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Do it Best Group announces the appointment of Marianne Thompson as its new executive vice president of transformation and integration, a new role created to lead the next phase of integration for True Value and United Hardware into the Do it Best organization.
“I am honored to take on this critical role during such an exciting time of transformation, integration and growth at Do it Best Group,” Thompson says. “Together, we will create a seamless, high-performing organization built around the needs of our dealers and positioned for long-term success.”
Thompson brings more than 35 years of industry experience, including a distinguished five-year tenure at Home Hardware Stores Limited, one of Canada’s largest independent home improvement retailers. There, she held a series of senior executive roles, including chief commercial officer, chief merchandising officer and senior vice president of merchandise. Thompson was responsible for companywide merchandising, marketing, logistics and operations, leading a team of more than 2,300. Her track record includes successfully driving large-scale business transformation, leading cross-functional teams and implementing strategic change initiatives to deliver measurable results in cooperative and multibrand environments.
“This new role reinforces our commitment to leveraging everything we’ve built—our scale, our partnerships and our relentless focus on independent dealers—to drive growth for our members and retailers and for the co-op,” says Dan Starr, CEO of Do it Best and True Value. “Marianne’s extensive leadership and integration experience will ensure that we don’t just merge operations—we unlock our fullest potential.”
In this new role, Thompson will report to Do it Best president Nick Talarico and unify systems, optimize operations and enhance service delivery across all brands. She will lead the execution of the integration plan, ensuring a seamless transition across all facets of the business. Her work will focus on driving strategic transformation and business optimization, aligning teams and processes to maximize performance.
“Marianne shares our vision and passion for supporting the success of independent dealers in their local communities,” Talarico says. “She brings a unique ability to balance operational excellence with the long-term needs of our store owners, helping us deliver even greater stakeholder value.”
A key part of her role will also involve engaging with members, customers, retailers and stakeholders to ensure their needs are met and their voices remain central throughout the transformation.
“We are excited to welcome Marianne to this essential new role,” says True Value president Dent Johnson. “Her leadership will be instrumental in this momentous strategic transformation to deliver the alignment of corporate strategies, systems and cultures to ensure seamless operations and business continuity to position Do it Best Group for long-term success as the Champion of Independents.”
