With a full day of education and networking and a night of fun, the 2026 Independent Home Improvement Conference is underway at the stunning JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando.
The day started with partner events hosted by Orgill, covering a wide varietyof topics, including margin management, maximizing labor, practical marketing solutions and innovation in action.
Jeff Eshleman came to his first Independent Home Improvement Conference with a simple expectation: learn something useful.
He represents Gap Power Rentals, a family-owned equipment rental, tool sales and repair company based in Gap, Pennsylvania. Although it was his first IHI, he has been to many industry markets.
“I’ve been to several Orgill shows and education events,” Eshleman says. “The ones that I’ve sat through have always been beneficial and include some nuggets to take back that you can use.”
For Eshleman, IHI offers something different: the opportunity to focus on education without the competing demands of a busy market floor.
“It’s nice to sit through sessions where there’s not the dealer market also pulling on your time,” he says. “It’s been very enjoyable so far.”
During the Margin Pressure Playbook: Pricing, Tariffs and Profit Protection, Orgill’s vice president of pricing Jackie Bacon explored practical strategies for managing ongoing pricing changes, protecting gross margin and maintaining a competitive price image in a rapidly changing environment.
Orgill president of Central Network Retail Group (CNRG) Craig Cowart and Paul Comeau, senior vice president of operations for CNRG, dove into driving in-store traffic and customer loyalty. During the panel Operational Efficiency for Time-Poor Retailers: Maximizing Your Labor, attendees heard real-world strategies to help them work smarter, maximize labor and improve store performance without adding more hours to the day.
During the panel Marketing That Fits: Practical Solutions for Every Independent Retailer session, attendees left with practical approaches to promoting a retail business—from simple, low-cost tactics to more comprehensive marketing strategies. Orgill vice president retail services Jordan Tice wrapped up the sessions sharing how advanced retail technologies, data-driven category reviews and modern planning tools are helping shape the future of independent retail.
Orgill president and CEO Boyden Moore shared updates on the company, sharing how the company has been investing not only in talent that has experience in distribution, but looking for leadership who has experience on the retail side of the business.
“A lot of our people who are here with real-world retail backgrounds give us even more experience, context and insight that we can process, apply and execute on initiatives to help our customers be successful,” Moore says. “They understand what retailers need because they’ve been on their side of the desk. They know how difficult it is to run a successful retail operation and the day-to-day challenges, and they know what a strong partner can do to help you solve those challenges.”
Moore also shared how Orgill will continue to help retailers succeed in the near future and beyond.
“Looking ahead, we expect to continue to see a tough macroeconomic environment with continued uncertainty, challenging inflation and stubbornly high interest rates remaining a serious headwind through the end of the year to your growth,” Moore says. “But we’re really bullish on the long term and excited about everything that’s going on in the industry. We’re always by our retailers’ side, finding ways to win in any environment.”
During the afternoon, Orgill presented its technology symposium, diving into the ways retailers can embrace innovation for growth. Orgill chief digital information officer Sharms Bala provided a roadmap for how Orgill will promote growth for its retailers through innovation.
“We take care of the complexity with simplicity. We want to make sure we are building for the business and not just a technology solution that we want to do,” Bala says. “In the next five years, we will focus on stabilizing the core, the foundation. Otherwise, if we don’t stabilize the foundation, we can’t get to where we need to go. I can add as many systems and capabilities on top of it, but if the foundation is not where it needs to be, we are not going to get there anyway.”
Tyler Stinson, vice president of marketing for Intermountain Farmers Association, gave an in-depth look into how the company is developing a custom e-commerce solution, utilizing product information management tools and navigating the challenges and opportunities that come with delivering a modern customer experience.
Featuring food, fun and yacht rock funk, the Independents Celebration invited all attendees to dine on delicious food, sip on custom cocktails and dance the night away to the yacht rock band, “Summer Breeze: A Yacht Rock Experience.” Orgill served as the official food and beverage sponsor for the party, which brought together attendees to network and enjoy one another’s company.
