Meet the NHPA All-Industry Panelists

There is still time to register to attend the NHPA All-Industry Conference in Las Vegas Oct. 21-23. The conference is co-located with the National Hardware Show and will deliver educational presentations, industry-specific panel discussions and networking opportunities for independent home improvement retailers and show attendees. Meet the conference panelists below—and if you haven’t already, register to attend the conference here.

A Supplier’s Perspective

During this panel, we will hear from industry-leading manufacturers and distributors who discuss how the channel has reacted to the stressors of the last 18 months and provide insights into where the supply chain might be headed as we move into 2022.

Les Burch
President, Sashco Sealants

Les Burch is a native of Colorado, and he received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Petroleum Refining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. Immediately after graduation in 1972, he started at the family-owned manufacturing company, Sashco Inc., as the laboratory manager. Les became president of Sashco in 1973.

Paul Green
Chief Merchandising and Procurement Officer, True Value

Paul Green has a combined experience of 27 years in both industrial supply and the independent retail hardware channel. He has experience in multiple functional areas, including product assortment management, global sourcing and private label, pricing, inventory management and procurement, content strategy, e-commerce and operations and logistics. Paul currently serves as the chief merchandising and procurement officer with True Value Co. where he’s revitalized the company’s assortment and private label strategies and leads the sourcing and procurement teams through a period of ongoing, unprecedented supply chain disruption.

Geff Lynch
President, Lancaster

Geff Lynch is the president of Lancaster, a division of The Merit Distribution Group LLC. Lancaster is North America’s leading paint sundry distributor, supplying products to retailers throughout North America, South America and the Caribbean, from their seven distribution centers in the U.S. and Canada. Lynch has 38 years of experience in the paint and sundries retail, wholesale and manufacturing segments. Prior to Lancaster, Lynch was vice president of sales and marketing for GMG Distributors and spent three years with Gaco Western, a coatings manufacturer, as retail marketing manager.

Young Retailer Insights: The Future of Retail

Independent retailers are known for their ability to pivot quickly to serve their customers. On this panel, hear from current and former NHPA Young Retailer of the Year honorees who have led their operations through a demanding time. They will talk about how their businesses evolved over the last 18 months to better serve customer needs and how they see the lessons they learned during the pandemic impacting retail well into the future.

Cody Goeppner
Director of Retail Operations, Bleyhl Co-op

Cody Goeppner grew up in his family’s True Value Hardware store and returned to the family operations after spending an extended period of time performing and directing musical theater after college. In 2018, he moved across the country to join the Bleyhl Co-op team in Yakima Valley, Washington, where he was honored with the 2020 Young Retailer of the Year Award by NHPA for his efforts in developing the multi-store retail operations. Cody spends the majority of his time developing the store and market analysis that drives the company culture and customer experience within the retail stores.

Robin Smith
President and Co-owner, Petersburg Hardware

Robin Smith joined her family’s business in 2009 after she graduated from college and began focusing heavily on expanding the hardware store in 2014. She negotiated a deal to buy a 28,000-square-foot building that allowed her to reorganize the store, rethink the product mix and improve merchandising. She expanded all of the store’s existing product categories and added new departments over time. Under Robin’s leadership, store sales grew to $3.15 million in 2020—growth of 384 percent in five years. The operation is now the largest retail business in the county.

Jonathan South
Store Manager, Teghtmeyer Ace Hardware

Jonathan South began working at Teghtmeyer Ace when he was 17, but after he finished college and started pursuing a career as a police officer, he realized his primary goal was to serve people. The store already allowed him to do that. After he was promoted to store manager, he overhauled the store’s policies and procedures and employee training program. He added offsite training opportunities for the team and improved the company’s scheduling system. He also added key product brands, developed alliances with other businesses and grew sales. Four years after Jonathan became store manager, he had grown sales by 24 percent. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the store continues to serve its community and sales increased another 25 percent.

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Register for the NHPA All-Industry Conference

Don’t forget to register to attend the NHPA All-Industry conference! Click here for three reasons why you should attend.

Where
Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas

When
October 21-23

Who Can Attend
Independent home improvement retailers attend for free.