Issuu

Apex® HPP

Interior Water-Based Clear Finish

Apex replaces solvent-based varnishes and lacquers, and meets VOC requirements of OTC, OTC II, CARB, and SCAQMD. It provides excellent sandability as a self-seal system along with chemical and wear resistance.

1025 E. 54th St. Indianapolis, Indiana 317-275-9400 NHPA@YourNHPA.org YourNHPA.org

EDITORIAL, DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Melanie Moul Managing Editor mmoul@YourNHPA.org

Kate Klein Proﬁles Editor kklein@YourNHPA.org

Todd Taber Trends Editor ttaber@YourNHPA.org

Hans Cummings Products & Digital Editor hcummings@YourNHPA.org

Lindsey Thompson Associate Editor lthompson@YourNHPA.org

Aubrey Smith Senior Designer

Autumn Ricketts Graphic Designer

Austin Vance Production Manager

Freda Creech Sales & Production Assistant Kevin Trehan Digital Media Specialist

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Whitney Daulton Executive Director, Marketing & Communications

Julie Leinwand Corporate Communications Manager & Editor

NHPA MEMBER SERVICES

800-772-4424 | nhpa@YourNHPA.org

LeAnn Day lday@YourNHPA.org

Executive Director, Paint & Decorating Programs

Scott Wright swright@YourNHPA.org Executive Director, Advanced Retail Education Programs

Jesse Carleton jcarleton@YourNHPA.org Training Manager & Editor

Renee Changnon rchangnon@YourNHPA.org Retail Engagement Specialist

Katie McHone-Jones kmchone-jones@YourNHPA.org Event Manager & Retail Support

Natalie Harris Data & Information Coordinator

ADVERTISING

Dan Simon Magazine Sales 800-737-0107 | dsimon@YourNHPA.org

OUR MISSION

COMING IN AUGUST

Inventory Management

The pandemic altered the way businesses managed their inventory and had many of them scrambling to solve supply chain issues to serve customers.

Paint & Decorating Retailer analyzes what long-term effects the pandemic will have on retail inventory management, how it has changed, what changes are likely to stick and how we can use the lessons from the past year to create better business practices for the future.

STRATEGIC SERIES

Learning Through Leadership

Jay Donnelly has established Flanagan Paint & Supply as a key supplier for professional and DIY painters in the St. Louis area. Along the way, he has proven himself a leader in the industry, becoming the ﬁrst paint and decorating NHPA Young Retailer of the Year honoree.

LEADERSHIP

Sharing Success

There’s no one-size-ﬁts-all mold for what makes a good leader. Read about three past Young Retailer of the Year honorees and the characteristics that made them successful as leaders.

NEWS

Get the Latest

Access the following resources plus the latest industry news and exclusive content at PDRmag.com/july

Find More Online

LEADERSHIP

Leading the Pack

Inspiring leadership can lead every business to greater success. Discover helpful resources online to guide your team to new heights.

4 Steps to Better Teamwork

Even if they’re not in an ofﬁcial leadership role, employees who learn leadership skills can help create stronger teams. This month’s Trainer’s Toolbox will reinforce four basic leadership skills.

Words of Encouragement

A leader’s words are powerful. Offering positive reinforcement could unlock hidden potential in your employees. Learn ﬁve easy ways to offer constructive praise and boost morale.

Playing to Win

Use this interactive group card game to reinforce the leadership skills every employee can use to improve teamwork and strengthen your operation.

OPERATIONS

Exploring Inventory Management

A new webinar from NHPA (and sponsored by Epicor) analyzes how inventory management has changed and how retailers can create better business practices. Visit YourNHPA.org/webinars to view this and other webinars.

INDUSTRYAWARDS

Meet the Industry’s Young Leaders

Learn more about this year’s Young Retailer of the Year honorees at YourNHPA.org/yroty. Watch videos of each honoree and check out the digital publication featuring their stories and how they became the channel’s next leaders.

RESEARCH

A Look Inside the Price Hike

As prices for popular building materials rise, the National Association of Home Builders dives into the data to discover speciﬁc concerns residential builders have about increased prices and supply chain constraints.

CONNECTIONS

How to Reach Melanie

Melanie Moul YourNHPA.org/es-pod mmoul@YourNHPA.org

How to Lead With Grace

In any industry there’s going to be a learning curve before you’re ready to do your job independently. Once you have the knowledge to do your job, you may be asked to show others how it’s done, and that is another learning curve entirely. My first job right out of college was as a barista. It was not the job I envisioned, but it was the one I could find in the middle of the Great Recession. So, I woke up early, and I learned a new language—the unlimited combination of scribbles in boxes on hundreds of cups every day. I served the best people (and the worst), and I made lifelong friends. After a year or so, my manager invited me to become a trainer.

The short story is that I wasn’t prepared for that responsibility. I could teach the material, but I didn’t have patience for people who didn’t get it right the first time or the tenth. Now, there is a conversation to be had about whether someone is the right fit if they can’t understand the material after so many missteps, but let’s give people the benefit of the doubt in this situation.

Once a new employee, we’ll call her Grace, was trained by my co-worker. Grace’s first shift post-training was with me as the shift supervisor, and she didn’t know any drink recipes or any of the responsibilities of the job. I was flustered, and I showed it.

Leaders must experience their own learning opportunities before they can become powerful contributors.

I wasn’t necessarily frustrated with her. I was frustrated that other trainers didn’t convey the right information and that our manager didn’t recognize that Grace should stay in training longer. My mistake as a trainer, and as a leader, was taking out my frustrations on her instead of redirecting in the moment. Grace left the floor crying, unwilling to work with me because I had showed my emotions too quickly. We struggled to get through the rest of the shift together, and she quit the next day.

To this day, I don’t know how much of her decision to quit was because of the way I treated her in a moment of frustration. But I do know that now, 10 years removed from that incident, I should have handled the situation very differently.

