Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
The third and final visit as part of the North American Retail Hardware Association’s (NRHA) Fall 2019 Retail Management Certification Program (RMCP) was a culmination of the students’ hard work and a celebration of everything they accomplished during the course of the program.
Created for employees of independent hardware stores, home centers and lumberyards, RMCP is designed to teach key employees how to increase sales and grow as retail leaders.
Take a look at some of the highlights of the students’ experiences during their third visit to Indianapolis for the Fall 2019 class, which took place Jan. 14-16, 2020:
Day 1: A Chance to Connect and Build a Network
Students enjoyed an evening of dinner and entertainment at Comedy Sportz after getting in to Indianapolis. This was a time for students to relax, network and share ideas with peers.
Day 2: Insightful Seminars and Discussions
Students participated in classes on company culture, sales, budgeting, purpose and forecasting:
- Creating a World Class Culture in Your Retail Organization – Kim Peffley, NRHA
- Sales at Miller Hardware – Marty Ellison, Miller Hardware
- Benchmarking, Forecasting and Monitoring – RMCP Instructors Gary Petz and Phil Mitchell
- Budgeting and Financial Application Workshop – Josiah Gates, Aubuchon Hardware
- The Power of Purpose – RMCP Instructor Wil Davis
Day 3: Student Presentations and Reception
Students, sponsors and industry guests attended morning class sessions:
- Myth, Legend, and Reality – RMCP Instructor Dr. Rob Mathews, Ball State University
- Abrashoff Case Study – Dr. Mike Goldsby, Ball State University
- Conversational Intelligence – Dr. Mike Goldsby, Ball State University
After a student and sponsor lunch, students presented their Business Improvement Projects, which are plans they can incorporate at their businesses to immediately streamline operations and grow sales.
Four finalists were selected to present their projects to the entire class. At the end of the presentations, students voted to choose the winning project and the results were announced at the reception that evening.
At the dinner, held at NRHA’s headquarters, RMCP instructors recognized students and presented them with books on leadership—with different books selected to match the individual students’ strengths and growth opportunities. The evening closed with the announcement of the presentation winners—in a tie vote, Megan Stiers from Hermann Lumber in Hermann, Missouri and Robin Smith from Petersburg Hardware in Petersburg, Indiana were selected as co-winners.
RMCP Helps Businesses Grow
Graduates have reported ROI in the triple digits as a result of the training—and students benefit from networking opportunities, lifelong relationships with like-minded peers and new business knowledge.
For more information about the Retail Management Certification Program, visit nrha.org/rmcp or contact Scott Wright at 317-275-9417 and swright@nrha.org. Ready to apply? The application deadline for the Spring 2020 class is March 1, 2020.
