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Become an Industry Beacon Want to learn more about how to become an ambassador? Reach out to Renee Changnon at rchangnon@YourNHPA.org.
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Cody Goeppner Thrives on Serving Customers and His Community What is your proudest moment as part of the independent channel? Growing up in the independent channel, I’ve had a lot of proud moments, including working as the seventh generation of the family business at our hometown hardware store. My proudest moment is when I mentored six employees through NHPA’s Retail Management Certification Program (RMCP) over a four-year time period.
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What is your favorite part of your job? Since my first day working in the hardware store, connecting with the customers has been my absolute favorite part of the job. Throughout my career, it’s been a joy to anchor myself to the customer’s experience when I’m working through challenges with employees, company policies and procedures and everything else that comes with running operations within the independent home improvement channel.
What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever been given? When I was going through RMCP in 2017, Wil Davis led a purpose-driven discussion with the entire class that became a turning point for my personal life and my career. He addressed the fact that often times in the independent channel, a manager’s purpose is tied to the purpose of the company. We had an exercise where we developed our own personal purpose and out of this exercise, I developed my personal purpose: To create, inspire and stand for excellence for generations to come. How do you stay involved in the community? When I moved to Washington, I quickly became involved in the local chamber of commerce serving as president for two years. This opportunity created networking opportunities where I was introduced to people who benefited the business and myself. Today, I work closely with several community organizations, I sit on advisory boards for the local school districts and I’m involved in the local community theater
CODY GOEPPNER Store Valley Wide Cooperative Location Grandview, Washington
as a board member and director for their main stage shows. It’s a passion of mine to connect the world of theater with other parts of the community since the arts created so many opportunities for me in my professional life. What did you want to be when you grew up? As a child, I truly believed people when they told me, “You can be anything you want to be.” I took that to heart and dreamed of becoming a surgeon, (solely because of “Grey’s Anatomy”), a Broadway star or president of the U.S. To read the rest of the interview, visit
hardwareretailing.com/cody-goeppner.
About the Program The North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) is excited to introduce the newly formed Ambassador Program for 2024. The program brings together a small group of NHPA members from across the industry who are passionate about the independent home improvement channel and have a deep involvement with the association. NHPA Ambassadors help connect their retailer networks to NHPA, encouraging retailers to become more involved with the association’s offerings, like online training, consulting, college-level courses and more.
HARDWARE RETAILING | February 2024