People of the Year: Richard Maltsbarger

One of the biggest stories in North American retail in 2016 was the Lowe’s $2.4 billion acquisition of Boucherville, Quebec-based RONA, the Canadian retailer and distributor that was acquired officially May 20.

As chief development officer and president of international for Mooresville, North Carolina-based Lowe’s, Richard Maltsbarger has had a front row seat for the trans-continental transformation. “This transaction significantly expands our presence in the Canadian market and provides attractive opportunities to drive revenue and profit growth,” he said. At the same time, Maltsbarger’s team is pursuing ways to “enhance and revolutionize” the customer experience across the board.

As spelled out in the company’s recent analysts and investors conference, in addition to expanding customer reach and capabilities in Canada, Lowe’s is also achieving improved results in Mexico.

"Every investment, every business has a role to play," Maltsbarger told analysts while describing the many-faceted approach as an ecosystem of improvements. 

"This ecosystem is the foundation for what we need to take share across the roughly $900 billion North American home improvment market," he said.

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HBSDealer recognized 15 passionate industry players in our most recent issue. Did we miss anyone? We encourage you to share with us examples of industry leadership in 2016. Write to us at [email protected]