Content about Fort Wayne

April 22, 2013

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. earned recognition from Dale Carnegie Training.

For its continued commitment to the development of its employees, Do it Best Corp. has earned international recognition from Dale Carnegie Training, the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based co-op announced.

Company representatives from Dale Carnegie Training presented Do it Best Corp. with its Leadership Award, which recognizes a select group of companies and organizations from around the world that invest in the development their people.

April 10, 2013

Kearney, Neb.-based Builders will accept the 2013 “Tools of the Trade Award” during the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas.

Kearney, Neb.-based Builders will accept the 2013 “Tools of the Trade Award” during the National Hardware Show, to be held in Las Vegas May 7-9.

Builders operates a professional lumberyard/home center and full-line countertop manufacturing facility in Kearney, Neb.; a  professional lumberyard with design center and truss plant, in Grand Island, Neb.; and a contractor/pro sales office and truss plant in Denver. 

April 8, 2013

The co-op structure presents to the hardware industry one of the most interesting financial instruments in all of accounting: the end-of-year rebate.

San Antonio-based Alamo Lumber is a small regional lumberyard company serving 14 south Texas markets with a mix of building supplies and hardware store merchandise.

March 15, 2013

Customers entering the Menards store in Fort Wayne, Ind., pass through a turnstile and immediately confront a great wall — the wall of "household essentials & more."

Just beyond the shelves of chips and cereal and sparkling cider, the wall marks an increased presence for cleaning supplies. While not exactly standard fare for your typical home improvement giant, some experts say carrying everyday items makes perfect sense in today's retail environment.

December 4, 2012

Merchandise managers at Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. welcomed more than 75 multinational vendors to their corporate office in Fort Wayne, Ind., as the merchandising team looks to bolster its product lineup.

This biannual Buying Day event, held on Nov. 28, brought a flurry of activity to the company’s headquarters, according to Do it Best. 

November 5, 2012

Do it Best Corp. has awarded Simpson Strong-Tie its 2012 Vendor of the Year award for Overall Sales Growth. This is the first time the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based co-op has given the distinction to the same company two years in a row.

October 15, 2012

Indianapolis -- Do it Best Corp. reported sales growth of 11.2% for fiscal year 2012, and celebrated its ninth consecutive year of $100 million-plus in member rebates.

The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based co-op reported sales of $2.68 billion for its fiscal year ending June 30. Even more interesting to members was the size of the member rebate, which exceeded $100 million for the ninth year in a row. The $115.7 million rebate marks an increase of 9.4% over last year’s end-of-year rebate, and stands as the fourth highest ever. 

September 28, 2012

One of the challenges facing independent hardware stores in late 2012, as an election looms and uncertainty reigns, can be classified under the headline: “Good problem to have.” Specifically, it’s the challenge of managing a business through an upswing.

August 9, 2012

More than a 100 Do it Best Corp. staff, vendors and member-owners began building a new home for Habitat for Humanity in the co-op’s home town of Fort Wayne, Ind. 

The project is scheduled to run through early October. In addition to fully staffing the build, Do it Best Corp. is also completely funding the project, including materials and professional service provided by licensed specialists. This is the second company build the co-op has sponsored, with the first coming in 2006.

May 31, 2012

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. promoted Jason Hipskind to regional sales and business development manager for the southeastern United States and hired Jean Fahy to serve the western United States. Both will focus on building and strengthening member-owner relationships with the co-op.

Hipskind is a 13-year veteran of Do it Best, most recently serving as a RetailPLUS! manager for the past two-plus years. He also brings extensive experience in retail development and member support over the previous decade to his new position.

May 1, 2012

As the National Hardware Show kicks off in Las Vegas, the Golden Hammer Awards program enters its 28th year.

Wednesday morning at the show, the Home Channel News Golden Hammer event will honor the best of the best among home improvement suppliers and recognize outstanding achievement in the retail field. A twist for 2012: A Golden Hammer panel discussion with the working title: “The recovery: Is it real? And what to do about it?”

