Top Women profile series: Kim Lefko
Growing up with two older brothers on a farm in rural New York state, Kim Lefko’s upbringing left no room to be intimidated by power tools, large equipment or any high-testosterone activity. So, in her first year after college and with a degree in economics, she wasn’t all that surprised to find herself demonstrating tools on a job site.
“It comes down to the product, your knowledge of the product and ability to demonstrate it,” said Lefko, Ace Hardware’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “That’s how it started for me. And I never gave much thought to the fact that it was a very male-dominated space.”
Since those early days with Black and Decker, Lefko’s career path rose steadily through Newell Rubbermaid, Radio Flyer and Weber Grills before she arrived at Ace Hardware in July of 2018.
“People are actively looking for jobs and companies where they can connect to the purpose of the brand,” Lefko told HBSDealer. “And that’s what drew me to Ace.”
One can catch a glimpse of what she means by the ”purpose of the brand” by watching any of the Heartware Stories series of videos the co-op has produced in a docuseries project that Lefko spearheads. With production values comparable to anything on Netflix, the docuseries captures stories as simple as helping an elderly neighbor bury a pet to hosting a Christmas event for patients in a Children’s Miracle Network hospital.
“When I came to Ace, I noticed through my traveling across the country visiting Ace stores; the second, third and fourth generation Ace owners are pouring help into their communities in ways that are beautiful and inspiring,” she said. “And we need to capture these stories.” [You can watch them here.]
The diversity of stories in the docuseries reflects the increasingly diverse group of people attracted to the business. “Many of these stores have been part of their communities forever, and we’re seeing changing faces,” she said. “We’re seeing the next generation step up. Several women are stepping up in different roles. The hardware industry is thriving and that’s drawing interest from many in building a career here.”
At the corporate level, Lefko says Ace sees diversity as a business value that will help the co-op evolve and remain relevant to the changing consumer. “Diversity involves respecting different opinions,” she added “And we often say at Ace: ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ So, the more we debate and challenge each other with different ideas, the better we will be on the other side.”
Lefko recognizes also that the recent pandemic was disproportionately challenging to working moms — a topic that has surfaced in events organized by Women of Ace. “I’m really proud that that organization is forward looking, and it’s a large and thriving group,” Lefko said. “And I would say 90% of the content is beneficial for men, too. And men participate in that community, which is pretty cool.”
It’s also cool to see the demographics evolve. “When we look at who’s shopping at Ace Hardware and who’s shopping online, there’s incredible diversity,” she added. “And even among our red-vested heroes who work in the stores, we’re seeing younger people and a balance between men and women.
“Rewind the clock 25 years, it was predominantly men on that job site,” she said. “It’s changing.”
