Coakley Ace Hardware wins “Family Business of the Year” award

Coakleys Ace Hardware

CANTON – Coakley Carpet One Ace Hardware, the century-old family business on outer Main Street, has been honored with a U.S. Small Business Administration regional award as Family Business of the Year.

Nominated by the Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton, the hardware and decorating business won over other nominees in an area that includes New York, New Jersey, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

President Bill Coakley picked up the award this week at an event in Syracuse.

“We have a great team.  That’s what we attribute our success to over the years,” Bill Coakley said.

He is among the third generation of Coakleys, with his brother Tom and sister Carol, running the business now, and the fourth generation is coming on, he said.

“We’ve been able to weather the storm of a down economy with our diversity,” he said.

“We are four businesses under one roof: Ace Hardware, a kitchen and bathroom design center, carpet and flooring, and people that do home repairs, from whole remodels down to ‘honey-do’ lists.  There’s synergy among the divisions.”

Coakley said another strength of the business is the commitment of the family and the rest of his team to the customers.

“What we hope, and what we hear, is that people sense the energy and spirit of a family business when they walk in.”

c/o North Country Now, May 6, 2011.

McLendon Hardware, WA launches new website

McLendon Hardware, WA

McLendon Hardware launches new website

McLendon Hardware of Washington launches their new website!

McLendon’s serves six locations in Washington – Kent, Puyallup, Renton, Sumner, White Center and Woodinville and is your complete hardware store!  McLendon’s is a fourth-generation family business with two distribution centers and over 500 employees!

You can sign up online for their e-coupons and review their website for help “how-to” tips on all this do-it-yourself.

Rocky Mountain Ace Stores Launch Regional Website

Rocky Mountain Ace Hardware Stores

New RMAS website!

Rocky Mountain Ace Stores launches their new website!

Covering over 60 locally owned stores in the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, Rocky Mountain Ace Stores are your Ace Headquarters!

Be sure to check out the store locator so that you can find your closest local Ace.  You can also access “The Helpful Hub” from this website.

Fix it, paint it, grill it, grow it… it’s time to get your weekend back!

 

FootSteps Marketing Celebrates 2nd Anniversary!

FootSteps Marketing Team

FootSteps Marketing Team

At the  Chicago Ace Show we celebrated two years of business.  What started with a handshake between Vicki Peterson, Kevin Nyberg, Ted Barnes, Ron Erwin and Tom Mortell has mushroomed into a thriving business. FootSteps now supports 50 websites representing over 100 stores. With your help we have become the largest vendor of Internet Marketing services to the independent retailer. Visit FootSteps Blog:  Ideas Worth Sharing,  to see our success bring you success with footsteps in your door!

Thanks to all of your sharing ideas, we continue to find new and better ways to use the Internet to help you advertise and market your stores.  Recently, a number of you have launched the first pay-per-click programs, newly printed Facebook pages and are stretching the reach of email with each new campaign we send.

Gloria Farmer (left), Patrick Curry
(center-back), Teresa Swann
(center-front), Patience Griffiths (right)

 

FootSteps Announces New Monthly Pricing Packages!

New Monthly Pricing - No Upfron Fees!

New Monthly Pricing - No Upfront Fees!

Click here to see full pricing sheet.

It has never been easier to get into Internet Advertising!  With no upfront fees and low monthly payments it has never been so affordable.

FootSteps Marketing provides fully interactive, state-of-the-art websites and outstanding customer service that guarantees professional, timely and successful email messaging and campaigns – direct to your customers.

Affordable, fast and easy to launch, these websites have proven to be very effective marketing tools for independent retailers.  Check out the low monthly pricing plans for website packages and then select your level of marketing service.  Your store can have a website that will be your best advertising tool, providing top-of-mind awareness to your customers, your community and potential customers.


The New Face of Ace

I mean – who could resist a face like this!?

At the Ace Show, Patience was so thoughtful and bought us all t-shirts – including one for my almost 2-year-old, Macy.  I had hoped to capture lots of great pictures of her wearing this shirt during our latest weekend trip to Moab – but as many of you know, getting a toddler to stand still is nearly impossible!  So, I’ve included one where you can see her face and another where you can see the ACE logo.  I guess I’ll have to put my Photoshop skills to work!

Stay tuned for more Macy-in-action shots!

 

 

Vendor Sponsor Packages

You have made an investment in a great web site – you have customers viewing it, and you send email campaigns to promote it. Now is the time to sell space on your website.

With the help of our dealers, Footsteps has created an Internet Vendor Sponsor Program, including recommended:

  • Charges for Home Page web advertising
  • Charges for special vendor e-mail promotions

Packet includes Vendor Agreement with Signature Page.

