News + Analysis
Ace builds in Kansas City Ace Hardware Corporation has announced plans to open a new retail support center (RSC) located in Kansas City, Missouri.
Product Knowledge Product: Ultimas lawnmowing shoes Made by: Valley City, Ohiobased Cub Cadet, a brand of Stanley Black & Decker Knowledge: That’s right. It’s a shoe to wear when mowing the lawn. The limited-edition shoe features a water-resistant upper, grass-stain proof exterior, a laceless design and an LED light-up tongue. A step-out heel frame is built-in for easy dismount. Fun Fact A: The shoe was designed by the same footwear insider who was in charge of the Adidas Yeezy Innovation Lab. Fun Fact B: The back heel support resembles a rear bar on the Cub Cadet Ultima Series zero-turn lawn mower.
The new facility, spanning approximately 1.5 million square feet, is projected to be fully operational in 2025, and is expected to provide employment opportunities to over 350 people, reported Ace. Encompassing more than 1.5 million square feet of floor space, it will be almost twice the size of the average Ace RSC and will be the first facility in the new KCI 29 Logistics Park, assembled by Hunt Midwest.
Ace’s Wilton, New York, distribution center.
Employee owned, success oriented The latest “Fast Five” interview from HBSDealer features insights from Xan (Sean) Flink, CEO, and one of the employee-owners of northside Chicago-based Clark-Devon Hardware. In the interview, Flink describes the business decision to form an ESOP and other insight. On the business culture: “The way this business has been run, for a long time, the [previous owners] gave us a lot of leeway, and a lot of encouragement, to try new ideas, so I think we’ve been operating as partial owners for a long time, so I think the continuation of that culture is what we’re going to do.” On sales trends: “We’ve seen a lot of lawn and garden activity. We’ve also gotten right into the swing of the moving season. Property management is a big part of our business so it’s been really great, really positive.”
14 July/August 2023 HARDWARE + BUILDING SUPPLY DEALER
Xan (Sean) Flink, CEO and one of the employee owners of Chicago-based Clark-Devon Hardware.
On the ESOP move: “An employee ownership plan is a good avenue to take if you’re looking for an exit strategy that will maintain the culture and the legacy of your store. You’ve got to have a strong management team in place and you’ve got to have a strong group of employees to make it work, but if you’re in that situation, it’s a great way to go.” See the “Fast Five with Xan (Sean) Flink” interview at HBSDealer.com/video.
HBSDealer.com