This month’s cover story introduces Jay Donnelly as the first paint retailer to receive a North American Hardware and Paint Association Young Retailer of the Year award. The program recognizes retailers 35 years old and younger who are leaders in their operations and their communities. But Jay and the other honorees didn’t become leaders overnight. Leaders must experience their own learning opportunities before they can become powerful contributors in their businesses and the industry. Learn more about Jay starting on Page 22 and meet the other honorees and watch the virtual ceremony at YourNHPA.org/yroty

I think about Grace every once in a while. I hope she found her passion, and I hope she can give me a little grace as I was still learning to lead.

Melanie Moul Managing Editor

OUTREACH

Share Your Stories

Send your merchandising tips, event recaps, employee morale boosters and other stories to editorial@YourNHPA.org

Doubling the Impact

Hallman Lindsay Paints Grows Its Giving

The year 2020 provided opportunities for Hallman Lindsay Paints to expand its generosity in the communities where its stores operate.

The family-owned company, which operates 26 retail locations throughout Wisconsin, has been donating money to food pantries for about a decade, according to sales and marketing coordinator John DeVries. Hallman Lindsay regularly supports one or more food pantries near each of its stores.

Employees decided years ago that supporting food pantries to combat food scarcity problems would be an ongoing initiative. Staff at the stores identify local needs and the food pantries they want to support.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, community needs grew in 2020 and so did the company’s opportunities to give.

Hallman Lindsay stores were able to stay open during the pandemic because the business was deemed essential by the state of Wisconsin. With limited occupancy and increased curbside and contactless service, the stores continued to serve customers.

At the same time, many local residents’ needs increased. So, the company doubled the amount of money it donated to the food pantries in all of the communities where Hallman Lindsay stores are located, and also contributed to food pantries in cities where the company is opening new locations.

“We had been searching for ways to make more direct and meaningful contributions to the communities we serve. We could not give back if they weren’t supporting our business,” DeVries says. “We are woven into the fabric of our communities."

EDUCATION

Foundations of Leadership

Visit YourNHPA.org/fol to learn more about the Foundations of Leadership program and how it can take your team to the next level.

Certified Leadership

3 Online Leadership Courses for New and Seasoned Managers

Invest in your managers with an online leadership development program to boost their skills, knowledge and confidence.

The North American Hardware and Paint Association’s (NHPA) Foundations of Leadership program provides leaders with home improvement industry-specific training. The program offers three different nine-week online courses, including Intro to Leadership, Leading Your Team and Financial Management. Together, these courses lead to a certification in leadership.

As part of each course, managers will also complete a realworld capstone project for their business where they will apply all the knowledge and skills they have learned. The project will focus on solving a problem or capitalizing on a missed opportunity in the business.

To learn more about the Foundations of Leadership program, visit YourNHPA.org/fol or contact Scott Wright, NHPA executive director of advanced retail education programs, at swright@YourNHPA.org or 317-441-4136.

About the Foundations of Leadership Courses

Intro to Leadership

In this introductory course, managers will learn about their unique leadership style and strengths, which will provide a framework for their ongoing leadership growth and career development needs.

COURSE DATES

Aug. 2 - Oct. 8

Apply by July 30

Leading Your Team

This course teaches managers the critical components of building and leading a team, including communication skills, conflict management, talent development and ongoing performance management.

COURSE DATES

Oct. 11 - Dec. 31

Apply by Oct. 8

Financial Management

This course focuses on the key financial management skills that leaders need to manage the financial side of a business, including the basics of expense control, budgeting and benchmarking.

COURSE DATES

Aug. 2 - Oct. 8 or Oct. 11 - Dec. 31

Apply by July 30

While cohort classes are recommended, self-paced options are also available.

ENGAGE Numbers You Should Know

Participation in the Cost of Doing Business Study is free, easy and confidential. To learn more or get started, visit YourNHPA.org/codb

Benchmark Your Business

2021 Cost of Doing Business Study Deadline Extended to July 15

NHPA has extended the deadline for paint and decorating stores , hardware stores, home centers and lumberyards in the U.S. to participate in the 2021 Cost of Doing Business Study to July 15.

For more than a century, NHPA has collected information from independent home improvement retailers for the study. Each year, this financial benchmarking tool helps retailers understand how their businesses compare financially to typical and high-profit operations so they can make informed decisions for their operations.

Numbers You Should Know

This classic measurement remains one of the most important gauges of a store’s productivity.

The sales per square foot for a typical paint store is $381.

INVENTORY PER SQUARE FOOT

Stores that stock more inventory per square foot typically generate higher sales.

The inventory per square foot for a typical paint store is $77.

How You Can Participate

You can choose from several easy ways to share your information with NHPA, via mail, email or online. Participants receive free access to the study’s results and a personalized financial analysis of your business. The information you provide is completely confidential. Visit YourNHPA.org/codb to get started.

Scan the QR code to watch a video with NHPA chief financial officer Dave Gowan and learn what you can gain by participating in the Cost of Doing Business Study.

When you participate in the Cost of Doing Business Study, it can help you identify new financial opportunities for your operation. Have you looked at your financials recently? Here are some numbers you should know.

SALES PER EMPLOYEE

In calculating this ratio, two part-time employees are considered equivalent to one full-time employee.

The sales per employee for a typical paint store is $169,225.

SALES PER CUSTOMER

By measuring the average sale per transaction, retailers can gauge the performance of merchandising and sales staff.

The sales per customer for a typical paint store is $135.

PROFIT BEFORE TAXES

This figure represents the money you put in your pocket every month and provides a way to measure the health of your operation.

The profit before taxes for a typical paint store is 3.1percent.

Source: NHPA’s 2020 Cost of Doing Business Study

Trainer’s Toolbox

Visiting YourNHPA.org/membership to learn more about paid and free training available to NHPA members.

Leadership Skills for Everyone

Access this free NHPA Trainer’s Toolbox at YourNHPA.org/operations

Employees who don’t have an official leadership or managerial role at a business can still benefit from having leadership skills. Strong communication and problem-solving skills—two qualities of effective leaders— can help create more productive teams. As individual employees continue to learn leadership skills, they become leaders among their peers, taking ownership of projects and helping teams be more productive. This month’s Trainer’s Toolbox, Learning to Lead, is a group activity that will help your employees develop skills crucial to leadership and teamwork. The activity can be completed in a staff meeting and requires minimal preparation. This resource is free and available to all retailers.

