PRO Hardware Retailers Honored for Excellence

PRO Hardware announces the winner of its Paul L. Cosgrave Memorial Award as well as PRO Hardware Retailers of the Year.

(PRWEB) August 11, 2005 -- Denver-based PRO Hardware has named Todd Buckingham and his Croghan, N.Y., hardware store, Buckingham PRO Hardware & Great Outdoors, as the 2005 Paul L. Cosgrave Memorial Award Winner. Buckingham is also the PRO Hardware Retailer of the Year for The Bostwick-Braun Company, which is based in Toledo, Ohio.

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.

Buckingham PRO Hardware averages 11 percent growth per year in rural Croghan, N.Y., a town with only 3,000 residents, where owner Todd Buckingham operates a full-service hardware store complemented by several niche departments. He will be formally honored in September at The Bostwick-Braun Companys 2005 Dealer Market/150-year anniversary celebration in Toledo, Ohio and also at the January meeting of the PRO Hardware Achievers Club in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Paul Diamond, Bostwick-Braun sales representative, said, "Todd is a terrific business person -- computer literate, aggressive, and a trendsetter. He knows his competition and even posts their higher prices in his store. He is in sync with what has to be done to be successful."

Mark Foss, PRO Hardware program director for Bostwick-Braun, nominated Buckingham. "Todd continues to work on merchandising, margin maintenance, and inventory turns and is constantly refining his product mix and the services offered," said Foss. "The results he has achieved in his brief existence would be the envy of most retailers." Todd Buckingham was honored with a Young Retailer of the Year award in 2004.

Other Award Winners
The Paul L. Cosgrave Award finalist and Wallace Hardware Company, Inc. Retailer of the Year is the Waynesville, N.C.-based Haywood PRO Builders Supply and its owners Philip Dooley and Danny Wingate.

Marvin W. Wiley, field sales manager and PRO Hardware program director for the Morristown, Tenn.-based Wallace Hardware Company, Inc., said, "Philip Dooley and Danny Wingate hit a grand slam with Haywood PRO Builders Supply, an employee-owned store. Haywood PRO Builders Supply is one of the best run pro-oriented home centers in that part of the country."

The Horizon Distribution Retailer of the Year is Renee Knapp of Welches PRO Mountain Building Supply in Welches, Oregon. Mike Dawson, retail division manager for the Yakima, Washington-based Horizon Distribution, Inc., said, "Renee Knapp is one of the finest retailers I have worked with in my career. She has a passion that is unmatched for giving customers what they want. Renee has built a loyal team that will go to any length to take care of her customers. We are proud to serve such a fine retailer."

PRO Hardware Retailers of the Year are selected based upon merchandising, inventory management, PRO Key Supplier support, advertising, store identification, sales, and financial performance.

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 51 Member Distributors.

Note:
Photos of award winners available upon request.

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