3 reviews of Connollys Do It Best Hardware & Rental 'First off, this Do It Best location is now owned by the Connollys who own a few other Do It Best stores in the area. Following Taylor’s retirement in early 2016, Dan Starr became the company’s fifth president and CEO. COVID update: Connollys Do It Best Hardware & Rental has updated their hours and services. Taylor embraced the pace of technology development and change at Do it Best Corp. In 2002, Bob Taylor, a former member-owner with stores in Virginia Beach, Virginia, took over as president and CEO and has led the company into new markets supporting commercial/industrial and web-only businesses until his retirement in January 2016. As a result of the merger, HWI changed its name to Do it Best Corp.

In 1998, HWI combined with Our Own Hardware, a Minnesota-based regional co-op. During his tenure, the co-op expanded internationally, primarily in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Do it Best is the only US-based, member-owned comprehensive and fully integrated hardware, lumber and building materials buying cooperative in the home. Mike McClelland succeeded Don Wolf as president in 1992. Today, there are eight centers located across the US as well as five regional lumber offices. When Gerberding retired in 1967, HWI had more than 600 members and is approaching $4 billion in annual sales.ĭon Wolf succeeded Gerberding and opened HWI's first distribution center outside of Fort Wayne in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The first warehouse facility opened in 1948, and HWI added a private truck delivery system in 1955. Independent hardware stores became members of the cooperative and its sole shareholders as well. Gerberding used the co-op model so HWI members could get better volume pricing from vendors by buying together rather than on their own. HWI was founded by Arnold Gerberding in 1945 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with the investments of 100 independent business owners in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. does not mandate store identities, so member-owners may or may not display the Do it Best brand name in their businesses. is the second-largest co-op in the industry with over $5 billion in annual sales.

(HWI), is a member-owned hardware, lumber, and building materials cooperative based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Thousands of member-owned locations throughout the United States and more than 50 other countries ĭo It Best Corp., formerly known as Hardware Wholesalers, Inc.

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