Industry Provides $76,000 for Retail Management Certification Program

Industry manufacturers and distributors are collectively providing more than $76,000 in scholarship funds to pay part of the cost for 13 retailers to attend the North American Retail Hardware Association’s (NRHA) Retail Management Certification Program this spring.

A panel comprised of members of NRHA’s Retail Leadership Institute Advisory Board and NRHA’s Board of Directors selected the recipients based on their application essays and interviews, as well as specific criteria outlined by each scholarship provider. The following scholarship winners were selected for the Spring 2016 class:

• Benjamin Moore Scholarship: Alfred Mattison Jr., regional training/HR manager, Aubuchon Hardware, Westminster, Massachusetts
• Do it Best Scholarship: Garrett Retz, assistant manager, Cardwell Do it Best Home Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Hyde Tools Scholarship: Chris Hughes, president, Hardware Plus, Osceola, Indiana
• PACOA Scholarship: Joseph Moscola, general manager, Doody Home Center, Brooklyn, New York
• PacSoft/NRHA Scholarship: Lauren Mathews, communications manager, Connolly’s Do it Best Hardware, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Simple Green Scholarship: Kendra Weisflock, assistant manager, Gravenhurst Home Hardware, Gravenhurst, Ontario
• Stanley Black & Decker Scholarships: Neil Warner, assistant manager, r.k. Miles, Manchester, Vermont; Ryan Rennells, manager, Home Central, Owego, New York
• TRIMACO Scholarship: Brian Kortendick, vice president, Kortendick Ace Hardware, Racine, Wisconsin
• Wooster Brush Scholarship: George Hazelbaker, operations manager, Burns Do it Center, Clovis, New Mexico
• Worthington Industries/Bernzomatic Scholarships: Zack Dupuis, manager, r.k. Miles, Manchester, Vermont; Josh Rogers, assistant manager, Meade’s Do it Center, Irvine, Kentucky

“The financial assistance provided by these leading industry companies will help scholarship recipients improve their leadership and retail management skills and will allow participants to gain invaluable industry knowledge needed to achieve success as they advance their careers,” says Scott Wright, executive director of NRHA’s Retail Leadership Institute. “This will be the sixth class since we launched the program in 2013, and the awareness and momentum of the program continues to grow in the industry.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the generosity and support that industry manufacturers and distributors have provided through these scholarships,” says Bill Lee, NRHA President and CEO. “These companies and organizations are directly supporting the future leaders in our industry, which will help independent home improvement retailers continue to grow and thrive well into the future.”

There will also be scholarship opportunities available for the Fall 2016 RMCP class that starts in September, including additional scholarships from Stanley Black & Decker, Simple Green, Fulton Corp., Worthington Cylinders/Bernzomatic, the National Hardware Show® and NRHA.

For more information about the Retail Management Certification Program, contact Scott Wright at swright@nrha.org, or call 317-275-9417.