Podcasts to Play

Subscribe or listen to podcasts at YourNHPA.org/podcasts

“Spend and invest in training, because that’s really what separates you—being part of that community and having trained associates that know what they are talking about.”

Taking Care of Business

EPISODE 41

Dan talks supply chain and industry outlook with John Vanderpool, True Value’s divisional president of paint and general manufacturing.

“There are a lot of retailers, big and small, across different categories, that don’t realize the degree to which they need to change to survive, much less thrive.”

Tell Me More...

EPISODE 35

Renee chats with Steve Dennis, author of “Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Digital Disruption.”

“As leaders, one of our most important tasks is to learn what is going on with our team. In order to learn, we must first know how to listen.”

Editorially Speaking

EPISODE 13

Melanie talks to former naval flight officer and current leadership expert Dave Rosenberg about what it takes to be an exceptional leader.

John Vanderpool True Value

Steve Dennis Author

Dave Rosenberg Leadership Expert

PRODUCT NEWS

OUTREACH

Retailer Recommendations

Send an email to editorial@YourNHPA.org telling us about the products your customers love and why they are such a hit in your business.

BARRIER SKIN CREAM

WORKMAN’S FRIEND | workmansfriendbrand.com or chris_matherne@solvchem.com

Workman’s Friend Barrier Skin Cream moisturizes and heals skin while protecting against paint, grease, stains, glue, dirt and other skin irritants. It guards against irritants for up to 4 hours and is nongreasy, fragrant-free and safe for all skin types.

LIQUID RU GORILLA GLUE

RUBBER SEALANT CO.

Gorilla Waterpr rubberized coati small gaps and c seal. It can be app or pouring. It is self UV-resistant, seals o and is paintable whe

Waterproof Patch & Seal is a flexible, rubberized coating designed to smoothly cover cracks, forming a watertight applied by brush, roller, trowel, dip self-leveling, temperature- and out water, air and moisture when dried.

DIRECTIONAL AREA LIGHT

NEBO | nebotools.com or 800-255-6061

The NEBO EYE Light is a versatile 220 lumen work light that is water- and impact-resistant. The EYE magnetically rests inside the base which allows for 360 degrees of rotation, directing light where it is needed most.

It features a drywall screw hole for permanent mounting and hook and loop double-sided tape for additional mounting options.

The Kingmill series is the latest addition to the Regent’s Park Collection from Top Knobs. Made from zinc alloy, these European design-inspired knobs, pulls and appliance pulls include mounting hardware and are available in ash gray, brushed satin nickel, flat black, honey bronze, polished chrome and polished nickel finishes.

Retailers’ Picks

Check out the products that caught retailers’ eyes in the special presentation of the 2020 Retailers’ Choice Awards at YourNHPA.org/webinars

WATER-BASED WOOD STAIN GENERAL FINISHES

| generalfinishes.com

Made with more than 50 percent renewable resources, Exterior 450 Stains are formulated from sustainable materials that decrease the carbon footprint. These pigmented, water-based wood stains are designed for outdoor projects with vertical surfaces, such as garage doors, entrance doors and furniture. They contain UV absorbers to protect the finish and mildewcides to inhibit mold and mildew growth.

ANGLE CUTTING BRUSH PROFORMTECHNOLOGIES

proformtech.com or 307-857-6643

The Picasso Minotaur™ Advantage PBT Filament Blend paint brush features a European-style handle for increased control and a larger reservoir for holding paint. Its oval ferrule and chiseled angle cut allow for precise cutting and detail work. The brush uses patented Hardline™ “No Drip” interior construction for added durability.

Update your email preferences at YourNHPA.org/subscribe to be sure you’re on the list when a new products newsletter launches next month.

LADDER STABILIZER SARGENTCONSUMERPRODUCTS ladderslittlehelper.com or sales@ladderslittlehelper.com

Ladder’s Little Helper wraps around the lip of the gutter and provides a stable base to lean a ladder against. Rippled rubber on the underside and face of the device provides grip on both the gutter and ladder, while the raised sides help prevent sideways movement. Ladder’s Little Helper’s patented design fits 99 percent of gutters and ladders. Made of lightweight polypropylene, the device is simple to use: Insert a pole into the bottom, place Ladder’s Little Helper on your gutter and lean your ladder against the device for a safer work environment.

Award Winning

NHPA RECOGNIZES JAY DONNELLY AS A 2021 YOUNG RETAILER OF THE YEAR HONOREE

By Julie Leinwand

For 25 years, the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) has highlighted the achievements of outstanding independent home improvement retailers age 35 years and younger through its Young Retailer of the Year program.

Young Retailer of the Year honorees stand out as leaders in their businesses and in the communities they serve and are selected from three categories: stores with less than $2 million in sales, stores with more than $2 million in sales and

operations with multiple stores. This year’s honorees have worked to improve their businesses, invest in their career development through industry education and better their communities.

This year marks the first time NHPA has included paint and decorating retailers in the award program after the association expanded its membership to include paint and decorating retailers last year. On the following pages, learn more about Jay Donnelly and his path to becoming a 2021 Young Retailer of the Year honoree.

Thank you to our 2021 Young Retailer of the Year sponsors.

HONORING YOUNG RETAILERS

Jay Donnelly, vice president of Flanagan Paint & Supply in St. Louis, is the first paint retailer to receive the Young Retailer of the Year award.

Meet the Other 2021 Young Retailer of the Year Honorees

Visit YourNHPA.org/yroty to watch a recording of the virtual ceremony and read profiles of the other 2021 honorees in our special Young Retailer of the Year digital publication.

Learning the Ins and Outs

Jay Donnelly began working with his father at Flanagan Paint & Supply, in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis, after graduating from Southeast Missouri State University in 2010 with a degree in construction management.

