DISTRIBUTORS/CO-OPS

Four new members were elected, plus one re-election.

The exterior cladding brand bolsters its presence in the Midwest.

Members of the Houston-based Handy Hardware co-op received an e-mail message Thursday afternoon from Kenneth White, a partner at consulting firm Tatum, announcing that White will assume the post of CEO.

Several weeks ago, Handy's board of directors hired Tatum to "assess the critical operating, financial and IT related issues currently facing Handy Hardware," according to Thursday's letter. The board voted to accept Tatum's action plan. 

The building products distributor now has 15 Indiana locations. 

Ace Hardware storeowners across four Rocky Mountain states unveiled an interactive new website, myhelpfulace.com.

The new site features several ways for consumers to more easily interact with their local Ace Hardware store in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico.

The LBM co-op evaluated sales growth, gross margin improvement, customer support, and product quality while evaluating vendors. 

An aggressive effort to win the price-perception battle on key items

Among the top 10 companies on the 2012 Home Channel News Industry Scoreboard, none grew faster than Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor Supply. The farm-and-ranch lifestyle provider showed a 16.3% sales increase and an overall ranking of seventh on the Top 300 retailer list.

Rural King Supply of Mattoon, Ill., moved up the list from 25th to 22nd. Also moving up the rankings were Atwood Ranch & Home of Enid, Okla., and Bomgaars Supply of Sioux City, Iowa.