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September 23, 2026 Vol. 18, No. 18

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DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

12 Special Issue: 2026 Digital Beacon Awards 14 Ambridge Home Center

Shelf Life

BY DOUG DONALDSON

Upcoming Events

In the News

ON THE COVER David Strano, owner of Ambridge Do it Best Home Center in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, turns original social content into store traffic, nationwide sales and videos with more than 1 million views—earning the 2026 Digital Beacon Award for Excellence.

CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 23, 2026 | VOL. 18, NO. 18

BEACON AWARD FOR DIGITAL EXCELLENCE

From million-view videos to Pittsburgh Pirates hats shipped to 25 states, David Strano’s purposeful approach to social media and e-commerce put Ambridge at the top of this year’s digital field.

DIGITAL BEACON AWARD CATEGORY WINNERS

Best Social Media Campaign: T&M Hardware & Rental Samantha Post turns a lesson about practical Christmas gift-giving into the “What You Need” campaign, making everyday hardware necessities worth putting under the tree.

Best Website or E-Commerce Experience: Bloedorns This Torrington, Wyoming, retailer set out to rethink its digital presence and emerged with a standout mix of e-commerce convenience, company expertise and customer connection.

Outstanding Community Engagement: The Pick & Shovel An employee’s request for support on World Down Syndrome Day sparks an outpouring of community engagement for the Newport, Vermont, retailer.

Top Digital Advertising Campaign: McCoy’s Building Supply A relatable ad campaign from the San Marcos, Texas–based retailer taps into the habits, humor and hard work that make its customers feel understood.

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Best Social Media Post: Newton’s True Value Hardware A century-old company in Cherryvale, Kansas, taps into a trending social media joke to showcase its employees’ personality and knack for connecting with customers online.

HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026 ■ 5

ADVERTISERS INDEX PUBLISHER / PRESIDENT

Scott Wright

swright@YourNHPA.org EDITOR / DIRECTOR OF CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

Lindsey Thompson

lthompson@YourNHPA.org EDITOR

Doug Donaldson

doug@thehardwareconnection.com 646-508-7904

A.O. Smith/Reliance

reliancewaterheaters.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Do it Best/True Value

BEACON AWARDS WHOLESALE SPONSOR

doitbestonline.com | truevaluecompany.com. . . . . . . . . . 9

Epicor Software Corporation BEACON AWARDS SPONSOR

epicor.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 27

Ettore

BEACON AWARDS SPONSOR

ettore.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Fluidmaster

dbeck@thehardwareconnection.com

fluidmaster.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Dan Beck

518-852-9624 SENIOR DESIGNER

Autumn Ricketts

aricketts@YourNHPA.org CONTRIBUTORS

Brian Dawson

Hardware Connection is published 24 times a year by The North American Hardware and Paint Association. All editorial contents copyrighted 2026 by the publisher. No editorial may be reproduced without the prior permission of the publisher.

The North American Hardware and Paint Association 1025 East 54th St. Indianapolis, Indiana 317-275-9400 NHPA@YourNHPA.org YourNHPA.org

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BEACON AWARDS SPONSOR

J3 POS

j3pos.biz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Midwest Fastener Corp.

fastenerconnection.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

NHS Concept to Commerce CENTURY CLUB SPONSOR

nationalhardwareshow.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Oatey

oatey.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Orgill

BEACON AWARDS WHOLESALE SPONSOR

orgill.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 3

Retail Automation

retailautomation.biz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Sika

usa.sika.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

WD-40—Beacon Award Sponsor DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS SPONSOR

wd40.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

6 ■ HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026

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SHELF LIFE

ONE MORE JOB WORTH DOING WELL By Doug Donaldson

ndependent hardware retailers’ job description might as well read: “All other duties as assigned, needed, requested, cajoled, volunteered for, stumbled into or discovered five minutes before closing.” Buyer. Merchandiser. HR manager. Cashier. Community booster. Plumber when the restroom backs up. Of course, nowadays, add content creator to the list. Tap into your accountant job description and you’ll see the numbers check out. According to Constant Contact’s 2026 Small Business Now survey, 73% of small-business owners identify as content creators in some capacity, while 47% personally manage their company’s entire social media presence. Spend some time with this year’s Hardware Connection Digital Beacon Award winners and those numbers become easier to believe. What struck me while working on the profiles of this year’s honorees was how differently six independent retailers approached the same basic challenge: connecting with customers when they aren’t standing inside the store.

At Ambridge Home Center in Pennsylvania, David Strano has made content creation part of his daily routine, sometimes posting three or four times a day. That consistency has produced videos with more than 1 million views and bottom-line results: He has a new niche of selling Pittsburgh sports merch nationwide, increased rental business and more feet striding through the doors. T&M Hardware & Rental found inspiration in the decidedly unglamorous stuff people in its Ohio and Pennsylvania markets actually must have. Its “What You Need” Christmas campaign turned practical hardware products into gift ideas with humor and personality. Newton’s True Value in Cherryvale, Kansas, took a trending social-media joke, dropped its employees into an oversized coffee thermos and created a winning social media post that felt unmistakably like Newton’s. The Pick & Shovel took another route. Its World Down Syndrome Day post generated more than 700 likes and dozens of heartfelt comments because it reflected the relationship

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SHELF LIFE that the Newport, Vermont, retailer already enjoys with its community. McCoy’s Building Supply went bigger with a professionally produced advertising campaign, “We Get You,” which intimately, yet with smart humor, connects with customers and conveys that the Texas retailer really, truly knows the people it serves. The redesigned website of Bloedorns in Wyoming, brings the store experience online, combining e-commerce with the expertise, service and customer engagement that define the business. The mantra for a successful digital presence: Technology should support what makes your business valuable—not replace it. The common thread is the way these retailers know their customers and give them something worth stopping in for. Connections like that make WD-40 an especially appropriate sponsor for the Digital Beacon Awards. The brand understands digital marketing. WD-40 has used creators, video, humor, how-to content and social campaigns to reach both longtime users and younger audiences. Its recent Repair Challenge invited DIYers and professionals to share their own repairs through photos and videos, putting customers and their work at the center of the conversation. Thanks to WD-40 for helping us recognize independent retailers

doing the same thing in their own distinctive ways. These six winning retailers offer a lesson that should have a considerably longer shelf life: Know your customers, know your voice and give people a reason to pay attention. Maybe the best illustration of all this came at the Independent Home Improvement Awards Gala in July. David Strano had just accepted the Digital Beacon Award for Excellence on behalf of Ambridge Home Center and was giving his acceptance remarks when he stopped, turned his back to the audience and held up his phone. He wanted a selfie with his award, the podium and the Awards Gala crowd behind him. “I need it for a post,” he explained to audience applause and laughter. It was one of my favorite moments of the Gala—and a fitting snapshot of this year’s Digital Beacon Awards. Here was a retailer being recognized for knowing how to connect with customers online, standing onstage accepting the award—knowing he had an amazing new piece of content. In honoring these creative retailers, it is my fervent hope that others across the independent channel are inspired to make a little more room on those already lengthy job descriptions for one more role: award-winning content creator.