Donnelly’s father, Jim, had purchased Flanagan Paint in 2007 and asked him to join the company after Jim's business partner died. Jim’s experience was in outside sales, whereas his former business partner had managed the in-store retail and contractor side of the business. Donnelly learned the ins and outs of running a paint store while on the job, and by 2012, he was promoted to vice president of Flanagan Paint. The title made it official, but he had been overseeing operations management, purchasing, hiring, social media and more from the time he started working at the store.

By 2013, the father-son duo had grown the business 25 percent year over year. But Donnelly felt unfulfilled and was ready for a new challenge. He and his father decided to open another store location. They settled on a retail space in the greater St. Louis area, in Ellisville, Missouri, and purchased the business in 2014.

In 2017, they sold the original Soulard building and moved everything to the Ellisville location. Then in 2018, they opened a new store in Creve Coeur, Missouri, and in November 2020, they acquired a third location in Webster Groves, Missouri.

Making Friends Is Their Business

Donnelly brings his two daughters, ages 3 and 5, with him to the stores every day. He says he, his wife and his daughters view the stores’ employees as family— and he spends most of his time investing in his team and the company culture they’ve created together.

In three years, Donnelly helped his father grow the business 25 percent year over year.

GROWING BUSINESS

Learn From the Pros

Take a tour of the training courses NHPA offers retailers to keep their employees sharp at PDRMag.com/effective-training

The company motto is “Making friends is our business.”

“When you start making friends with customers, the competition goes away,” Donnelly says.

“When you start making friends with customers, the competition goes away.”

Jay Donnelly Vice President, Flanagan Paint & Supply

Giving Back to the Community Flanagan Paint is a regular supporter of local charitable organizations. Donnelly also takes his role as an independent paint retailer seriously and seeks ways to empower his colleagues.

He previously served on the board of directors of the Paint and Decorating Retailers Association (PDRA), which closed operations in 2020. Donnelly is now part of an advisory group of paint retailers that is helping NHPA tailor its programs and services to address the needs of independent paint retailers.

He also participated in the Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders program, a six-month, MBA-style course. Donnelly says the program helped him define the direction he wanted to take the company. He now helps promote the program to other small business executives.

Donnelly has plans to open more stores, further expanding Flanagan Paint & Supply’s footprint in the St. Louis area. His goal is to not only expand his business to more locations, but strengthen the team supporting those brick-andmortar destinations.

“People ask me all the time, ‘How many stores do you want?’” Donnelly says. “We’ll see—it depends on the team I have in place.”

says he's not ruling out further expansion. ADDING LOCATIONS

and

Flanagan Paint & Supply now has three locations in the St. Louis area,

Donnelly

What Makes a Leader?

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM 3 PAST YOUNG RETAILER OF THE YEAR HONOREES

By Kate Klein

esults are key for identifying good leaders. At Roblynn Home Hardware and Home Furniture in Oromocto, New Brunswick, owner and president Tanya Hanson Rocca considers it a huge compliment that other business owners often ask for her hiring secrets.

“You have the nicest people. Where do you find them?” is a common question she gets.

Spoiler: She doesn’t have hiring secrets. She hires people from the same small community as the other business operators in the area. But Rocca views a significant part of her role at Roblynn Home Hardware as understanding and leading a team of individuals. Knowing employees well allows Rocca to lead them.

“I treat staff like family and customers like friends,” Rocca says. “I try to be respectful, kind and thoughtful. We have hard conversations, too, but with kindness, respect and honor.”

Growing sales and maintaining a low employee turnover rate are the results of Rocca’s leadership, not ends in themselves. The culture she and the staff create together comes first.

Those priorities are reflected in the fact that most employees have now worked at the business for a minimum of five years.

“They truly are a team and they cooperate. They’re not a short-term team. They’re a long-term team.

The glue is so strong, it keeps the team together,” Rocca says. “I’m the cheerleader, the coach. I truly, genuinely care about every single person who works here. I know them personally.”

The careers of Isaac Smith, co-owner and head of purchasing at Matt’s Building Materials in Pharr, Texas, and Camille Gibson, general manager of Mark’s Ace Hardware in Tucson, Arizona, look different from Rocca’s.

However, all three are past North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) Young Retailer of the Year honorees who have grown as leaders beyond the early promise that NHPA recognized. Read on to learn about the traits and results that mark them as strong leaders and their business strategies that other retailers can emulate.

Listening and Learning

When Rocca was fresh out of college, her father, Robin Hanson, moved his office into a separate building and told her Roblynn Home Hardware was hers to manage.

TIGHT-KNIT TEAM

Under Tanya Hanson Rocca’s leadership, Roblynn Home Hardware has developed a stable employee team with a low turnover.

Roblynn Home Hardware and Home Furniture

Owner and President

Oromocto, New Brunswick

2002 NHPA Young Retailer of the Year

Hanson left a note for the staff letting them know Rocca was the new boss, but Rocca asked them to ignore the memo. She had not grown up working in the store and did not necessarily expect she would stay, so she approached that trial year as a learning opportunity.

“I’m just here for a year,” she told the store employees. “I’m just learning from you.”

She asked the team questions, talked to customers and called her dad for advice. Customers and employees discussed ways they thought the store could better serve shoppers.

Rocca listened. She not only learned about the store’s products for the first time, but also chose to reorganize the store and make it cleaner and more attractive.

When changes were successful, Rocca built on the success and kept looking for opportunities to improve the business.

Sales grew more than 50 percent that first year, quickly and dramatically outperforming growth her dad had seen previously. Success, for Rocca, always involves her team of employees. Listening and learning her first year set a precedent she is building on 24 years later.

Leading by Example Rocca entered the family business as the new boss, but she had the humility to know she had much to learn from the staff and her dad.

“They have helped me grow as a leader by providing advice and feedback. I ask a lot of questions, and I’m a listener,” Rocca says.

Developing a team of employees who mesh well with each other and are loyal to the company, eager to grow individually and motivated to improve the operation is an ongoing mission for Rocca.

01 | Lead by example.

“I create a positive, happy, energetic work environment. I work with integrity; I don’t say one thing and do another. I work really hard when I’m at the store. I’m always busy. I’ve got a lot of energy, so I’m zooming around the store.”

02 | Always strive to grow.

