Fayetteville PRO Lumber & Supply Named Paul L. Cosgrave Memorial Award Winner

Denver, Colorado (July 27, 2006) - Denver-based PRO Hardware has named Roy Jones of Fayetteville PRO Lumber & Supply, Fayetteville, Tenn, as the 2006 Paul L. Cosgrave Memorial Award Winner. Jones is also the 2005 PRO Hardware Retailer of the Year for Wallace Hardware Company, which is based in Morristown, Tenn.

Roy Jones has a history of success in Fayetteville, having remodeled and expanded the retail store several times since opening nearly a decade ago. He has increased sales more than 28 percent in the last year alone and recently added on to his door and window display area, with plans for expanding the lumberyard in the near future.

Jones said frequent expansions and growth into new merchandise categories has helped increase his walk-in business and also strengthened relationships with contractors. "Our affiliation with PRO Hardware and Wallace Hardware has been outstanding," Jones said. "They have been here when we needed them."

Marvin W. Wiley, field sales manager and PRO program director for the Morristown, Tenn.-based Wallace Hardware Co., Inc., said of Jones, "Roy Jones is a great business person and a big believer in promotions and advertising. He is debt-free and constantly reinvests in the business by remodeling and expanding. His most recent expansion increased his showroom by a third and added all new PRO signage." Wiley said that Jones and his wife, Judy, will be formally honored in November at the Wallace Hardware Company Dealer Market and also at the April 2007 PRO Hardware Achievers Club on a cruise to Bermuda.

The Paul L. Cosgrave Memorial Award, presented annually to a PRO Hardware retailer, recognizes superior commitment to the principles and ideals of effective hardware merchandising developed by PRO Hardware founder, Paul L. Cosgrave.

Other Award Winners
The Paul L. Cosgrave Award finalist and The Bostwick-Braun Company 2005 PRO Retailer of the Year is Wheeling, W. Va.-based Brown's PRO Hardware and its owner Rich Brown, who left the dairy industry after 27 years to try out the hardware business - with impressive success. Mark Foss, PRO program director for The Bostwick-Braun Company, which is based in Toledo, Ohio, nominated Brown. Foss said, "Rich is one of the hardest working people I know. He is always willing to listen and try new programs. Not having a lifetime of experience in our business like so many of our customers, he is quick to acknowledge the help he has had from his salesman. After deciding to leave his first location in a dying steel town, Rich has tripled his business in a few short years."

The Horizon Distribution 2005 PRO Retailer of the Year is Jose's PRO Hardware, owned by Jose Mendez and based in Wapato, Wash. Mike Dawson, retail division manager for the Yakima, Wash.-based Horizon Distribution, said Mendez started the business from scratch three years ago and has succeeded in a bedroom community minutes from big boxes where two other retailers failed. "His business has enjoyed steady rapid growth since opening," Dawson said, adding that Jose's was recently named Business of the Year by the Wapato Chamber of Commerce and was one of six independents in Washington selected to do a live video feed with Heritage College and the Bill Gates Foundation on retailing excellence.

The Long-Lewis Hardware 2005 PRO Retailer of the Year is the Centre-Ala.-based Danny's PRO Builder's Supply, owned by Dan Johnson. Dwight Brown, general sales manager for the Birmingham-based Long-Lewis Hardware, said, "Danny's Builder's Supply was an obvious choice for PRO Retailer of the Year because of his total commitment to the program and Long-Lewis Hardware Company. He has fine-tuned his merchandise mix and increased hardware sales in the process. Danny's has experienced excellent growth as a result of the PRO program and especially the PRO Hardware circulars."

PRO Hardware Retailers of the Year are selected based upon merchandising, inventory management, PRO Key Supplier support, advertising, store identification, sales, and financial performance. Shari Kalbach, managing director for PRO Hardware, a division of PRO Group, Inc., met all of the award-winning retailers personally. "We have an especially strong and diverse group of award-winning retailers," Kalbach said. "These dealers are truly thriving in their respective markets and we are proud to have them in the PRO Hardware family of retailers."

Photos:

Roy & Judy Jones, Fayetteville PRO Lumber & Supply, Fayetteville, Tennessee – Wallace Hardware Company, Inc. (click to enlarge)		Rich & Kathie Brown, Brown’s PRO Hardware, Wheeling, West Virginia – The Bostwick-Braun Company (click to enlarge)
Jose Mendez, Jose’s PRO Hardware, Wapato, Washington – Horizon Distribution, Inc. (click to enlarge)		Dan Johnson, Danny’s PRO Builder’s Supply, Centre, Alabama – Long-Lewis Hardware Company (click to enlarge)

 

PRO Group, Inc. is a multi-divisional, international merchandising and marketing organization with corporate headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Its operating units include PRO Hardware, GardenMaster, FARM.MART and GOLDEN-LINK. The Company's purchasing power exceeds $3 billion through its 40 Member Distributors.

For More Information Contact:
Shari Kalbach, PRO Hardware
303-792-3000
shari.kalbach@pro-group.com
 
Ruth Furman, Publicist
702-255-8288
ruth@ruthfurman.com