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS

Hardware Connection editor Doug Donaldson presents the Digital Beacon Award for Excellence to Ambridge Do it Best Home Center owner David Strano during the IHI Conference Awards Gala in Orlando, Florida, this July.

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Retail’s

BEST ONLINE CONNECTIONS

By Doug Donaldson

ardware Connection’s Digital Beacon Awards recognize independent home improvement retailers who are finding effective ways to connect with customers and strengthen their businesses through digital tools. The awards honor excellence across social media, websites and e-commerce, digital advertising and online community engagement, along with an overall Digital Excellence winner whose work stands out across multiple areas.

TheHardwareConnection.com

The Digital Beacon Awards celebrate the ways retailers put technology to work—combining creativity, strategy and an understanding of their customers to produce meaningful, measurable results. These honorees are leading the way, offering ideas and approaches other independent retailers can learn from and adapt to their own operations. In the pages ahead, meet the 2026 Digital Beacon Award honorees and see how they’re extending the strengths of independent retail into the digital world. n

HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026 ■ 13

2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS DIGITAL EXCELLENCE OVERALL WINNER

Posing

WITH PURPOSE AMBRIDGE DO IT BEST HOME CENTER IN AMBRIDGE, PENNSYLVANIA, TURNS CONSISTENT ORIGINAL CONTENT INTO MEASURABLE RESULTS, USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY TIES AND DRIVE STORE TRAFFIC.

Pittsburgh Pirates hat doesn’t have to travel far to find a buyer in western Pennsylvania. At Ambridge Do it Best Home Center, many such caps traveled much farther. When owner David Strano posted a new licensed Pirates hat on social media last summer, the response was immediate. The store sold out within two days as messages

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David Strano, winner of the Beacon Award for Digital Excellence, captures the crowd at the IHI Conference Awards Gala. Posts like this have generated more than 1.5 million video views and extended Ambridge Home Center’s reach.

An employee dressed as the Grinch helped Ambridge Home Center turn a holiday post into viral content, reflecting Strano’s strategy of mixing humor and employee personalities into the store’s social media presence.

TheHardwareConnection.com

and orders arrived from well beyond Ambridge—Strano’s store was shipping Bucco lids to customers in 25 states. For Strano, those sales represent something bigger than one well-timed product post. They show what can happen when a local business understands its identity, gives people a reason to keep paying attention and then recognizes the moments when attention translates into business. That approach runs throughout Ambridge Home Center’s presence on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The 55-employee family business posts several times a day, mixing products and promotions with employees, customers, community events, pets and plenty of humor. Some posts entertain. Others bring customers through the doors. One video has generated more than 1.5 million views. Behind that steady stream of content is a deliberate strategy: Keep the store familiar, useful and engaging to the people it

HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026 ■ 15

2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS serves, then measure what resonates and adjust accordingly. That’s why social media is now an integral part of the more than four-decade-old family business’s customer connection and it has earned Ambridge Do it Best Home Center the 2026 Beacon Award for Digital Excellence.

Ambridge maintains a content calendar and divides responsibilities among a small team. Certain posts have regular slots. Mondays bring the week’s event calendar, including food trucks, classes and special events. Tuesdays feature the flavor of the week from a local doughnut business whose products Ambridge sells on Saturdays. From Print to Posts Print promotions are carried onto the Strano grew up in the business his website and social channels. family started in the early 80s. His Around those planned posts, father remains company president, and the team leaves room for whatever Strano worked at the store through high happens inside the store. school and college, learning different “You have to have an agenda,” roles throughout the operation. His wife Strano says. “But you have to throw in has since joined the business as well. the random posts, too.” His introduction to social media That can mean an employee came early. As a college student birthday or one of several reels the around 2005, Strano remembers team produces each week. Cashiers Facebook when access was still are trained to photograph the pets limited to students at select colleges. customers bring into the pet-friendly He didn’t create a Facebook page for store and provide captions for the business until about 2010, when social posts. the platform was beginning to reach a The result can be three or four posts much broader audience. in a day without the feed feeling like a What followed was no overnight repeating advertisement. success. “It took six years and a lot of hard work,” Strano says. “There was a lot of Give Them a Reason to Watch blood, sweat and tears putting out good Such variety is intentional. Strano has learned that customers quickly tune out content on a daily basis.” a business that constantly tries to sell That daily commitment remains the them something. foundation of Ambridge’s strategy. “First and foremost, be consistent,” “People don’t want to be sold every he says. “You can’t take a week off single day,” he says. “They want to be social media. It doesn’t work that way.” part of you. They want to be engaged.” 16 ■ HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026

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Pittsburgh sports merchandise gives Ambridge Home Center plenty to talk about on social media, with posts about new and trending items generating immediate customer interest and, in some cases, orders from across the country.

He describes social media as a stage. Someone might be having a lousy day and encounter a funny Ambridge video that draws a laugh. Those moments might not immediately sell a product, but they give customers another reason to pay attention the next time Ambridge has something to say. Some of its biggest hits have been remarkably simple. One video involving a pen tossed into a bucket has drawn more than 1.5 million views. Seasonal videos featuring an employee dressed as the Easter Bunny or the Grinch have taken off as well. TheHardwareConnection.com

The store loops in customers, too. About once a month, Strano features longtime customers, and familiar community members sometimes appear in videos. The response has reached the point where customers contact the store asking if they can be in one. “People get to know who the employees are,” Strano says. “It’s a face and a name.” Ambridge’s annual Facebook pet contest demonstrates how effectively that relationship can work in the other direction. The contest, now about a decade old, has generated as many as

HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026 ■ 17

2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS Beyond attracting eyeballs, the 1,200 to 1,300 entries, with customers posting pictures of their four-legged Ambridge social media team evaluates friends. Strano says a contest can add whether people acted on posts. 300 to 500 followers to the store’s social audience. A Digital Front Door Ambridge’s website gives those When a Post Rings the Register customers another way into the Entertainment and community may business, offering online ordering, keep people watching, but Strano also same-day pickup, rental information, knows when it’s time to sell. weekly and monthly promotions, The trick is finding something worth employment information and answers to talking about. Posting another familiar common questions. commodity usually won’t create Strano says there’s more work ahead. urgency. A distinctive product arriving at With about 56,000 SKUs in the store, precisely the right moment can. Those the website doesn’t yet represent sales aren’t the core of Ambridge’s everything Ambridge sells, and he business, Strano says. They’re a sees opportunities to improve search bonus made possible by an audience visibility and expand e-commerce. that extends far beyond the store’s For now, the store typically receives immediate market. five to 10 same-day pickup or ship-to-store Digital promotion can have an orders per day. Strano sees the website even more direct local impact. When Ambridge added a black-and-gold dunk and social media as pieces of an ongoing digital evolution rather than a tank to its rental inventory, the store promoted it on social media. It went out finished project. That willingness to keep changing about ten times its first two weeks. “[Customers] wouldn’t find out about extends back to the products on Ambridge’s shelves. WD-40, the Digital it any other way,” Strano says. Beacon Award sponsor, has been part Ambridge measures those results of the assortment since the business alongside conventional social analytics. The team watches views and opened. What began with a hardware staple has grown into a dedicated engagement, but Strano also tracks automotive aisle carrying multiple redemption of monthly coupons and promotions and watches what happens WD-40 products, including specialty to sales after a product appears online. lubricants and penetrants.

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Digital Beacon Awards sponsor WD-40 has been part of Ambridge Home Center’s assortment for more than four decades, a longstanding brand relationship Strano continues to reinforce through in-store promotions and the store’s content.

The channels have changed. The underlying retail job hasn’t. For Strano, digital media gives an independent business something especially valuable: the ability to tell customers who it is every day. “I’m a single store. I don’t have the power of Walmart or Home Depot,” he says. “But I can continue to work hard and put out good content.” That is also the advice he offers other independents: Post consistently, involve more than one employee, create a calendar, maintain a backlog of ideas and make digital communication a real

TheHardwareConnection.com

responsibility rather than something squeezed in only when there’s time. Most important, give people something original to remember. “You want them reminded on a daily basis,” Strano says. “Put out who you are.” The best measure of Ambridge Home Center’s success comes back to that Pittsburgh Pirates hat. Strano put something interesting in front of customers, they paid attention and two days later the hats were gone. Views and shares can tell him plenty, but the final score is what happens next. n

HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026 ■ 19

2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNER | BEST SOCIAL MEDIA POST

Shaking

UP THE FEED

NEWTON’S TRUE VALUE IN CHERRYVALE, KANSAS, TURNS A TRENDING JOKE INTO A SHOWCASE FOR THE PEOPLE AND PERSONALITY BEHIND THE CENTURY-OLD HARDWARE STORE.

ne by one, the employees of Newton’s True Value happily walk out the front door of the store and disappear into an oversized coffee thermos sitting in the foreground. The caption on the screen reads: “How it feels leaving work on a Friday.”

Then somebody gives the cup a shake and employees tumble onto the floor, accompanied by the words: “When you realize we’re open Saturdays!!!” The short video earned Newton’s the 2026 Digital Beacon Award for Best Individual Social Media Post, but its appeal goes beyond a well-executed

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Fourth-generation owner Megan Menzer carries forward more than a century of family ownership at Newton’s True Value, where social media has become an everyday part of connecting the Cherryvale store with its community.

visual gag. For owner Megan Menzer, it represents something Newton’s has increasingly tried to accomplish online: Give customers another way to get to know the people behind the business. “They can shop anywhere,” Menzer says. “They choose to shop with us because of who we are.” That philosophy carries particular weight at a business whose relationship with its hometown stretches back more than a century. 4 Generations in Cherryvale Hardware Connection Century Club retailer Newton’s True Value traces its roots to 1924, when Menzer’s great-grandparents, Earl and Grace Newton, opened an appliance and contracting business in Cherryvale. Grace ran the appliance side of the operation, beginning a family-business tradition that would eventually pass through four generations. Menzer’s father, Joe Long, joined True Value hardware in 1976, and Menzer grew up around the store, started working there in fifth grade and returned after graduating from nearby Pittsburg State University.

TheHardwareConnection.com

Newton’s winning post brings the entire store team into the act, using a trending video concept to showcase the employees and personality behind the business.

HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026 ■ 21

2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS Today, the fourth-generation owner faces a challenge her great-grandparents could hardly have imagined: making sure a local business remains visible in a world where customers increasingly encounter companies first through a phone screen. Newton’s has been on Facebook since the platform’s relatively early days, but its approach has evolved past solely posting products and promotions. Social media, Menzer says, has become another key part of business operations. She once handled the store’s content herself. As its presence grew, she recognized the value of putting someone creative in charge who genuinely enjoyed social media. That role now belongs to Newton’s store manager, Alura Simmons.

Even when Newton’s goes for a laugh, the store remains part of the message. Employees pose with merchandise, while products and services—such as key cutting—provide a retail backdrop for entertaining posts.

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Catching the Moment Simmons keeps an eye on trends circulating online and considers whether they can be translated into something that feels natural for Newton’s. That can require moving quickly. A trend that works today might disappear from

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS

Newton’s True Value has served Cherryvale, Kansas, since 1924, with its Digital Beacon Award showing how the century-old business continues to find new ways to connect with customers.

customers’ feeds a month later, making social media difficult to manage alongside the daily demands of a retail store. The filter is authenticity. Simmons looks for trends involving retail, work or everyday situations that can be narrowed to something specific to hardware. The resulting videos frequently draw on things the Newton’s staff actually experiences. Even when the primary objective is a laugh, Menzer and Simmons want the store itself to be part of the picture: They’ll film an employee holding a specific product or a department or display will be visible behind the action.