“I’m not the same leader I was in 2002 or 10 years ago or last year. I’m always developing and growing in my leadership skills. One of the best courses I took was a young leaders retreat, where I learned about priorities in management.”

03 | Share goals.

“I organized shift-starter meetings and share sales targets every day with our staff. The meetings have catapulted our sales. Staff are constantly asking, ‘Where are we with sales?’ We have created a culture of sharing information, setting goals and then trying to achieve them.”

TANYA HANSON ROCCA

LEARN FROM THE LEADERS

OPERATIONS

Anatomy of a Leader

Read about four retailers in the industry whose experiences have tested them as leaders and given them opportunities to grow at PDRmag.com/leader-anatomy

MISSION: GROWTH

Overthe last 24 years, Tanya Hanson Rocca has helped grow Roblynn Home Hardware in both sales and companyculture.

She uses daily staff meetings to nurture a collaborative culture where she shares sales data and asks the team to work together on tasks ranging from setting up new product displays to achieving sales goals. These meetings allow for regular idea sharing and help employees stay invested in nearly every aspect of the operation.

FORMULATING BRILLIANCE

Golden Paintworks ® Metallic Paint is a water-based, interior acrylic paint, highly pigmented with iridescent mica to produce brilliant metallic effects. Perfect for decorative projects or for adding drama to featured spaces. See the full line of colors at goldenpaintworks.com

Rocca has spent many years working to model the attitude, culture and work ethic she expects from every employee at Roblynn Home Hardware.

When she walks into her family’s store, she knows the employees well enough to greet each one with a hug, collaborates with them to achieve goals large or small and shares a companywide vision for continuous business and self improvement.

“I think I’m the type of leader who makes other people better by being here. I improve and grow, and then they improve and grow,” Rocca says.

Learning to Grow

Isaac Smith began working for Matt’s Building Materials when he was 13 years old. He continued working for the company during high school and college and learned to work hard loading lumber, driving forklifts and delivering building materials to job sites.

“I’ve worked every job in the business,” Smith says. “When you work every position, you see what the challenges and needs are and what it

HEALTHY CHANGE

takes to get the job done. I have a lot of sympathy for the guys who work in the back because I know what it takes to do their jobs.”

When Smith graduated from college at age 20, his dad promoted him to a management position.

“I stayed stagnant for the first couple years. I was waiting for feedback,” he says. “I wanted to know if I was doing what I was supposed to be doing and if I was doing a good job.”

When no feedback came, he realized he would only develop and grow if he took the initiative to identify weaknesses in the company and in himself and then make changes.

“My philosophy of leadership is to always continue to get better daily,” he says.

LEARN FROM THE LEADERS

Matt’s Building Materials

Co-Owner and Head of Purchasing

3 locations in southern Texas

2012 NHPA Young Retailer of the Year

Identifying areas for improvement has become an ongoing part of Smith’s job. He started making changes in all the areas of the company where he had noticed weaknesses over the years. Failing to get feedback from supervisors had limited his growth, so he read management books and wrote job descriptions for all 190 positions in the company.

As part of helping employees understand expectations for them in their roles, Smith created training manuals and made training more systematic.

His efforts have contributed to significant growth for the company, which added its third location in 2015 and had sales increase nearly 200 percent over the past 20 years.

01 | Always be improving.

“Always try to improve what you’re doing on a daily basis. Staff can give feedback and we can talk about problems and how we can get better on a regular basis. If there’s something we can do better, I want to make sure we do it.”

02 | Set expectations and then follow up.

“If there’s a problem with an employee, it’s usually because we haven’t set expectations appropriately. I always preach to all my managers that you’ve got to set expectations, provide feedback and then follow up.”

03 | Build up and encourage your team.

“When it comes to staff, we always want to build up and encourage. If I’m talking about a staff member who’s not present, is what I’m saying said with the intent to encourage or with the intent to tear down and destroy? That’s how we handle gossip and conflict.”

ISAAC SMITH

Isaac Smith of Matt’s Building Materials took the initiative to identify challenges in his family's business and create solutions.

Taking Initiative

Camille Gibson started out at Mark’s Ace Hardware as a part-time cashier when she was 18.

Her eagerness to learn helped her stand out among her co-workers and allowed her to work her way up in the company. When she graduated from college, she chose to grow with the store instead of pursuing a career in her degree field.

“I love our customers and our employees. I love how much I learn here,” Gibson says. “I’ve also been given the opportunity to be creative in the stores.”

What Gibson could not learn from customers and other employees, she researched online on her own time. She also pursued leadership training.

“You have to have an open mind and make your brain a sponge,” Gibson says. “Don’t avoid any opportunity to learn something. If you don’t feel confident in what you learned, research it more.”

ALWAYS LEARNING

Camille Gibson, general manager of Mark’s Ace Hardware, prioritizes constant learning so both she and the business continually grow. She integrates what she learns into her work, striving to set an example for all of the employees at the stores.

“I think I’m the type of leader who makes other people better by being here.”

—Camille Gibson, Mark's Ace Hardware

When she learned a new skill, such as glazing windows, she practiced it repeatedly so she became and stayed proficient. Just as she grew her product knowledge by doing research on her own time when she primarily worked on the salesfloor, she still continues to take initiative to learn.

“I’m always looking for creative ideas to improve morale, help the company grow and help me grow,” Gibson says.

She has participated in the growth at Mark’s Ace, helping open a ground-up store in 2016 and assisting with the acquisition of the operation’s third location.

Developing a strong team mentality among employees at the three stores and emphasizing training have been important to Gibson. She revamped manuals and training documents to better help employees learn.

At a recent staff meeting at one of the stores, Gibson asked employees for feedback on their current duties, what they think they could do better and what leadership can do to improve. She wants to help every employee identify areas where they lack confidence and then provide them with the training they need to do their jobs successfully.

Gibson considers leading by example when working alongside employees as part of her role.

“If I’m not working as hard or harder than them, then I feel there’s a problem with me,” she says.

Mark’s Ace Hardware

General Manager

Tucson, Arizona

2017 NHPA Young Retailer of the Year

01 | Remember you’re setting an example.

