Ace cuts back LBM staff

Ace Hardware reduced the size of its LBM division and brought it under the direction of Sean Flynn, a longtime merchandise executive for the Oak Brook, Ill.-based cooperative.

Amy Pellerito, a 19-year Ace veteran and previously LBM manager, is no longer with the company. Ace hired Pellerito as a lumber trader in 1989. When Ace spun off its lumber division in 1999, she continued with Ace in store planning and design. When Ace resumed its LBM efforts with a focused division in 2003, the co-op put Pellerito in charge.

In 2006, Pellerito had four territory managers in her department. Two LBM specialists -- Jeff McGuire and Beth Stewart -- remain with the LBM division, according to McGuire, who pointed to market conditions as a primary reason for the structural change.

Ace spokesman Christopher Boniface said the change is “more than a reaction to economic issues. From our standpoint, it’s a better alignment of our buying offices.”