Taking Care Of Business With Dan Tratensek

Today, we talk to Darrin Stern from Koelnmesse Inc., which produces the International Hardware Fair and the SPOGA/GAFA lawn and garden show. Both these global events are going full-steam ahead for 2021 and Darrin will share how they plan on doing this safely and why North American attendees and exhibitors should make these shows part of their New Year's plans.

On this edition of Taking Care of Business, we talk to Emily DeMarco from the National Hardware Show. She shares what attendees and exhibitors can expect from this year's virtual event, scheduled for Oct. 12-15. To register or demo the event, head to www.nationalhardwareshow.com.

On this episode, we talk with Marc Hamer, Orgill Inc.’s first-ever Chief Digital and Information Officer to learn about how one of the industry’s oldest wholesalers is fully embracing technology to drive growth and create operational efficiencies.

In the final installment of our series on this year’s Young Retailer of the Year Awards, we talk to Scott Wright, executive director of NRHA’s Retail Leadership Institute, about the impact of the awards, what they represent and what everyone can learn from watching them.

On this episode, we chat with 2020 Young Retailer of the Year honoree Cody Goeppner from Bleyhl Co-Op in Grandview, Washington. We also speak to Teesee Murray from Epicor, one of this year’s program sponsors.

On this episode, we visit with 2020 Young Retailer of the Year honoree Weston Jacobs from Weakley-Watson Hardware in Brownwood, Texas. We also speak to Dave Lewis from IPG, one of this year’s program sponsors.

This week we sit down with Do it Best President and CEO Dan Starr to learn about how business is shaping up for the co-op, the latest on its recent announcement about working with the Nation's Best retail group and discuss the concept of "disruption" in the industry.

On today's episode, we visit with 2020 Young Retailer of the Year honoree Sam Olson from Buffalo Hardware in Buffalo, South Dakota. Sam shares his thoughts on his journey in the industry and the role independent business owners can play to elevate their communities. We also speak to Mike Nelson from MiTek, one of this year's program sponsors.

In this episode, we learn why veteran industry analyst Fred Miller, president of Consumer Specialists, says there "has never been a single force that has so significantly shaped the home improvement market" as much as COVID-19. Listen in to what Miller learned from his new consumer research into how COVID will shape homeowner behavior for years to come.

In our next visit with a Young Retailer of the Year award winner, we talk to Ryan Buck of Buck's Home Building Centre and New Germany Home Hardware. We also chat with Bill Sokol from Pony Jorgensen about the company's commitment to the independent channel.

Today we are talking to the National Hardware Show's Rich Russo who is going to tell us about what went into the decision to cancel this year's live show and what his team has planned for the virtual event.

On this episode we talk to Lynzi Radermacher of Ag Partners Town & Country in Minnesota. Lynzi shares her interesting path to joining the hardware retailing industry and how it has helped her grow the business. We also hear from Gary DuBoff, president and CEO of Arrow Fastener about why supporting the industry's young leaders is so important to Arrow.

On the next installment of our Young Retailer of the Year interviews we connect with Katie DeMaris from DeMaris Hardware in Iowa. We learn how Katie and her husband took the plunge into hardware retailing and quickly became fixtures in their local community. We also hear from Fluidmaster's Greg Galen on why sponsoring the Young Retailer of the Year program is so important to their business.

In this week's podcast we talk to our first 2020 Young Retailer of the Year honoree, Matthew Holmes from Holmes Building Materials in Baton Rouge, LA. Holmes gives us insights into his transition from working in the contractor trades to leading this family business. We also talk to Glen Gevaart from Midwest Fastener about how his company proudly supports the Young Retailer of the Year Awards and the independent channel.

This week, we take a look at the importance of diversity and inclusion within the home improvement industry with our guest Antoine Hinton who is the chairperson of True Value's Diversity and Inclusion Council. We discuss some of the ways companies can help promote more inclusive and diverse teams and the value that brings to the industry as a whole.

While we have all learned a lot living through this pandemic  some companies in the industry have been around to see other major events that have rattled the nation. This week, we talk with Jonathan Mize, CEO and president of Kansas-based distributor Blish-Mize. Next year, Blish-Mize will turn 150 years old and Jonathan shares some insights into how the company and its customers are making it through this pandemic and where he sees the industry heading post-COVID-19.

On this episode we talk with Scott Wright, who head's up NRHA's Retail Leadership Institute. Scott shares how NRHA continues to help industry leaders hone their skills and stay connected during the pandemic. Scott also gives us a sneak peek into this year's Young Retailer of the Year award winners.

There's no doubt that COVID-19 has presented small businesses with their share of incredible challenges. In this week's episode we talk to Bill Brunelle from Independent We Stand (www.independentwestand.org) who shares stories about how small businesses are coping with the pandemic. He also provides insights into how we can all band together to support small business moving forward.

This week we check back in with long-time industry vet Jim Robisch from The Farnsworth Group to get his insights into the lessons we are all learning from operating a business during the time of COVID-19 and find out what he thinks might lie ahead for the home improvement industry.

In this episode, we talk with Melanie Moul, Hardware Retailing's managing editor. She shares insights into what Hardware Retailing's editors are hearing from the field, talks about what readers can expect in upcoming issues and discusses how her team continues to explore new ways to communicate with retailers during the pandemic.