth as a co-op can be attributed to what hasn’t changed -- our unending commitment to our No. 1 goal of helping our members grow and achieve their dreams.”



“For us, no other co-op offers the combination of flexibility, affordability, scalability and customization in its programs and services, which is so important to us as entrepreneurs and member-owners,” added John Connolly, who with his family operates four Connolly’s Do it Best Hardware locations in Fort Wayne. “In addition, we believe their unending commitment to service -- backed by hard work, determination and innovation -- makes us stronger and more successful as retailers, just like our fellow members around the world.”