“We try to make every post practical,” Menzer says. The winning video takes that approach in another direction. Rather than featuring a particular product, the entire Newton’s crew—and the idea that the store is open on Saturdays—become the content. Customers noticed. Menzer says people have mentioned the post while shopping in the store and around Cherryvale, including encounters at the grocery store. Some customers have even begun asking when they can appear in a Newton’s video themselves. For Digital Beacon judge Kathryn Emery, home improvement and

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS lifestyle expert and creator of BeTheBestHome.com, the post captured what effective social media can accomplish. “Social media is about engaging people in a trending, relevant way and standing out in a funny or sincere way,” Emery says. “People remember the way your post made them feel, and this post was trending, funny and included the whole store.” Emery also saw something happening on the other side of the camera: Bringing the entire staff into

the production can build internal camaraderie and give employees another reason to feel proud of their workplace. Participation buy-in is important to Menzer as well. Featuring a variety of employees enables different personalities to emerge and makes the store more relatable to customers who may know those same people from elsewhere in the community. It also helps Newton’s reach beyond the generations of customers who already know the business.

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“We live and work in a really small town,” Menzer says. Humor, she adds, provides a way to reach an audience the store might not connect with through a conventional product post. After more than 100 years in Cherryvale, Newton’s has accumulated plenty of history. Its social media gives customers a chance to see the people writing the current chapter—and sometimes that means stuffing the whole crew into a coffee thermos and shaking them out onto the floor. n

TheHardwareConnection.com

Social media is about engaging people in a trending, relevant way and standing out in a funny or sincere way. People remember the way your post made them feel, and this post was trending, funny and included the whole store.” —Kathryn Emery, Digital Beacon Awards Judge

HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026 ■ 27

2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNER | SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Samantha Post brings T&M Hardware & Rental’s personality and decades of industry know-how to the retailer’s social media, including its award-winning “What You Need” campaign.

d e e N a g Makin

WORTH WANTING T&M HARDWARE & RENTAL, WITH SIX LOCATIONS IN PENNSYLVANIA AND OHIO, FINDS A FRESH WAY TO PUT HARDWARE ON CUSTOMERS’ HOLIDAY SHOPPING LISTS.

ontent calendars, audience strategy analysis and creative development can all shape a successful social campaign. But sometimes digital marketing ideas come from a conversation about giving somebody bathroom cleaner for Christmas.

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T&M’s “What You Need” videos reframe practical gifts as a way to cover everyday expenses for someone else, leaving recipients more money to spend on the things they want.

Samantha Post, co-owner of T&M Hardware & Rental, says the inspiration for the “What You Need” social media campaign emerged while she was talking with a Rust-Oleum representative at a Do it Best market. The conversation turned to The Pink Stuff cleaning products, then to another cleaner the representative had once given her adult children for TheHardwareConnection.com

Christmas. Why? Because she was tired of seeing their dirty bathrooms. The paint rep jokingly shared that her children were less than thrilled with her generosity, and her insightful response stuck with Post: “Sometimes you get what you need, not what you want.” Post immediately recognized something bigger in that line.

HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026 ■ 29

2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS “I heard that phrase and thought, ‘That’s brilliant for a Christmas gift-giving campaign,’” she says. The social media program that followed won T&M Hardware & Rental the 2026 Digital Beacon Award for Best Social Media Campaign. It also illustrates something that has become increasingly important to the second-generation retailer: finding fresh ways to tell people what a hardware store can mean to them. A Different Kind of Christmas List Post understood the idea because she had been on the receiving end of those practical presents herself. After college, her mother would give her boxes containing things such as socks and toothpaste. “I was really grateful to have someone spend their money on those things that I needed but hated spending my money on,” she says. That became the premise behind “What You Need.” Instead of competing for holiday dollars with conventional gifts, T&M encouraged customers to

think about presents that solve problems or remove everyday expenses: the supplies needed to finish a lingering project, the part that fixes an annoyance around the house or even a collection of cleaning products. That approach also addressed a changing holiday reality inside T&M’s stores. The retailer had reduced its purchases of overtly Christmas-themed gifts and decorations as prices climbed and consumers became accustomed to waiting for post-holiday markdowns. Post saw an opportunity to replace some of those sales without pretending a hardware store needed to become a Christmas boutique. “We needed a new strategy to retain holiday sales without the influx of Christmas gifts and decor,” she says. She’s quick to point out that “What You Need” remains an idea in flux. She isn’t claiming a dramatic sales increase from the first season. The objective is to change how customers think about hardware-store gift giving over time, and T&M plans to watch this year’s holiday results for signs that the message is gaining traction.

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TheHardwareConnection.com

Post (right) talks with customers and employees at the front counter, where the everyday interactions and hardware know-how that shape T&M’s social media begin. TheHardwareConnection.com

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS The campaign nevertheless stood out to Digital Beacon Award judges. “This series of posts connected the community to the local store know-how,” says Hardware Connection editor Doug Donaldson. “The campaign combines personality, products and problem-solving for customers—all while driving seasonal sales and foot traffic.” Hardware Knowledge Is the Story T&M Hardware & Rental has spent 35 years accumulating stories. Tim and Mary Post bought their first hardware store in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, in 1991, investing their retirement savings into the distressed operation. They eventually expanded T&M to five locations in western Pennsylvania and one in eastern Ohio. Their lifetime accomplishments earned Tim and Mary a 2020 Retail Beacon Award. Their four children grew up in the business; Samantha returned after working in Washington, D.C., bringing experience in marketing and communications with her. Today, she’s a second-generation co-owner and marketing leader for the family company.

Her earlier work included a health-promotion campaign in which she studied ways to engage audiences with messages designed to change behavior. One approach was “edu-tainment”— presenting useful information in an entertaining way. That concept followed her into hardware. “We fully acknowledge that hardware is boring, but our goal is to showcase all the interesting and cool things that people do with the hardware when they leave, or what the hardware from our store was capable of building,” Post says. Rather than relying primarily on the company’s longevity for social content, she increasingly wants T&M’s accumulated hardware knowledge to carry the story. “The same core hardware still exists today as when we started in 1991,” she says. “But we’ve certainly learned an awful lot about hardware over the course of 35 years from helping so many people in the aisles.” That philosophy can produce some unpredictable storytelling. One T&M social-media thread began with spray paint, expanded into a neighborhood graffiti incident,

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Samantha co-owners including a by buying (above) re

TheHardwareConnection.com

a Post frequently brings her parents and fellow s, Tim and Mary Post, into T&M’s social media— a clip capturing their reaction after she surprised them a vending machine for the business. Tim and Mary eceived a Retail Beacon Award in 2020.

