Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
If you’re looking for a new opportunity for product discovery and want to learn strategies to invest in your business this year, the NHPA All-Industry Conference is the place to find it all. The North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) is co-locating its conference on the floor of the National Hardware Show, which takes place April 5-7 in Las Vegas. The combination of events makes it easy to explore exhibitors in between insightful presentations and panel discussions featuring industry experts and leading retailers.
“We’re excited to be back at the Las Vegas Convention Center working with our partners at the National Hardware Show to bring a comprehensive event to independent retailers,” says NHPA chief operating officer and publisher Dan Tratensek. “This event brings the industry together in a way few others can, as it aligns independent retailers regardless of wholesale affiliation. It combines networking, industry-specific presentations and product discovery all in one place.”
Click here to learn more about this year’s event.
Keynotes, Feature Speakers & Panelists
The theme of this year’s conference is “Investing in People, Products & Technology,” and each speaker and panel discussion applies a component of that theme to the independent home improvement channel. Whether you’re looking for industry trends and data or investment strategies for your team and your business, we’ve got it covered here.
Panel Topics and Participants
Grant Farnsworth
Industry Fundamentals and Customer Behaviors Impacting Home Improvement
Kevin Hancock
Employees First: Disrupting Assumptions for More Loyal Customers and Stronger Sales
Jim Close
How to Leverage Technology to Reduce Shrink
Melanie Moul
The Hiring Strategies You Need to Try
Kim Peffley
Creating Innovative Problem-Solvers in Your Business
Keep Your Pro Promises
Retailers talk about their contractor loyalty strategies. Panelists: Brian Johnson, Sunpro; Dave Hoglund, Builders; Coreen Pierce, Koopman Lumber Co.
How Retailers Are Taking on Tech
Retailers discuss how technology is a necessary component of retail. Panelists: Eric Hassett, Hassett Ace Hardware; Adam Gunnett, Busy Beaver; Jade Haynie, Northwest Hardware
Creating the Ultimate customer Experience
Retailers relay their strategies for focusing on a comprehensive customer experience. Panelists: Rodney Bullion, TAL Holdings LLC; Ned Green, Weiders Paint & Hardware; Darryl Zunker, Pintura Paint
Insights from Young Retailers
Recipients of the 2022 Young Retailer of the Year Awards discuss their retail achievements. Panelists: Kyle Adair, Maycrest Hardware; Adam Moulton, Allandale, Ingersoll & Woodstock Home Hardware Building Centres; Brandon Donahue, Westerly Paints
April 5 – Tuesday
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Retail Solutions Workshop
Presented by the National Hardware Show
Independent retailers are invited to join this workshop to come away with tangible actions to improve their operations.
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Creating Innovative Problem-Solvers in Your Business
Presenter: Kim Peffley, NHPA
Now more than ever, you need to ensure you have a team of innovative problem-solvers. Join us for this session to learn essential techniques to teach your team, not only the importance, but also the skill of being an innovative problem-solver in your business. You will learn how to help your employees become better problem-solvers and how to create a culture that encourages innovation. We will dive into the importance of companywide communication to ensure the path for innovation is open and available to everyone. Finally, leadership teams will return to business with the tools they need to establish the innovative problem-solvers of the future.
2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. AWARDS
NHPA Top Guns Awards
Moderator: Melanie Moul, NHPA
Panelists: Stacy Bivona, Builders; Elliot Greenberg, JC Licht; Pat Sullivan, Sullivan Hardware & Garden
The NHPA Top Guns Awards recognize retailers who are pillars of innovation, commitment and passion for the independent home improvement channel. The retailers honored in this program have helped grow their operations through strategic leadership with consideration for their communities and their teams. In this panel discussion, learn how these retailers plan for continued growth and are paving the way for future leaders.
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. KEYNOTE
Employees First: Disrupting Assumptions for More Loyal Customers and Stronger Sales
Presenter: Kevin Hancock, Hancock Lumber
Hancock Lumber president and CEO Kevin Hancock discusses the social and economic benefits of creating an employee-centric company. The first mission of work should be enhancing the lives of the people who do it. Hancock explains how starting the flywheel of corporate success with the employee experience creates enhanced results for customers, communities and corporations. In this presentation, Hancock revisits and reclassifies several long-standing assumptions about business.
4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. PANEL
Keep Your Pro Promises
Moderator: Lindsey Thompson, NHPA
Panelists: Dave Hoglund, Builders; Brian Johnson, Sunpro
For retailers who serve contractors and other home improvement professionals, offering perks for loyalty can be the difference between a recurring customer and a long-term relationship. Listen to retailers who have developed comprehensive—and often generous—contractor loyalty programs and learn from them how you can get started on setting up or revising your own program.
