Growing up in the family hardware business, Porters Building Centers Ace Hardware, Alex Porter was raised with a desire to help others. He took his passion for serving to the military and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force in 2013 after graduating from college.
“The slogan for our family business has always been, ‘We’re here to help,’ and I found that serving in the military would be the best way I could help others at that time,” Alex says. “The military also allowed me to diversify my leadership knowledge and expertise in some of the harshest environments or situations.”
Alex was part of the Kansas Air National Guard from 2013 to 2019, and during that time served a seven-month deployment in Kuwait as a targeting officer for Operation Inherent Resolve with the 18th Airborne Corps. During his time with the Air National Guard, Alex worked in the family business as much as possible, but was serving in a more time-intensive job than most National Guard roles, so the military took priority. The times he was able to help out in the stores showed him the impact he could make there.
“I realized that by working full time back in the hardware stores, I could provide a different level of help to others,” Alex says. “I decided it was probably more impactful and the right time to come home and work in service to my community.”
Small-Town Service Runs Deep
The transition from military to retail has allowed Alex to continue helping others, and he currently serves as chief operating officer of Porters Building Centers Ace Hardware in Missouri.
The operation was started in 1952 as Kearney Lumber Company by Alex’s grandparents, Mary Helen and Mack Porter, who is also a military veteran, having served in World War II in the U.S. Army.
On their first day open, Mary Helen gave birth to their first son Craig, and from the beginning, the Porters established a reputation for excellent customer service, going out of their way to help customers. A few years later, the Porters opened a second location and had their second son Kent, Alex’s father, that same week, further establishing themselves as a true family small-town business. When they had daughter Kristy in 1961, the business had grown to four stores, and in 1976, Kearney Lumber Company became Porters Building Centers.
Mack passed away in early 2024, but Alex says he came to work every day up until his 95th birthday when he suffered a stroke and was unable to recover. Kent serves as president of the company and Craig runs a sister company, Porter Wholesale Lumber. Alex and his sister Natalie make up the third generation of Porters to run the operation.
Not long after Alex transitioned to the family business full-time in 2019, he opened a brand new store in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. His passion for serving others paid off, with that store beating sales expectations by 70%. The Porter family opened a 20,000-square-foot store in July 2024 in an old Bed, Bath and Beyond store in Lake of the Ozarks and bought a building in late 2024 to open a fifth location this year.
“It was interesting, to say the least, to get that store up and running during lockdowns,” Alex says.
Lessons Learned, Lessons Applied
Along with serving others, Alex says his favorite part of working in the independent channel is the flexibility to do what’s best for the communities where Porters Ace has stores. He also appreciates the benefits that come with being part of a co-op.
“We have a nice mix, exactly what a co-op is supposed to be,” Alex says. “We have the buying power and can utilize the processes and procedures that have been heavily vetted to our advantage, but we are still able to be our own stores, providing that local feel and running our operation based on what best serves our communities.”
As he transitioned into full-time work in the family business, Alex says he realized that the military prepared him well in different areas. In the Air National Guard, Alex was exposed to a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds, which he says has helped him grow a strong culture at the stores to serve a variety of customers.
“Getting out and interacting with different people from around the country and the world taught me to look for what different people can bring to the table,” Alex says. “Gaining an outside perspective of leadership, organization and more helped me see a bigger picture and have a better vision of what our company could be.”
The structure he experienced in the military also led to Alex developing direction in the stores.
“I had seen so many org charts in the military that when I came back to the office and started running the day-to-day operations, I realized our employees didn’t have road maps for their roles to see how their careers could unfold with us,” Alex says. “When employees can see how they fit into the company, what their role is and what their opportunities are, there is more buy-in and commitment.”
Military veterans are an excellent fit in the independent channel thanks to their resilience and discipline, Alex says.
“Most veterans have had discipline ingrained in their being,” he says. “Having been tested physically and mentally while serving, the veteran can excel in diverse environments and stay on task.”
“Gaining an outside perspective of leadership, organization and more helped me see a bigger picture and have a better vision of what our company could be.”
—Alex Porter, Porters Building Centers Ace Hardware
A New Way to Serve
New NHPA Program Honors Military Veterans Who Have Served Our Country, Channel
While there is no way to repay the sacrifices made by veterans of the armed forces, the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) recognizes that not only have these individuals made a lasting impact on their country, but they are also a prominent and positive influence within the home improvement industry.
To honor the ongoing impact military veterans make throughout the home improvement industry, NHPA is launching the Helmets to Home Improvement recognition program, with the National Hardware Show as the program’s official founding sponsor and venue partner. The program will officially kick off at the 2025 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas and culminate with a gala event to honor the industry’s military veterans in person at the 2026 National Hardware Show.
The idea for the program came from NHPA national sales manager Greg Cole, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, whose story is just one of many shared by veterans working in the home improvement industry.
“I believe it is time for veterans to be recognized for the contributions they are making in the home improvement industry and in our communities. Veterans fought for us and have played, and continue to play, a significant role in shaping our nation’s history and future,” Cole says. “We must never forget their sacrifice, dedication and commitment to our country. The Helmets to Home Improvement program will be one way we can honor those who served.”