TheHardwareConnection.com

led to conversations about graffiti and art and eventually inspired a pop-up spray-paint sale. T&M sold out its spray-paint inventory in three and a half hours. None of what appeared on social media related to the spray paint was scripted. “These were all real things that happened at the store that we just figured out how to document and share,” Post says. “What You Need” grew from the same instinct. A chance conversation produced an idea. Post recognized its connection to her own life, then found a way to make it relevant to T&M’s customers. For her, the idea that started with an unwanted Christmas present ultimately became a new way to look at what a hardware store has to offer. Socks and toothpaste taught her the lesson years ago: A gift doesn’t have to be something someone wants when it’s something they’ll be awfully glad to have. T&M’s campaign simply makes the need worth wanting—and worthy of a Digital Beacon Award. n

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNER | BEST WEBSITE/E-COMMERCE PRESENCE

Connecting BEHIND THE CLICK BLOEDORNS IN TORRINGTON, WYOMING, BRINGS MORE THAN A CENTURY OF BUILDING MATERIALS EXPERTISE INTO A DIGITAL EXPERIENCE DESIGNED AROUND PRODUCTS, PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS.

very click on Bloedorns’ website—bloedorns.com— represents something Nate Laible would ultimately like to turn into a conversation. As the company’s director of marketing and retail operations manager, Laible helped shape its redesigned website and e-commerce

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The digital overhaul of Bloedorns extends a brand with roots dating to 1917 and a footprint that today includes 22 retail locations across Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and Colorado.

experience around that connection—giving customers easier access to products, inventory and pricing while introducing them to the people and expertise that can carry a project much further than an online shopping cart. That approach earned Bloedorns the 2026 Digital Beacon Award for Best Website or E-Commerce Experience. “We want to leverage technology to make the buying experience as easy as possible while still allowing our people to provide the value and TheHardwareConnection.com

expertise we know our customers need,” Laible says. “As technology changes, that balance continues to guide how we improve the site.” That balance has more than a century of history behind it. Founded in 1917 and incorporated two years later, Bloedorns grew from its Wyoming lumberyard roots into a regional building materials colossus. Today, the company has more than 400 employees, 22 retail stores and three truss-manufacturing plants across Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and Colorado. As the company developed a new brand identity, its digital presence needed to evolve alongside. The challenge was to bring the products, people and expertise that had long defined the in-person Bloedorns experience onto the screen while making it easier for customers to find what they need. 2 Jobs, 1 Experience Rather than asking one website to do everything, Bloedorns decided to divide the job. Its primary company and brand site tells customers who and what Bloedorns is. Photography, video,

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS Bloedorns’ redesigned digital presence pairs company storytelling and professional expertise with an e-commerce experience that gives customers access to products, inventory and pricing.

employees, product information and professional services help establish what the business can offer before a customer ever contacts a location. Its e-commerce component handles a different task, giving customers access to inventory and pricing and helping them find products. That structure reflects Bloedorns’ tagline: “Products you need. People you trust.” Products customers already search for form much of the foundation. From there, the site connects visitors with related brands, categories and services, giving Bloedorns opportunities to demonstrate how its capabilities extend across a project. “Bloedorns’ site feels clean while still being informative,” says Digital

Beacon Awards judge Kathryn Emery, home improvement and lifestyle expert and creator of BeTheBestHome.com. “It’s easy to navigate and does a great job showcasing the breadth of what the company offers.” Bloedorns also designed the site so new pages can be added easily, enabling its marketing team to create targeted landing pages and campaigns as opportunities emerge. Laible, though, sees the website’s job as beginning before a transaction rather than ending with one. “We’re beginning to build a relationship from the second someone lands on our site, and we want that to translate into a professional buying experience when they walk into one of our locations,” he says.

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That’s particularly important for a company serving customers whose needs can range from a weekend repair to a complicated construction project with demanding schedules and material requirements. “Our salespeople know our customers, and our sales representatives are ingrained in our customers’ businesses,” Laible says. “That creates real value for our customers.” The website gives Bloedorns another place to establish that value. Moving Online to IRL That emphasis on relationships also shapes how Laible measures the site’s success. Bloedorns tracks online sales, page visits and other familiar digital metrics. Laible says the company has seen a boost in forms submitted for products and services, while targeted landing pages have created additional opportunities for focused marketing campaigns. He’s cautious about allowing a dashboard to define the site’s value, though. “We can pull those reports and see that data, but those numbers don’t always tell the entire story,” he says. The website also serves as a home for Bloedorns’ Core Values and Guiding Principles and reinforces internally what the company wants the customer experience to represent. Professional services and expertise TheHardwareConnection.com

Bloedorns’ e-commerce site provides inventory and pricing, while the company’s broader website highlights the services and expertise that can help customers through an entire project.

receive space alongside products and prices. Keeping those elements together matters even more as customers expect digital shopping to become increasingly faster and easier. Bloedorns intends to keep pace with those expectations while preserving the expertise and personal service that distinguish the company from a simple online transaction. For a company that has spent more than 100 years selling lumber and building materials, the website ultimately has much the same assignment as the people behind its counters: to help customers find what they’re looking for and give them a reason to come back. For Laible, that means the most valuable click is ultimately one that starts a conversation. “Technology should support what makes your business valuable,” he says. “Not replace it.” n

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNER | OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Sharing

THE LOVE

AN EMPLOYEE’S REQUEST FOR SUPPORT ON WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY TURNED INTO AN OUTPOURING OF AFFECTION FROM THE COMMUNITY THE PICK & SHOVEL IN NEWPORT, VERMONT, HAS SERVED FOR FIVE DECADES.

he Pick & Shovel in Newport, Vermont, has spent more than 50 years giving people in the Green Mountain State’s Northeast Kingdom plenty of reasons to come inside. For the past 14 of those years, Tristan Geoffrey has been one of the people greeting them.

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The Pick & Shovel has served Newport, Vermont, for more than 50 years, growing from a small hardware operation into a local institution and gathering place for the Northeast Kingdom community.

Geoffrey, 33, who has Down syndrome, works at the store helping with cleaning and putting away merchandise on freight days. When World Down Syndrome Day approached this March, he asked co-owner Greg Hamblett if The Pick & Shovel would make a social media post supporting him and the cause. The answer was an easy yes. “He is a wonderful person and employee, and we love having him around,” Hamblett says. “He is the most caring person you will ever meet and is great for morale.” The store’s March post encouraged followers to participate in the #RockYourSocks initiative by wearing TheHardwareConnection.com

bright, mismatched socks to promote awareness, inclusion and the celebration of differences. “World Down Syndrome Day is March 21st! Celebrating the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome!” the store posted. Newport answered. The post received more than 700 likes and dozens of comments. Hamblett says many people in the area know Geoffrey, so posts involving him tend to draw a strong response. “Facebook is a great place for posts like that because everything stays positive and has a lot of reach,” Hamblett says. The response earned The Pick & Shovel the 2026 Digital Beacon Award category win for Outstanding Community Engagement. “When I read through the comments on the post, you could tell how deeply it connected with people in the community,” says Hardware Connection editor Doug Donaldson. “Frankly, the outpouring of love got me a little teary-eyed. And when you look at everything The Pick & Shovel does in Newport, you realize this post wasn’t a one-off. It reflects a store that really shows up for its community.”