“When I interact with customers and work hard, the employees see it. One of the supervisors said to me, ‘When you’re working on the floor with us, you’re training us even without realizing that you’re training.’”

02 | Find employees who will develop.

“I care about developing people. I just hired someone I know I want to be a supervisor someday. I’m always looking for people who can move up within the company, who are motivated and want to learn more.”

03 | Work to be respected.

“I don’t think being feared or liked is best for a leader. I want to be respected because I’ve worked as hard as the crew on the floor and I don’t put myself above any one of them. If someone’s stocking shelves or mopping the floor, I show them how hard I work.”

CAMILLE GIBSON

LEARN FROM THE LEADERS

 The professional’s choice for paint and dry wall tools

 Innovation developed from real world n

 Setting the quality standards for the

 Committed to providing outstanding products, value and service

Offering Options

PRODUCT ASSORTMENT IS KEY TO SELLING HAND TOOLS

By Lindsey Thompson

While it may not hold the same real estate as other sundries like applicators or prep tools, the hand tools category is a silent workhorse. Whether your customer is a professional or DIYer, nearly every paint project requires a knife, blade or scraper to get the job done properly, and retailers

who don't stock these items may be missing out on additional sales.

Paint & Decorating Retailer spoke to a professional painter who gave us a tour into his toolbox and offered his insights and opinions on the tools he uses. Consider his experience to guide you in choosing what types and brands of these products to stock in your business.

TRAINING

Knowing the Product

See why project knowledge should be a key part of your ,employee training programs at PDRmag.com/project-knowledge.

Jack of All Trades

THE MULTITOOL

From 5-in-1 to even 20-in-1, multitools can be found in most painters’ toolboxes. Each brand is different, but here’s a closer look at the implements on a common multitool.

Knowing The Essentials

Aaron Holland, owner of Holland Painting in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, says his two go-to hand tools are his folding utility knife and a 7-in-1 multitool. Every painter on his crew is given the same two tools, as Holland considers them essential because they can be used to accomplish many jobs at a paint site.

“The advantage of a utility knife is the blades are replaceable, so we don’t have to worry about abusing the edges or sharpening a dull blade,” Holland says.

A utility knife also serves multiple purposes. Holland says the backside of the blade can open paint cans.

Aaron Holland gives every painter on his crew the same two essential tools.

Needle-Nose Pliers

Hard-Wire Cutters

Allen Wrench Phillips Screwdriver Knife File

Small Knife

Flathead Screwdriver

Combo Knife Bottle Opener

MERCHANDISING

Delivering Variety

Learn how one paint retailer found success selling hand tools by offering a variety of options at PDRmag.com/hand-tools.

In addition, he uses the blade itself for cutting caulk tubes, trimming tape, paper and plastic when masking and cleaning roller frames of caked-on paint.

“I like that it has a pocket clip so it is always sitting at hand,” he says. “It is small enough to be unobtrusive when riding in the pocket, but big enough to be held in the hands with all five fingers resting on it. It can be used comfortably and safely while a good amount of force is being exerted. We have been using it daily for about 10 years.”

The multipurpose 7-in-1 tool Holland and his crew use also helps with a variety of tasks. It has regular and needle-nose pliers, a wire cutter, a combo knife with

a partially serrated blade and Phillips and flathead screwdrivers.

“It is useful for pulling random nails or screws out of the wall when painting interiors, pulling off the odd plate cover that may need to be removed or unscrewing something that would otherwise necessitate a trip to the vehicle to look through the toolbox,” Holland says. “I use it several times almost every day.”

Indispensable Options

Along with those two essential hand tools, Holland’s toolbox always has knives and scrapers, as well as an entire set of plaster knives. For putty knives, Holland and his crew most frequently

TOOLBOX BASICS

Tips For New Painters

KNIVES AND BLADES

Painting knives and blades are essential tools for prepping surfaces for paint and stain, but also have some alternative uses. Share these tips with your customers to impart your project expertise and boost add-on sales.

Scrape paint off windows. Utility blades are excellent for cutting paper and plastic and removing old caulk. These blades also work well for scraping dried paint off windows. If you get paint on the glass, let it dry and then use the blade to scrape off the dried paint.

Create tight tape seals. Putty knives go hand-in-hand with putty and wall repair and also create a tight seal when using painter’s tape. After you have the painter’s tape in place, run a clean putty knife over it to seal the edges and provide a clean line.

Protect your floors from paint. Drywall taping knives are used to tape up drywall seams and also work well to protect floors when painting trim. Fit the blade of the knife right between the trim and floor to keep the paint off the floor and catch any drips. It also works great in corners when you transition from one color to another.

Source: Spectrum Paint Co., 10 Painting Tips & Tricks and thisoldhouse.com, Painting Edges With a Drywall Taping Knife

Painter Aaron Holland relies on his razor blade scraper to clean paint off glass.

Boost Your Sales

Teach your employees the concepts behind project sales to increase transaction sizes at YourNHPA.org/selling-skills.

use a 2-inch flexible knife for patching interior nail holes and pressing tape down when taping trim.

For exterior projects, Holland turns to his 2-inch carbide scraper and 4-inch stiff straight scraper to remove paint. The type of paint he needs to remove determines whether he uses a straight blade or carbide scraper, and often he uses both.

“The straight blade scraper is good for getting under the paint and peeling it off, and it works effectively with old paint that is peeling off in sheets,” Holland says. “The carbide scraper has a very sharp blade that works best when carefully pulled across the grain. It usually removes the type of paint that the straight scraper has trouble with.”

Rounding out his toolbox, he also has 5-in-1 scrapers, a stubby razor blade scraper for cleaning glass and a full set of plaster knives for large drywall repairs and plastering walls.

“Plaster knives require a perfect edge and should be protected from damage or else they will leave trails in plaster finishes. The same knife used for scraping should not be used for plaster finishing,” Holland says. “I recently switched over to a premium solid stainless steel knife, because plaster knives are so prone to rust.”

