Meet the 2022 STIHL Hardware All Stars: Mo., Mont., Neb.
Here are the next three in the latest class of STIHL 2022 Hardware Store All Stars that represent community-oriented, customer-focused, high-performance hardware-and-building-supply retailing at its finest. From each of the 50 United States, HBSDealer recognized an All-Star performer.
You can read about all 50 honorees here in the digital issue of HBSDealer. Additionally, HBSDealer.com will highlight a handful of honorees one batch at a time. Three 2022 high performers from Missouri, Montana and Nebraska are featured below.
Missouri
Founded by Rudy Buchheit in 1934 as a general store, the Perryville, Mo.-based dealer has grown to more than 650 employees and eight locations in Missouri and Illinois. Buchheit is a triple threat offering hardware, LBM, and farm and ranch products. Buchheit continues to provide a general store feel, but it’s also a one-stop-shop for work clothing, bulk fertilizer, automotive supplies, electrical goods, and pet products. From its website: “We’re not just another Home Center. Oh no. We’re much, much more!”
Montana
Livingston, Mont., is a town built on hard work and integrity. Here’s a store that speaks that language, supports local businesses and does it all in a building that echoes the great lodges of the Pacific Northwest. Co-owner Matt Dowdell, owner of four stores, shared his expertise on store growth during a recent Ace Hardware Convention. His advice: Be prepared. “You have to have a plan B,” he said. “And plan for the fact that things are not going to go 100 percent perfect.”
Nebraska
In 2021, Tyler Loontjer broke the Nebraska indoor pole-vault record held by his father, Glen. Now, along with wife and mom, Lori, the Loontjers are pushing Geneva Home Center to new heights. Entering the store, customers find a strong emphasis on seasonal shopping. An old-time store from the 1930s, the Loontjer family expanded the business with flooring, drapery, bedding and clothing.
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Special thanks to STIHL for its support of the ALL-STAR project. (Note: Not all honorees are STIHL dealers.)