Click below to download the forms:

Generic Vendor Promo and Signup Form

Vendor Promo with Custom Form – Use form fields to add your own information

FootSteps would like to see all of you generating revenue directly from your site.  If we can assist in anyway, please let us know!

 

NHRA and Read Media Recognize Coakley Carpet One Ace Hardware, NY for Community Efforts!

FootSteps Marketing takes our “Hat’s off”  to all of the Coakley Carpet One Ace Hardware team for their efforts to help their community grow and succeed!  It is nice to see that nice people do nice things and get noticed for their good work!

CANTON, NY (02/24/2011)(readMedia)– A prominent North Country family is sharing their passion for athletics and academics in order to benefit SUNY Canton students.

William J. (Bill) and Carol M. Coakley, Carol J. and Ronald J. Spadaccini, and Thomas F. (Tom) and Nellie E. Coakley, the owners of Coakley Carpet One Ace Hardware in Canton, recently made a gift to the SUNY Canton Foundation for the College’s new athletic facility. The family’s donation secured the right to name the Coakley Family Student-Athlete Study and Classroom in the new athletic office suite within the brand-new Roos House.   [Read more...]

Ace Hardware Dealers in Colorado and Wyoming Raise $40,000 for Children’s Miracle Network!

Article is a repost from the National Retail Hardware Association website. Footsteps wanted to recongize all our dealers that raised $40,000 for Children’s Miracle Network. Great job everyone!

Ace Hardware stores across Colorado and Wyoming teamed up to donate more than $40,000 recently to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and specifically The Children’s Hospital in Aurora. The money was raised during two   fundraising events held over the past two months. This latest donation brings the total amount raised by local Ace Hardware stores for The Children’s Hospital to more than $255,000 over the past six years.

The Children's Hospital in Aurora

The first fundraiser was held in Aspen, Colo., from Jan. 13-17. More than 60 people from Ace Hardware stores nationwide convened for the sixth annual Miracle on the Mountain charity event benefitting The Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colo. The event raised $18,000 this year, bringing the six-year total for this event to more than $183,000 thanks to Ace retailers and event organizers Chris and Vicki Peterson from Ace Hardware of Carbondale, Colo.

In a second fundraising initiative, 105 Colorado and Wyoming Ace Hardware stores participated in the “Have a Heart” icon campaign, raising $22,000 by selling heart-shaped icons at the cash register for $1 each. All proceeds went to The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and, specifically, The Children’s Hospital in Aurora. The campaign ran from Jan. 14 – Feb. 14. The donation was made in conjunction with the Alice 105.9’s 36 Hours for Kids radiothon, an annual event to raise money and awareness for The Children’s Hospital in Aurora.

“Each year, Ace Hardware customers, employees and owners rally together to support these two fundraising initiatives benefitting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and The Children’s Hospital,” said Jackie Dieter, an associate at Greatwood Lumber in Bennett and winner of an employee contest to sell the most heart icons. “Many of our own families, friends and colleagues have benefitted directly from the care provided by The Children’s Hospital and we feel so lucky to have such a great resource right here in Denver.”

Lake Ridge Ace Hardware, located in Lakewood, Colo., employee Frank Nowakowski’s family is one that has benefitted directly from the care provided at The Children’s Hospital. Last fall, Nowakowski’s four-year-old great granddaughter Kenna was diagnosed with “adult” leukemia. After extensive treatment that included five different types of chemotherapy at The Children’s Hospital, she is now a gregarious and outdoing little girl in complete remission.

“There are no words to express the extent of my family’s gratitude toward The Children’s Hospital,” said Nowakowski. “I’m so proud and happy that Ace Hardware supports organizations like Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and The Children’s Hospital that mean so much to employees, customers and the Rocky Mountain Community. The Children’s Hospital really is one of the most important resources we have living in Colorado.”

To see the original post from NRHA click here.

Colorado Springs Hardware Retailer: Extreme Customer Service!

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/kirby-kuklenski_cropped230.jpg?tag=content;drawer-containerKirby Kuklenski, co-owner Uintah Ace Hardware, Colorado Springs, CO

My brother Nick and I made an unusual decision — at least, unusual in this day-and-age. We wanted to run an old-fashioned business in an old-fashioned way. Despite the fact that neither of us had any retail experience, we opened our own Ace Hardware franchise in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2007.

Since then, we’ve learned that obsessing about margins and man hours isn’t the only way to make it in business today. By following the simple rule of “do almost anything for the customer and the numbers will sort themselves out” we found a business model that has allowed us to thrive, even during the recession. We’re now about to open our third store, while the big boys are dropping like flies.  See full article……