With a focus on addressing the topics that matter most to retailers, Day 1 of the Independent Home Improvement Conference (IHI Conference) provided timely insights and helpful best practices.
When Craig Morrison boarded a flight from Hawaii to Orlando, he may have logged more miles than any other retailer to attend this year’s IHI Conference. As associate director of retail operations for Hardware Hawaii, Morrison plays an integral role for the Aloha State’s largest independent hardware and lumber retailers.
The trip is a long one, but Morrison says it’s worth every mile. A three-time returning IHI attendee, he comes with one goal: collecting ideas that have already proven successful elsewhere.
“I’m able to pull about 20 to 30 ideas every single time I come. I leave with a checklist of ideas to take back home and evaluate if we can do them,” Morrison says. “Definitely show up to it. Take the word of advice from the guys who’ve done it before.”
Attendees gained practical knowledge, discovered industry trends and gleaned leadership insights from today’s breakout sessions covering four tracks: employee engagement; retail operations and technology; marketing, merchandising and management; executive leadership. Industry leaders shared on talent relationship management, store consolidations, succession planning and marketing solutions, providing retailers with practical solutions to take home.
Leading two sessions on merchandising, Merchant5 principal and industry expert Tony Corsberg introduced the Merchandising Continuum and explored how independent retailers can take a more connected and intentional approach to merchandising.
“By aligning decisions across the supply chain and to the salesfloor, retailers can improve product availability, strengthen execution and increase product velocity,” Corsberg says. “The most economical way to increase sales is with the customers already in the store.”
With two dedicated times to connect with vendors and service providers, the Partner Pavilion featured booths for attendees to explore new products, learn about innovative technologies and connect with industry suppliers. Conversations filled the exhibit hall as retailers exchanged ideas, watched product demonstrations and built new relationships with vendors and fellow attendees.
After lunch, attendees converged to the main stage for the general session. North American Hardware and Paint Association COO Dan Tratensek took a comprehensive look at the current state of the independent home improvement channel, highlighting key trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the industry.
During the session, Helmets to Home Improvement Panel: From Hero to Hardware, NHPA editor and director of content development Lindsey Thompson brought together three Helmets to Home Improvement honorees: Outsider CEO Sam Mackey, Porters Building Centers COO Alex Porter and Cox Hardware & Lumber vice president and inventory manager Taylor Cox. They shared their stories of military service, the transition to the independent channel and how the military shaped their views on leadership.
Moderated by NHPA president Scott Wright, the session Aligning Strategy, Structure and Opportunity for Growth explored how independent home improvement retailers can position themselves for sustainable growth by aligning business strategy, organizational structure and emerging market opportunities. Panelists included Matt Nichols, VP of branch operations and retail sales for Koopman Lumber, and Jared Brown, director of business intelligence for Aubuchon Hardware.
Bringing together three of the industry’s biggest awards—NHPA’s Tops Guns Awards and Young Retailer of the Year Awards and the Hardware Connection‘s Beacon Awards—the Independents Awards Gala celebrated the best of the best in the industry.
Top Guns Honorees:
- Jason Blair, CEO of TAL Building Centers
- Denise Brookhouse, CEO of Koopman Lumber
- Ash Ebbo, CEO of Clement’s Paint
- David Enmark, CEO of The Helpful Hardware Company
Young Retailer of the Year Honorees:
- Haley Chapel, Chief Operating Officer of Timberland Ace Hardware
- Taylor Cole, Retail Development and Marketing Support for Cole’s Hardware
- Shannon Davis Morrow, Business Manager of Tweedy Lumber and Hardware
- Sean Downey, General Manager of West Whittier Paint Co
- Jeff Kuenning, Co-Owner of Western Ohio True Value
- Félix-Antoine Moisan, Director of Operations for Jean Denis Limitée Home Hardware
- Grant Raynor, Store Manager of Town and Country
- Summer Vasquez, Store Manager & Project Manager for Matt’s Building Materials
2026 Retail Beacon Award:
- Bill Gilbert, Gilbert’s Hardware, Michigan
- Mark and Joe Jaconski, Stanley’s Hardware, Philadelphia
- Tommy Simpson, Beaufort Hardware, Beaufort, North Carolina
2026 Best New Store:
- Big Rapids Lumber & Hardware, Big Rapids, Michigan
- Howard Walker’s True Value Hardware, Henrietta, Texas
- Riverside Building Materials, Rio Grande City, Texas
Beacon Award for Digital Excellence:
- Ambridge Do it Best Home Center, Ambridge, Pennsylvania