Opportunities for Retailers

No paint store can stock every product for every customer, but most can stock the basics. Holland says his local store stocks a minimal selection that appeals to the broadest base of contractors and DIYers, but he can appreciate that they do not want to carry inventory that may not move quickly.

For retailers interested in expanding their stock or reaching additional audiences, higher-end or specialty hand tools present an opportunity for a niche category, reaching professional customers and contractors looking for tools beyond the basics.

“At this stage in my career, I am starting to gravitate toward higher-quality tools that meet a specific set of standards that reflect how I work,” Holland says. “I see myself moving toward higher quality tools, something more akin to heirloom quality, that are nicer to look at and easier to hold and use.”

Aaron Holland and his team use a variety of scrapers, blades and knives when prepping and painting homes and businesses. THE RIGHT TOOLS

PREMIUM WOOD SEALERS, STAINS & FINISHES

Category Boost

4 WAYS TO IMPROVE

By Jesse Carleton + Lindsey Thompson

Focus on Growth

For bonus ideas on improving category performance, visit PDRmag.com/category-boost

Successful retailers rarely sit on the laurels of past achievements; they are always asking the question, “What can we do better?” Without continual maintenance and improvement, a business can quickly lose relevance with customers or find itself falling behind a stronger competitor. That’s why every category in your store—even your top performers—needs refreshing from time to time. If you wait until you see signs of decline to take action, chances are you’re already losing sales.

Paint & Decorating Retailer spoke with three retailers who have each made significant gains in category sales by tweaking some of their operational strategies in certain areas to increase overall sales.

While these retailers were already running a strong business, they all found ways to take what they were doing and make it even better. Whether you need to revive lagging sales or want to take a category to the next level, here are four operational areas where you can create growth.

After taking ownership of Pintura Paint Store, the new owners added a national paint line, which allowed them to offer their customers paint at different price points.

Pay Attention to Pricing

Price-shop your competitors. Pay attention to how your competitors are pricing different products so that you can better compete in the marketplace.

Utilize sales to promote new products.

Offer a discount on new products to encourage firsttime purchases. Running a sale is also a great way to bring attention to that product and the department.

Prompt add-on sales. Educate your employees on how add-on products often have higher profit margins and are an easy way to increase transaction sizes.

PRICING

Give customers different price point options.

Not long after it changed ownership, Pintura Paint Store in San Antonio, brought in a new line of a national brand of paint. The new owners, Danny Garcia and JD McDowell, implemented a fresh pricing strategy with the new line, giving the store the ability to offer paints at good, better and best price points.

Garcia says he and his partner were hesitant at first to carry Benjamin Moore because they thought customers might think it was too expensive.

"We thought that when customers saw the Benjamin Moore name, they would think high-end but also not affordable," Garcia says. “Now we see that our partnership with them allows us to offer customers something for every budget and need, from inexpensive to midrange to high-end."

The new line also gave the store more options to sell to both contractor clients and DIY customers.

"We now have a very affordable contractor line for our professional customers and different tiers of paint, including a basic, easy-to-use version for our DIYers," Gracia says.

Perspectives in Lexington, Kentucky, also recently enhanced its paint selection, replacing one brand of ceramic paint with another. The store was carrying a ceramic paint that owner Jason Taylor says wasn’t selling well, so he decided to bring in a private-label ceramic paint that would hopefully appeal more to customers looking for that type of product.

Like the former paint line, the new paint is a premium product and also bears the Perspectives name on the label, giving the store its first private-label paint line that it can sell at a competitive price.

“We’re getting the Perspectives ceramic paint at a really good price, so we’re going to be able to offer it to customers at a price point that competes well with our other lines,” Taylor says. “Customers looking for a ceramic paint will still get a premium product but at a better price.”

Taylor has implemented creative pricing strategies for the store’s wallpaper products too, offering 25 percent off book price on any special order wallcoverings. Customers will also find 50 percent off a rotating selection of books and discounts on in-stock patterns.

Utilize traditional and digital marketing to get the word out.

When Danny Garcia and JD McDowell took ownership of Pintura Paint Store in San Antonio nearly two years ago, they saw nothing but opportunities for growth in the paint category. The previous owners sold a good selection of paint, but Garcia and McDowell felt the store could expand its paint offerings and reach even more customers, taking the store’s paint selection from fine to phenomenal.

San Antonio has only a handful of retailers that sell a national paint brand, and Garcia saw the partnership with this paint company as the perfect opportunity to get in at the ground level and grow, carrying a brand with name recognition and status.

For Garcia, focusing on marketing was the first step to boosting their paint department. Once the store was stocked with the new paint products, Garcia shared with customers through the store’s Facebook page, which he created for the store soon after taking ownership. He began posting regularly, including videos of the new products and renovated space and promoting

special events like the grand reopening and summer open house.

“Establishing a digital presence was the biggest challenge when we took over,” Garcia says. “The previous owners didn’t have a good foothold on any sort of online presence, so I took that on.”

Especially during the pandemic, when digital was one of the only ways to connect, Garcia met customers where they were—online. And he continues to post about the new paint line to keep the products and store in front of mind for customers.

The posts also introduce customers to the new owners. Since Garcia and McDowell took over as owners, they have made an effort to engage with all their customers and establish themselves as a helpful resource.

“All the posts I’ve done show our customers that we’re real people and a family-owned, locally operated business, which sets us apart from our competitors,” Garcia says. “We want to be available, be ourselves and be a local force in the community.”

A NEW FACE

As the new owners of Pintura Paint Store, JD McDowell (far right) and Danny Garcia (far left) take the extra effort to get to know their customers through special events, social media and interacting with customers on the salesfloor.

Revamp Your Marketing

Embrace social media. Choose one or two platforms to focus on to build an online presence to engage and connect with current and potential customers.

Show your human side.

Use your marketing outlets to share about the people that make up your business and show that your company is more than just products and services.

Be flexible.

Marketing best practices are constantly evolving, so be willing to adjust with the times and look for new ways to reach customers.

ROOM TO BROWSE

At Perspectives, customers can browse the expanded design center to get ideas for everything from upholstery to blinds to shutters. The updated department appeals to more customers with modern and classic looks.