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS

The Pick & Shovel co-owner Greg Hamblett (right) with Tristan Geoffrey, who has worked at the Newport retailer for about 14 years. Geoffrey asked the store to make the World Down Syndrome Day post that ultimately earned it the Digital Beacon Award for Outstanding Community Engagement.

March 21, or 3/21, represents the three copies of chromosome 21 associated with Down syndrome (Most people have just two.) World Down Syndrome Day has been officially recognized by the United Nations since 2012, and colorful or mismatched socks have become an international way to start conversations about Down syndrome and inclusion. A Newport Institution The Pick & Shovel celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, but the Hamblett family’s business history in Newport stretches considerably further back. The store was established in 1975 as part of the R.F. Hamblett Inc. family business. Tim Hamblett and his cousin

Douglas developed the operation, while Tim’s wife, Beverly, established its clothing and footwear department. Today, Tim’s sons, Chris and Greg Hamblett, run the business. The family’s commercial roots in Newport date to 1916, when the Hambletts opened the Newport Bakery, home of Lucky Bread, according to remarks made in the Vermont House of Representatives this year recognizing The Pick & Shovel’s 50th anniversary. What began as a 1,000-square-foot hardware store has grown to about 50,000 square feet across 20 lots. Hardware and building materials remain part of an assortment that also includes clothing and footwear,

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Customer service has helped define The Pick & Shovel’s friendly hometown feel, carrying the personal connections built inside the Newport store into its broader community presence.

appliances, toys, bicycles, maple sugaring equipment, lawn-and-garden products, pet supplies and live animals. The property includes a laundromat and Tim & Doug’s Ice Cream, a seasonal stand serving hard-scoop ice cream, creemees (Vermont’s version of soft-serve) and sundaes.

Centers, helping customers learn about energy efficiency. The retailer also remains a visible participant in local celebrations and regularly hosts events at the store. That history gives the community’s World Down Syndrome Day response deeper context. The post wasn’t an attempt to manufacture a connection online. It began with an employee asking the business where he has worked for 14 years to stand with him, then reached an audience that already knew both of them. An operation that has spent half a century becoming part hardware store, part general store and part Newport gathering place gave Geoffrey its platform. And Newport gave him the love right back. n

Hamblett represents the third generation of the family behind The Pick & Shovel, which opened in Newport in 1975.

More Than Merchandise The Pick & Shovel’s community role extends far beyond its assortment. In 2004, it was one of three Vermont hardware stores selected to establish what Efficiency Vermont described as the nation’s first ENERGY STAR TheHardwareConnection.com

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNER | BEST ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

McCoy’s Building Supply opened its newest location in New Caney, Texas, in April. The family-owned retailer currently operates 85 stores across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. 42 ■ HARDWARE Connection ■ September 23, 2026

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Laughing With

THE CUSTOMER SAN MARCOS, TEXAS–BASED MCCOY’S BUILDING SUPPLY FINDS ADVERTISING INSPIRATION IN THE HABITS, HUMOR AND HARD WORK OF THE CUSTOMERS IT HAS SERVED FOR NEARLY A CENTURY.

here’s a circular saw strapped in the baby seat of the family SUV. How it got there is the storyline of a McCoy’s Building Supply digital ad. A man struggles to find room for his circular saw in a vehicle packed with the usual accumulation of family and DIY life. Then he spots an empty child seat. The saw goes in. He buckles it safe and secure. The ad’s tagline: “The family car doubles as your work truck. We get you.” It’s a quick visual joke, but it captures the idea running through McCoy’s “We Get You” advertising campaign: Show customers something about themselves that they recognize. That approach won the San Marcos, Texas–based retailer the

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2026 Digital Beacon Award for Best Advertising Campaign. McCoy’s, with Orgill as a distributor, was nominated for the honor by WD-40. Other executions of the campaign build on the same idea. In another ad, a man arrives home and empties his pockets onto a counter. Out come his wallet, phone and keys, followed by a wrench, tape measure, nuts and bolts. Tagline: “We never leave home without a tape measure either. We get you.” Another takes the joke to the kitchen junk drawer. A homeowner repeatedly opens a kitchen drawer and produces an increasingly improbable assortment of tools and household items, including a reciprocating saw mixed among children’s toys. This one: “Keep DIY within arm’s reach. We get you.”

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2026 DIGITAL BEACON AWARDS One “We Get You” ad finds humor in the overlap between work and family life, with a circular saw buckled into a child seat as the family car doubles as a work truck.

Together, the 15-second spots make their point without relying on a price, promotion or lengthy product pitch. Instead, the tools become part of the characters’ everyday lives—and part of the joke. A fourth execution shifts the tone slightly with a touch of (and an appreciation for) the work itself. A tradesman comes inside, sits on a bench and pulls off a work boot. A cascade of dirt falls to the floor. The tagline: “Come as you are. Dirty work boots are always welcome here.” Then these words pop up on the screen: “Hard work is measured by the foot.” The ads speak to overlapping parts of McCoy’s customer base: contractors, independent homebuilders, farmers and ranchers, and DIYers. McCoy’s says its purpose is “to make life easier and more

fulfilling for those who build,” and the company’s broader “Born to Build” identity provides a natural backdrop for advertising centered on the people who use the products it sells. “What works about these ads is how quickly you recognize the customer,” says Chip Wade, HGTV personality and founder of Wade Works Creative, who served as a Digital Beacon Awards judge. “They find humor in details that builders and DIYers immediately understand, and they do it without overexplaining the joke. That makes ‘We Get You’ feel earned rather than simply being a tagline.” Nearly a Century of Building Understanding the building customer is a trait the company has developed for nearly 100 years. McCoy’s traces its beginnings to 1927, when Frank McCoy started a

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Another “We Get You” execution takes the humor inside the home, where a kitchen drawer produces an unlikely assortment of everyday items—including a reciprocating saw—with the reminder to “keep DIY within arm’s reach.”

