DISTRIBUTORS/CO-OPS

Denver -- The General Session at the 2014 True Value Fall Reunion in Denver opened with a few words of inspiration from chairman of the board Brent Burger.

"As you can see from the agenda card, we have a very full program this afternoon and I promise you that it will be one of most exciting General Sessions we have ever had," said Burger, the owner of five Campbell's True Value locations in Maine.

Gina Schaefer, CEO of nine-store, D.C.-area Ace chain A Few Cool Hardware Stores, was recognized recently as a top female CEO during the SmartCEO Brava! Awards.

Schaefer was among 32 women (of 200 applicants) recognized by Washington SmartCEO Media during the July 30 ceremony.

Schaefer has been at the helm of the Ace chain since opening her first hardware store in 2003. Today, she sits on the Ace Hardware Corporate Board and is the board president for Think Local First D.C., a board vice chair for House of Ruth and a member of the Advisory Board for Jubilee Jobs.

How Ace makes a place for itself.

Industry vendors have a unique opportunity to introduce their products to Ace Hardware’s merchandise buyers during its Buying Days event on June 7 in Oak Brook, Ill.

Ace Hardware Corporation hired Karen Fedyszyn as VP of information technology (IT) and chief information officer.

Reporting to Ace’s CFO, Fedyszyn will play an integral role in driving strategic technology and systems management for Ace to shape business functions and deliver significant return on investments, the co-op said.

One of the busiest booths in the Ace Hardware convention in New Orleans, not surprisingly, was the one showing off the new Valspar paint program.

Has the Grinch stolen Christmas?...

Do it Best Corp. recognized its Waco, Texas, Retail Service Center (RSC) team for recording four straight years without any lost time due to a safety incident or injury.

At Waco, and elsewhere throughout the Do it Best supply chain, the distributor has added morning stretches, safety tips and peer-to-peer observations into their work culture to proactively prevent safety incidents. The current safety streak is the longest of any of the co-op’s RSCs throughout the United States.