Refine Your Assortment

Use sales to move out old products. When updating or changing your product assortment, price old products at a discount to sell fast and make room for the new items.

Display new products on endcaps.

Utilize the high visibility of endcaps to showcase new products. Include signage to direct customers to all the products they need to complete their project.

Mix up merchandising.

When you can’t update your product assortment, keep that department fresh with routine changes to merchandising and displays.

Refresh your product assortments with up-to-date options.

The wallcoverings department at Perspectives in Lexington, Kentucky, was performing well, bringing in both DIY and commercial customers. But this category can be a tricky one, with ever-changing trends and ebbing and flowing popularity, which is why owner Jason Taylor wanted to take it to the next level by diversifying and adding up-to-date products to what the store already offered.

The changes have come over time to accommodate changing customer needs. Since 2004, when Taylor took over as owner, he has expanded the design center to include window coverings and shutters.

He also added a line of upholstery, housed in a 30-foot by 50-foot section of the salesfloor. Customers can browse thousands of interior and exterior fabrics for their upholstery projects and receive design advice from the in-store designers.

On the wallpaper side, Taylor has broadened the store’s in-stock displays to carry new designs and new types of wallpapers, ensuring his inventory reflects modern trends.

“The new wallpapers we are getting in aren’t just retreads of old products; they’re new patterns and new substrates,” Taylor says. “We’re selling wallpapers with different features, such as pasting to the wall instead of the paper and others that are guaranteed to come down in one strip.”

The store continues to get in new wallpaper books and still sells classic and traditional styles. Customers can choose from over 2,000 rolls in stock and more than 1,100 wallpaper books.

Along with adding new product offerings, Taylor and his team refreshed the design center, showing customers that they sell more than just wallpaper. They put down new wood flooring in the space and added displays that showcase all the different window treatments the store sells. Customers can shop the assortment of products and see design ideas in person.

The design center reboot has positioned Perspectives as more than just a paint store; it’s become a one-stop shop for all design needs, including paint, sundries, wallcoverings, window treatments and upholstery fabrics.

Train customers to look for something new.

“Merchandising is something we do continually,” Ryan Buck, owner of Buck’s Home Building Centre in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, says. “Just because a department isn’t failing doesn’t mean you should ignore it. You should never get to a point where a department looks outdated.”

Buck organized several employees into a merchandising team, tasking them to evaluate each department and create a consistent look and feel for the entire store.

Buck brings the team alongside him every quarter as they analyze a different department to see what could change to bring more sales to the area. Depending on the nature of the changes needed, they may utilize updated planograms from their wholesaler, challenge vendors to come up with a better merchandising strategy or look for simple changes that can make a big difference. Most of the departments he’s tackling are already doing well; he’s just looking for ways to make them better.

For example, in the flooring aisle, the team began displaying flooring samples next to the boxed product, instead of only showing sample boards on the salesfloor. They also advertised special-order capabilities. Almost immediately, sales in the department increased 6 percent. In another example, power tool sales climbed 39 percent last year after Buck challenged his key vendors to improve their merchandise presentation. They helped him eliminate outdated inventory and gave him new fixtures.

The merchandising team is also in charge of rotating endcaps every two weeks. As one of the most prominent display features in the store, endcaps are best positioned to keep customers interested in coming back.

“If your customers are always seeing a different endcap, they are always going to be wondering what you have that’s new,” he says. “You train people’s minds to think, ‘I want to see what’s going on in there.’ You need to keep categories from getting stale.”

PAINT POWER AISLE

Stacks of paint in a power aisle near the front of Buck’s Home Building Centre has drawn more attention to the category and helped increase sales.

Master Your Merchandising

Rotate endcaps regularly.

Get the most out of your endcaps by changing out merchandise once a month. Some progressive retailers even change them out every other week.

Be vigilant about housekeeping. Clean, faced and organized shelving and products can be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity. Train every employee to fix problems as soon as they spot them.

Use clear signage. Clear and creative signage makes it easier for people to shop, which means they may spend more time browsing. You might even land an impulse sale.

Price Watch

As home improvement momentum continues, pros are reporting sharp price hikes. Get the full story at PDRmag.com/pro-prices

Customers

DIY Custom ers MEET YOUR

SHEDDING LIGHT ON WHAT MOTIVATES YOUR

In April, home improvement sales grew 33 percent from the year prior, fueled by continued DIY momentum. New data from the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) reveals what projects DIYers are completing and what’s motivating them to tackle these h improvements themselves. Discover more from HIRI’s 2021 Trends in D Pro Home Improvement report by visiting the organization online at HI

SHOPPERS

home DIY and report HIRI.org.

DIY Demographics

DIY Motivators

Projects

Source: Home Improvement Research Institute

Employee training helps grow your bottom line. It also leads to better customer service, lower staff turnover and more confident and productive employees. NHPA makes it easy to get started with a step-by-step guide and access to more than 40 courses, including product knowledge and selling skills. Sign up for a Premier Membership today.

What Makes a Leader?

Read the article on Page 26 to learn from three independent home improvement retailers who stand out as leaders.

The Value of

Good Leadership Leaders

Critically Impact Employee Experiences

Employee teams and companies thrive under good leadership, but what qualities make a good leader? And what are the costs when a company doesn’t have strong leaders?

Good leadership can reduce employee turnover, strengthen work teams and help companies grow.

A positive, productive company culture is a result of the people in leadership, according to an article from the Harvard Business Review. Unhappy employees are also a reflection of an operation’s leaders.

Characteristics of Strong Leaders

More than half of employees quit jobs because of problems with management and even more workers say they don’t trust their bosses, the article says. Fortunately, leadership skills can be nurtured and grown for the good of whole organizations. In fact, the article says good coaching can help people grow their competence as leaders by up to 30 percent. Pursue opportunities to improve as a leader. Just learning how to better show empathy will go a long way toward improving your company culture.

More than 50% of employees quit jobs because of their managers

82% of workers distrust their bosses 70% of employees are disengaged at work

Source: Harvard Business Review, Sept. 21, 2016

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