Throwback Thursday: Menards and marketing
What do Howard Stern, the Spice Girls and John Menard have in common? One answer: they were all mentioned in the same caption on the front page of the July 21, 1997 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer.
Here's the background. Menard, the president of Eau Claire, Wis.-based Menards, was cited as one of the country's leading marketers by Advertising Age and the magazine's sixth annual Marketing 100 awards program. The National Home Center News article explained: "The list cuts a pretty broad swath and includes Howard Stern, the nationally syndicated shock disk jockey, and the marketing brains behind the all-girl pop group Spice Girls."
There were other executives from the home improvement industry recognized for the 1997 awards. Among them were Kevin Sauder, VP of marketing for Sauder Woodworking, the Archbold, Ohio-based furniture maker; Jim Holcomb, VP of marketing for Royal Appliance Co. for its promotions of the Dirt Devil; and Mark Larsen, category manager-communications for Energizer Battery Co.
Menard himself was quoted in the article: "It's a great honor, and we are proud to be recognized and appreciate the recognition."
# # #
Throwback Bonus: Last week's throwback about DIY Home Warehouse generated the following reader responses:
"Thanks for including the article on DIY Home Warehouse yesterday. I worked there in the Kitchen (Cabinetry) department from 1985 – 1989. I worked at both of the first two stores (Brookpark and North Randall). Those days we competed with Builders Square and Forest City. They were one of the first home centers to approach kitchen and bath by including higher-end products. We dressed business professional in the department as opposed to wearing aprons. It was a nice experience. Met some people there who became life-long friends."
- Tom Lokitus,
VP of sales, Wagner's
Jericho, N.Y.
"I worked thru college for its parent company in St. Louis called Eclipse Industries and we owned locally B and B Home Supply-they were absolute innovators in warehouse retailing before Home Depot, Lowe's and such. I went on to have a big box career retiring from Lowe's 7 years ago."
- Jerome Berhorst
HBSDealer’s Throwback Thursday is sponsored by Schaffer Associates, a national management consulting firm specializing in executive search and organizational strategies for the hardware, home improvement, building materials, and consumer products industries. As the premier management consulting firm serving the industry, we help build organizations and leadership teams that foster corporate growth and success well into the future. Contact us at SchafferAssociates.com.
Here's the background. Menard, the president of Eau Claire, Wis.-based Menards, was cited as one of the country's leading marketers by Advertising Age and the magazine's sixth annual Marketing 100 awards program. The National Home Center News article explained: "The list cuts a pretty broad swath and includes Howard Stern, the nationally syndicated shock disk jockey, and the marketing brains behind the all-girl pop group Spice Girls."
There were other executives from the home improvement industry recognized for the 1997 awards. Among them were Kevin Sauder, VP of marketing for Sauder Woodworking, the Archbold, Ohio-based furniture maker; Jim Holcomb, VP of marketing for Royal Appliance Co. for its promotions of the Dirt Devil; and Mark Larsen, category manager-communications for Energizer Battery Co.
Menard himself was quoted in the article: "It's a great honor, and we are proud to be recognized and appreciate the recognition."
# # #
Throwback Bonus: Last week's throwback about DIY Home Warehouse generated the following reader responses:
"Thanks for including the article on DIY Home Warehouse yesterday. I worked there in the Kitchen (Cabinetry) department from 1985 – 1989. I worked at both of the first two stores (Brookpark and North Randall). Those days we competed with Builders Square and Forest City. They were one of the first home centers to approach kitchen and bath by including higher-end products. We dressed business professional in the department as opposed to wearing aprons. It was a nice experience. Met some people there who became life-long friends."
- Tom Lokitus,
VP of sales, Wagner's
Jericho, N.Y.
"I worked thru college for its parent company in St. Louis called Eclipse Industries and we owned locally B and B Home Supply-they were absolute innovators in warehouse retailing before Home Depot, Lowe's and such. I went on to have a big box career retiring from Lowe's 7 years ago."
- Jerome Berhorst
HBSDealer’s Throwback Thursday is sponsored by Schaffer Associates, a national management consulting firm specializing in executive search and organizational strategies for the hardware, home improvement, building materials, and consumer products industries. As the premier management consulting firm serving the industry, we help build organizations and leadership teams that foster corporate growth and success well into the future. Contact us at SchafferAssociates.com.