roofing contracting business in Galveston, Texas. The family-owned company grew into one of the nation’s largest privately held building-supply retailers and today is headquartered in San Marcos. McCoy Corporation remains owned by the McCoy family and is led by CEO Meagan McCoy Jones. McCoy’s currently operates 85 retail building supply stores with lumberyards across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. The company employs more than 3,000 people and also operates distribution and millwork facilities. Its three distribution centers in Burnet, Pharr and Midland, Texas, support the retail network, while stores provide job site delivery. McCoy’s also offers digital options including online ordering, same-day store pickup and an app, extending

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the company’s service beyond the lumberyard. Expansion continues apace, with McCoy’s having opened a store in New Caney, Texas, in April and broken ground in August on another Lone Star location near Canyon Lake. Yet the winning ad campaign finds its subject in something more fundamental than the size of the company or the breadth of its operation: a tape measure in a pocket. Dirt in a work boot. Tools tucked into kitchen drawers. A circular saw carefully buckled into the family car. They’re small details, and for McCoy’s customers, that’s precisely the point. McCoy’s gets it—and also gets the Digital Beacon Award for Best Advertising Campaign. n

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BEACON AWARD SPONSORS

THANK YOU, BEACON AWARD SPONSORS!

very Beacon Award begins with a retailer whose leadership, ideas and commitment deserve recognition. Bringing those stories to a national audience takes another kind of commitment—one made year after year by companies that believe deeply in the future of independent home improvement retail. The North American Hardware and Paint Association and Hardware Connection extend our sincere gratitude to the sponsors whose support makes the Beacon Awards possible. Wholesale sponsors Do it Best, True Value and Orgill help us recognize retailers whose accomplishments set an example

for the entire industry. Ettore, Epicor and Fluidmaster lend their support to a program dedicated to celebrating excellence throughout the independent channel, while WD-40, sponsor of the Digital Beacon Awards, helps us recognize retailers who are finding creative and effective ways to connect with customers online. Their support allows us to give these remarkable independent retailers the recognition they have earned. To every sponsor who stands behind the Beacon Awards—and behind the people and businesses they celebrate—thank you. We are genuinely grateful to have you as partners in this program.

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UPCOMING EVENTS SEPTEMBER

North American Wholesale Lumber Association Traders Market 2026 Nov. 4-6, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California

GlassBuild America: The Glass, Window & Door Expo Sept. 23-25, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas

DIY CON Nov. 6-8, Fair Park Dallas, Dallas

Ace Hardware Fall 2026 Convention Sept. 22-24, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

Do it Best and True Value Fall Market Sept. 25-28, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis Wallace Distribution Fall Dealer Market Sept. 30–Oct. 1, Sevierville Convention Center, Sevierville, Tennessee

OCTOBER

METALCON Oct. 7-9, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida Hardlines Conference Oct. 20-21, Fairmont Château Laurier, Ottawa, Ontario Equip Exposition Oct. 20-23, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky LMC Expo Oct. 28-30, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia

NOVEMBER

Orgill Winter Online Buying Event 2026 Nov. 2-15

LBM Advantage Fall Planning Conference Nov. 9-11, Encore Boston Harbor, Boston HDA Executive Planning Conference Nov. 10-12, The Westing La Paloma Resort & Spa, Tucson, Arizona ISSA Show North America Nov. 16-19, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas PLMA Store Brands Marketplace/ Private Label Trade Show Nov. 15-17, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Chicago STAFDA 50th Annual Convention & Trade Show Nov. 15-17, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California Deck Expo/International Pool Spa Patio Expo Nov. 17-19, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans

DECEMBER

2026 Irrigation Show and Education Week Dec. 7-10, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas

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LBM Expo 2026 Dec. 9-10, Earth Expo & Convention Center, Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Connecticut Northeastern Retail Lumber Association Annual Meeting Dec. 10, Earth Expo & Convention Center, Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Connecticut Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show Dec. 14-16, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach

JANUARY 2027

FEBRUARY 2027

The International Surface Event Feb. 1-4, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas International Builders’ Show Feb. 2-4, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) Feb. 2-4, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas Shoppe Object New York Feb. 7-9, Starrett-Lehigh Building, Manhattan, New York

Lightovation: Dallas International Lighting Show Jan. 5-9, Dallas Market Center, Dallas

Orgill Spring Dealer Market Feb. 25-27, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

National Retail Federation: Retail’s Big Show Jan. 10-12, Javits Center, Manhattan, New York

MARCH 2027

Ace Spring Convention March 14-16, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta

World of Concrete Jan. 19-21, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas

ALLPRO Spring Buying Show March 10-13, J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Phoenix

Mid-States Toy Extravaganza Jan. 25, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix

Blish-Mize Spring Buying Market March 18-20, Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park, Kansas

Mid-States Winter Rendezvous Jan. 27-28, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix

Building Envelope Contractors Conference March 7-9, Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, San Diego

House-Hasson 2027 Winter Dealer Market Jan. 28-30, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, Tennessee

Do it Best & True Value Spring Market March 5-7, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

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For a complete listing of calendar dates, click here.

IN THE NEWS

HOME IMPROVEMENT MARKET SENDS MIXED SIGNALS AS COSTS RISE Home improvement is heading into fall with conflicting signals: Retail demand remains resilient and industry forecasts call for continued growth, even as builders contend with higher costs, elevated interest rates and weakening consumer confidence. The Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) forecasts the U.S.

home improvement products market will grow 2.6% in 2026, followed by average annual growth of 3.8% from 2027 through 2029. Consumer spending is expected to lead this year, increasing 3.7%, while professional spending is projected to grow 1%. Retail sales also show strength in the channels most relevant to

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independent dealers. HIRI reports hardware store sales increased 8.7% in the first quarter of 2026 and 9.8% in the second quarter, while home center sales grew an estimated 6.1% and 6.6%, respectively. Other building material dealers moved in the opposite direction, with sales falling an estimated 7.4% in the first quarter and 6.2% in the second. That demand is also showing up at U.S. ports. The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates now forecast September import volume at 2.31 million 20-foot equivalent units, up 9.6% from a year earlier, potentially making September the busiest import month of 2026. NRF vice president Jonathan Gold says consumers continue to buy despite tariffs, inflation and high fuel prices, keeping retailers bringing in merchandise to meet demand. Costs, however, remain a significant counterweight. The Consumer Price Index increased 0.4% in August and 3.4% from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Energy prices helped drive the increase, with gasoline rising 3.9% during the month. Pressure is also evident further up the supply chain. The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.4% in August and 5.4% over the previous 12 months. Energy prices for final TheHardwareConnection.com

demand were 24.4% higher than a year earlier, while transportation and warehousing services increased 13%. Those pressures are weighing heavily on homebuilders. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell three points to 32 in September, its lowest level since September 2025. Thirty-eight percent of builders reported cutting prices, while 66% used sales incentives. NAHB cited higher mortgage rates, labor shortages and rising material costs among the factors weighing on sentiment. Taken together, the numbers point to a home improvement market that continues to generate sales even as the businesses supplying and serving it navigate higher costs and a more challenging housing environment.