April 25, 2012

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. enhanced its e-commerce website devoted to the sale of Channellock products.

The new site, Channellockproducts.com, is a subsidiary of Do it Best Corp. and is described as “powered by Doitbest.com.”

The site is one of the outcomes of a major initiative in 2009 that brought certain Channellock products exclusively into Do it Best stores in the categories of protective gear, wet/dry vacs, flashlights and other licensed products. 

March 30, 2012

In 1999, Bob Taylor achieved a feat accomplished by no other home improvement executive in the annals of business journalism.

He was compared with “Bonanza” character Adam Cartwright and U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush — in the same article.

We’ll explain later.

First things first: Do it Best Corp. CEO Bob Taylor is to be congratulated for his selection as the 2012 inductee of the Home Channel Hall of Fame.

March 28, 2012

Do it Best plans to build a $30 million Retail Service Center (RSC) in Sikeston, Mo, replacing the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based co-op’s existing facility in nearby Cape Girardeau.

February 26, 2012

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. has re-launched an enhanced version of mydotbest.com, its member exclusive portal for up-to-the-minute communication, program information and product knowledge, including the rollout of a more robust online catalog. 

January 16, 2012

Mydoitbest.com, the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based co-op's member-exclusive communication portal, is receiving a facelift and a makeover.

According to the co-op, the new enhancements include a cleaner look, a smoother interface, streamlined navigation and enhanced search capabilities.    

The site is currently undergoing testing and fine-tuning, guided by member feedback. It is expected to go live in the next one or two weeks, the co-op said.

December 22, 2011

New products and new-product-knowledge took center stage earlier this month at Do it Best Corp.'s New Product Expo held in Woodburn, Ore. 

December 13, 2011

Do it Best Corp. added to its leadership team at its Fort Wayne, Ind., world headquarters.

The co-op promoted Scott Liggett to Application Development Manager within its Information Technology division. Liggett will guide the company’s continually expanding efforts to enhance their offerings of mobile applications and technological efficiencies in supply chain management.

November 30, 2011

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based hardware co-op Do it Best Corp. announced Wednesday a changing of the guard as two longtime executives will retire effective June 30.

Dave Haist, executive VP and COO, and Dave Dietz, VP finance, will be replaced by Dan Starr and Doug Roth -- Starr as executive VP and COO and Roth as VP finance.

Currently, Starr is VP human resources, while Roth is director of financial reporting.

November 22, 2011

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. has named Rich Lynch as its retail marketing director.

Lynch will oversee and guide the co-op’s retail marketing efforts through its 4,000 member-owned stores worldwide. He will also help drive the company’s member education and training programs.

October 24, 2011

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. reported net sales of $2.33 billion for the year ended June 25, 2011, an increase of 1.4% over the previous fiscal year.

Other data from the company's income statement showed gross profit for fiscal 2011 of $176.8 million, up 3.4% from $171 million last year.

October 13, 2011

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based co-op Do it Best Corp. named company veteran Randy Rusk as its new communications director.

In the position, Rusk will help develop and implement the Do it Best Corp. communications strategy and manage all internal and external communications efforts, including video, education and training initiatives, creative development and campaign execution, as well as media and public relations.

September 28, 2011

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. hired the right guy to kick off a 7 a.m. breakfast event -- the exceedingly enthusiastic sportscaster Dick Vitale.

Vitale will headline the co-op's kickoff breakfast during the Oct. 8 to 10 Do it Best October Market at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. 

September 28, 2011

Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest differences. Then again, sometimes it’s the big things.


The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp., fresh from its October Market in Indianapolis, is advancing a slate of initiatives both large and small. Projects range from reprinting its field staff’s business cards to building what it calls a digital World Class Commerce Center. And as CEO Bob Taylor sees it, they are all in service of one overarching goal: serving the members. 


Let’s start with the big plans first. 


September 28, 2011

There have been many memorable moments for Randall Jones and Greencastle, Ind.-based Headley Hardware, from reopening after a fire in 2000 to taking his entire Do it Best rebate check and investing it in an unproven electrical department in 2009.