Orgill Tech Symposium Sets Tone for Innovative Growth

The 2026 Orgill Dealer Market kicked off on Wednesday with Orgill’s Tech Symposium, where Orgill president and CEO Boyden Moore welcomed attendees to the 19th iteration of the event, which launched as a way for Orgill and Central Network Group Retail Group (CNRG) retailers to navigate all the emerging technology.  

“Nearly 19 years later, we’re not trying to be the experts, but we’retrying to learn from all who are here, find out what’s best and then share that back out,” Moore says.

Recently appointed Orgill chief information officer Sharms Bala set her vision for what innovation looks like for Orgill in the near future and beyond.

“The last two months I have been absorbing, understanding and listening, and my goal is to work with all of you to come up with a strategy that will make our customers successful,” Bala says. “Technology, being an enabler, is going to make that happen, and that’s what we’re going to work on.”

Grant Morrow, Orgill’s director of e-commerce, brought together a panel of Central Network Retail Group (CNRG) execs: Boyd White, SVP, operations and supply chain; Chris DePinto, SVP operations, CNRG; and Joshua Quattlebaum, director, retail technology product management. The panel shared how CNRG stores are making technology work to serve customers and advice to diving into innovation.   

“Don’t be afraid,” DePinto says. “There’s always going to be challenges with anything new, but I wouldn’t bypass the opportunity.”

Echoing DePinto, White says you have to listen and learn to evolve when it comes to embracing technology.

“Listen to what your customers are saying and be willing to change your practices,” White says. “This will allow you to really extend your market.”

Retailers Scott Jerousek and Jeremy Peterson joined Dan Tratensek, COO for the North American Hardware and Paint Association, for a panel on utilizing technology investments for growth and efficiency. 

“Technology is really nothing more than the implementation of automated solutions for everyday tasks. If you are not willing to explore and embrace technology and the things that it can do for your business, you will not be able to keep up with the competition,” Tratensek says. “What we’re doing with technology will free up our employees, build better relationships with our customers and access information quicker. So if you’re not looking at those same kinds of solutions, you’re not going to be able to keep up with the competition.”

Jerousek cautioned against getting caught up in what is the latest and greatest in technology. 

“We don’t need to be on the razor’s edge, but we need to be on the plane,” Jerousek says. “We’ve got to be that next step. Let the boxes be the ones forging that new generation for us, and then we can take those pieces and choose what works for us.”

Peterson also shared advice for diving into the technology pool.

“Be more scared of not doing something than doing something, because that’s just where it’s going. People who aren’t adapting to these technologies are going to be left behind,” Peterson says. “I would be more scared of inaction than action.”

Following the symposium general session, attendees could choose from three breakout sessions, covering e-commerce, loyalty and digital marketing and efficient technology tools. 

In the breakout session “Streamlining Operations: Tech Tools for Efficiency,” Hassett Ace Hardware owner Eric Hassett shared the tech stacks in place in his seven stores that have improved efficiencies. 

“When a customer asks about technology, that’s when I jump forward and start thinking about it,” Hassett says. “ Service is the old differentiator, I can still take credit out of Amazon with, but at some point, the consumer’s gonna win. If they don’t start wanting it, I hate using it myself.”