NEW STORES, ACQUISITIONS

• Ace of the Hills in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, celebrated its grand opening Sept. 11-13; owners Chris and April Edwards have incorporated their former Rainbow Paint and Decorating business into the new store.

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IN THE NEWS • Niemann Ace Hardware in Rantoul, Illinois, plans to expand into the neighboring Price Cutter grocery store space after the supermarket closes this fall, with the expanded Ace location expected to open in early 2027. • The Compton family, owners of Compton Ace Hardware in Birmingham, Alabama, plan to open a second location at The Bray at Liberty Park in Vestavia Hills, with the 12,000- to 15,000-square-foot store expected to open in fall 2027. • Stow Ace Hardware has opened a new 20,000-square-foot store in

Fishcreek Plaza in Stow, Ohio. • Rural King is expanding into New York for the first time with a new store in Elmira, in the Southern Tier near the Pennsylvania border, with grand-opening festivities scheduled for Sept. 25-27. In addition, Rural King has opened its fifth Georgia location in Brunswick, with grand-opening festivities Sept. 18-20.

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KUDOS • Hurds True Value Hardware in Deltaville, Virginia, celebrated 80 years in business this month with an event that raised about $1,700 for the Lower Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department. • Lawless & Smith True Value Supply in Russell Springs, Kentucky, was recognized by city leaders for 40 years

in business, with mayor Eddie Thomas presenting owner Mitchell Richards with an award for the store’s service to the community.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Keith • Keith Stauffer Stauffer has joined WD-40 Company and will become chief financial officer effective Nov. 2, succeeding Sara Hyzer, who is transitioning Mike Jost to president of the Americas division. • Mike Jost, president and COO of

IN THE NEWS ABC Supply, will become CEO effective Jan. 1, 2027, succeeding Keith Rozolis, who Keith plans to retire Dec. 31 Rozolis and remain with the company as an executive advisor and board member. • Fourth-generation family members Jason Pranghofer and Samantha Siwek have assumed leadership of Minneapolis-based Siwek Lumber as CEO and chief administrative officer, respectively, following the retirement of third-generation owner Dave Siwek. • Fortune Brands Innovations has named Peter G. Clifford Peter G. executive vice president Clifford and chief financial officer effective Sept. 21. • Alain Ménard, currently senior vice president of RONA affiliated dealers, has been named president and CEO of RONA effective Oct. 1, succeeding J.P. Towner, who will become a senior advisor to owner Sycamore Partners and join RONA’s board of directors. • LMC has named Josh Litzman director of millwork. He brings 20 years of building materials sales and

purchasing experience to the role, most recently with Gypsum Management & Supply. • Pella Corporation Josh Litzman has named Rob Adams executive vice president of operations, overseeing the company’s manufacturing, engineering and supply chain organizations. • Steve Swinney, Rob Adams president of lumber and building materials for QXO and cofounder of Kodiak Steve Building Partners, has Swinney announced he is leaving QXO after nearly 20 years in the building products distribution industry. • TRUFAST has named Daniel Groff Walls East Coast district sales manager.

WHOLESALERS, MANUFACTURERS • Do it Best Group has opened a 3,000-square-foot Retail Innovation Lab in Dallas, where Do it Best and True Value members can test emerging retail technologies in a mock store environment, receive training and explore applications for their businesses; for the full story, read this article.

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TheHardwareConnection.com

Welcome to the Hardware Connection Century Club! The Hardware Connection Century Club, sponsored by the NHS Concept to Commerce, recognizes “The Innovators and Survivors Who Helped Build America.” Our Century Club currently includes 804 hardware and LBM retailers, 21 wholesalers and 207 manufacturers that were founded in the United States of America and remain in business after 100 or more years. You can find the complete list of Century Club members including old store photos and links to company history by clicking here. We congratulate the following retailers who have been added to the Hardware Connection Century Club this past year: Andrew Posey & Son Hardware, Jasper, AL—1924

Kelly Seed & Hardware Co., Peoria, IL—1905

Bourassa True Value Hardware, New Bedford, MA—1924

Learned Lumber, Hermosa Beach, CA—1924

Bowling’s Feed and Hardware, Catlettsburg, KY—1924

Legg Lumber Company, Holt, MI—1884

Braun Building Center, Manitowoc, WI—1905

Lummus Building Supply Co., Atlanta, GA—1925

Carl Eliason & Company Lumber & Hardware, Sayner, WI—1924

Morrison Terrebonne, Houma, LA—1924

Chairtown Lumber Company, Gardner, MA—1924 Clark Devon Hardware, Chicago, IL—1924 Congleton Lumber, Lexington, KY—1905 Denver Lumber Company, Denver, CO—1923

National Lumber Company, Baltimore, MD—1919 Newton’s True Value Hardware, Cherryvale, KS—1924 Page Lumber, Poughkeepsie, NY—1924—1,000th Centrury Club member

Dettinger Lumber Company, Pittsfield, MA—1926

Paschal Brothers Hardware & Lumber, Jacksonville, FL—1924

Gennett Lumber Company, Fletcher, NC—1901

Ransom Brothers Lumber & Supply, Ramona, CA—1924

Guy C. Lee Building Materials, Smithfield, NC—1924

Requarth Company, Dayton, OH—1860

Hamilton Building Supply, Hamilton, NJ—1924

Rocky’s Ace Hardware, Springfield, MA 1926

Heller Lumber Company, Arlington Heights, IL—1924

Southern Builders Supply, Valdosta, GA—1880

Holman Supply Company, Moultrie, GA—1920

Union Lumber Company, New Albany, MS—1902

Howell Hardware, Millville, NJ—1924

Valley Park Elevator & Hardware, Valley Park, MO—1874

Hunter’s Hardware, Berkley Spring, WV—1870

Western Materials Inc., Yakima, WA—1915

H&W Hardware, New York, NY—1924

William B. Morse Lumber Company, Rochester, NY—1853