April 6 – Wednesday
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
The Hiring Strategies You Need to Try
Presenter: Melanie Moul, NHPA
Using real-world examples from retailers who have found success in developing high-performing teams, this presentation will give you actionable ideas for how to fill gaps in your staff. This isn’t just about upping wages and being a flexible employer. The significant changes in the labor market over the last several years require independent home improvement retailers to think critically and try new hiring strategies to ensure growth.
10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. KEYNOTE
Industry Fundamentals and Customer Behaviors Impacting Home Improvement
Presenter: Grant Farnsworth, The Farnsworth Group
Featuring recent research from The Farnsworth Group, this presentation will highlight key supply and demand factors impacting the future of home improvement. Attendees will also learn about recent sales activity to better understand future demand. While fundamentals are key to understanding where we’ve been and where we’re headed, it’s also important to understand changing customer behaviors that are impacting manufacturers and retailers. Research presented will include actionable data on contractor and DIY brand preferences, how shoppers use technology before buying and online and in-store shopping activities.
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. PANEL
How Retailers Are Taking on Tech
Moderator: Melanie Moul, NHPA
Panelists: Eric Hassett, Hassett Ace Hardware; Jade Haynie, Northwest Hardware; Adam Gunnett, Busy Beaver
Independent retailers have continually invested in strategic technology solutions to attract and retain customers. Especially as consumers’ expectations for a comprehensive retail experience have changed over the last two years, technology is becoming an essential component of business. These independent retailers from diverse operations will share how technology helps elevate and differentiate their businesses.
1:00 p.m – 1:45 p.m. PANEL
Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience
Moderator: Katie McHone-Jones, NHPA
Panelists: Rodney Bullion, TAL Holdings LLC; Ned Green, Weiders Paint and Hardware; Darryl Zunker, Pintura Paint
With all the competition in the marketplace, creating an inviting experience is key to customer retention. Independent retailers have the flexibility to adapt to their customers’ shifting expectations, from store hours and special orders to omnichannel solutions and project knowledge. On this panel, retailers will share their strategies for making customer service in their stores a first-rate experience.
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. PANEL
Insights From Young Retailers
Moderator: Scott Wright, NHPA
Panelists: Kyle Adair, Maycrest Hardware; Adam Moulton, Allandale, Ingersoll and Woodstock Home Hardware Building Centres
For over 26 years, NHPA has recognized the successes of young independent home improvement retailers through its Young Retailer of the Year program. Meet some of the 2022 honorees as they share their retail journeys, why they have chosen this industry as a career and what their goals are for the future.
5:30 p.m AWARDS
Retailers’ Choice Awards
Moderator: Dan Tratensek, NHPA
For more than 50 years, NHPA has been helping retailers discover the best of the best products through its Retailers’ Choice Awards. Products selected in this program are chosen by retailer judges who scout the floor of the National Hardware Show to find new and innovative products that will drive sales and help independent retailers stand out in their markets. This program celebrates manufacturers for their innovations and encourages their support of the independent home improvement channel.
Hosted on the NHS Backyard Stage. By invitation only.
April 7 – Thursday
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Retail Solutions Workshop
Presented by the National Hardware Show
Independent retailers are invited to join this workshop to come away with tangible actions to improve their operations.
1:00 p.m.
National Hardware Show closes
2022 Top Guns Award Winners
2022 Young Retailer of the Year Honorees
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Opportunity Is Waiting
3 Must-See Spots at the National Hardware Show
In addition to featuring thousands of exhibitors with the latest home improvement products on the main show floor, the National Hardware Show continues to diversify the opportunities for retailers at the event. See three spaces that need to be at the top of your list when you arrive at the show.
Paint and sundries distributor Lancaster has partnered with the National Hardware Show to bring a new experience for the paint channel. Visit the Lancaster Demo & Deals Pavilion under the Big Top in the NHS Backyard for ongoing exhibitor demonstrations. Show attendees have access to exclusive deals, including healthy savings and extended payment terms.
Always an attendee favorite at the show, the NHS Backyard offers a comprehensive experience for fans of grilling, outdoor power equipment—and free samples. Make your way outside to continue your product discovery journey in key industry categories. See products in action with hands-on demonstrations and get inspiration for your own in-store events with on-stage demos from exhibitors throughout the day.
Centrally located on the show floor is HABITAT, the space at the show dedicated to innovation and ingenuity at the National Hardware Show. This year, HABITAT has highlighted five key areas that will impact the industry in 2022 and beyond. This year’s themes include: rest and wellness; nature and the environment; safety and security; DIY style; and water management.
