Pacific Northwest Becoming The Place For Ace

Aspiring hardware store owners in owners have done at least one homethe Pacific Northwest are taking Ace improvement project in the past year, Hardware Corp. up on its offer for big is one of eight targeted for aggressive assistance in saturating the Puget expansion by Ace. Sound area with new locations. Already, Sheldon and Peggy Smith

The co-op is offering $195,000 in have agreed to open a new Ace unit direct aid such as free inventory, and are negotiating to lease a vacant advertising, and grand-opening costs storefront in the Eastside. After opento help offset the $l million needed to ing in the fall, they'll continue scoutopen a new business. Existing Ace ing for additional sites. dealers get $215,000 in help for "I'm going to be doing multiple adding anotherbranch. units," Sheldon Smith said. "That's

New investors pay $10,000 to buy what I looked for, an opportunity to a stake in Ace Hardware Corp., then expandandgrowabusiness." spend $900,000 or more getting theirThree-unit Lincoln Creek Lumber. store outfitted. Ace prefers that new Tumwater, Wa., is negotiating to add a dealers have at least $250,000 in cash branch near Bellevue's Crossroads to invest as well as proven leadership Mall. C.e.o. Bob Thompson Jr. has and business-management skills, been looking to expand for over five preferably in retail. years, and the co-op's incentive pro-

Ace opened 130 new stores in gram is finally making that possible. 2004. should add another 1 70 this "Your break-even is much earlier year, and anticipates another 1,100 than if you didn't have that help," openings over the next five years. The Thompson said. chain hopes to quickly double the 30 To support the expansion, Ace is Ace stores already in the Seattle/ close to opening a 427,000-sq. ft. Tacoma market. import facility in Sumner, Wa., and

The Seattle/Tacoma area, where a next year will open a 788,000-sq. ft. recent Scarborough Research study DC in Moxee, replacing an older facilshowed that about two-thirds of home- ity in nearby Yakima.

Other target markets for Ace include San Diego and Orange County, Ca.

Lowe's DC Defeats Union

A hard-fought battle to unionize 900 workers at Lowe's warehouse in Perris, Ca., has met with defeat. It would have been the first Lowe's facility to be unionized.

"Lowe's does not believe it needs a third party to communicate with its employees," said Lowe's spokesperson Jennifer Smith.

In the weeks before employees voted, both sides accused the other of wrongdoing. Lowe's accused the union of following employees as they Ieft work and making unspecified threats. The union accused Lowe's of harassing employees and threatening to close the facility.

Lowe's warehouse workers top out at $13.50 an hour, while unionized warehouse workers often make $20 an hour with better benefits and work rules. However. some companies pressure workers to increase productivity to offset the costs of being unionized.

Teamsters organizers expect to try again to organize Lowe's workers.

Stolze Wins Patriot Award

Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., Columbia Falls. Mt.. was honored for its commitment to employees who serve in Iraq with the National Guard and Reserves.

Last month, the company was awarded the Above and Beyond Award by the Department of Defense. The law requires that employers maintain job security for employees who also serve in the National Guard. Stolze went even further, by giving these employees bonuses and keeping them on company benefit plans.

"They kept up medical coverage and paid premiums for two months until military health coverage was in place," said Capt. Mark Boardman, a forester at Stoltze. Two other Stoltze employees also serve in Iraq as reservists.

Boardman said that the company did more than just pay for his forestry certification. "Stoltze showed proof of my continuing education credits," he said, "and requested my time in Iraq be counted as professional development for this year."

"They could have easily let those details slip through the cracks," he said, "but they took care of me and my career even though I have been gone for a year already." Currently serving in Kirkuk, Iraq, Boardman is expected home this fall or next spring.