Commentary: All the good they do
Somebody should tell Brent Burger that hardware store guys aren’t supposed to be polished orators on the stage.
Burger owns and operates five Campbell’s True Value hardware stores in Maine, working the farm and ranch market, as well as classic home repair and maintenance. As it turns out, according to sources at True Value, of which Burger is also chairman of the board of directors, Burger was an English major in college.
Chalk one up for a liberal arts education!
As a business owner, the education never stops for Burger. The latest lesson deals with what True Value calls its Road Map to Retail Excellence.
“It helped us identify areas of our business that we should be working on,” he told attendees of the recent True Value Reunion in Houston. “And frankly, it helped us stop spending time and effort in areas that have less impact on achieving best-in-class performance on the six Ps.”
Quick review: Product, place, price, people, promotion, performance.
But there’s another “P” that’s big on his list: philanthropy. It’s a concept that plays out heartwarmingly across the home improvement industry with beneficiaries ranging from City of Hope, the Wounded Warrior Project, the Jimmy Fund, The Children’s Miracle Network and Habitat for Humanity — to name a tip of the iceberg.
HBSDealer asked Burger how business and philanthropy go hand in hand.
“Part of True Value’s strategic plan is to focus on a younger segment of our customer base known as the Young Achiever,” he said. “Young Achievers go out of their way to support brands that get involved in their communities. True Value Foundation is heightening our focus on a more defined stewardship effort to benefit both our communities and our businesses. We’re focusing our vision on providing tools and resources to help youth reach their full potential in the communities we serve.”
Case in point: The co-op (with the generous support of its vendors) is in its first year of a five-year $1.5 million gift to a high-need Boys & Girls Club on the west side of Chicago.
Up in Maine, Burger also serves as the volunteer chairman of a Boys & Girls Club, where kids learn to excel in life.
“It starts with all of us, and I encourage all our members and our associates to get involved in foundation programs that will benefit both their business and their community,” he said. “It’s our mission to give back to those kids who need us most.”
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HBSDealer wants to hear from you. Tell us about your store’s service to the community. Do it for the kids.