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Ron Williams, one of the recipients of the Ray A. Griffith Retail Leadership Award, was honored in front of dozens of associates, corporate employees and family. He owns four Ace Hardware stores in the Houston area.

Ace Hardware Honors Retailers for Leadership

Ace Hardware Corporation has honored two of its retailers with awards recognizing their values and leadership.

The co-op selected Ron Williams of Houston and Scott Schlapkohl of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, as the recipients of the Ray A. Griffith Retail Leadership Award. Williams owns four Ace Hardware stores in the Houston area and Schlapkohl managed Steamboat Springs Ace Hardware in Colorado.

Named after former Ace CEO Ray A. Griffith, the award is given annually to the Ace retailers who most personify Griffith’s leadership traits and exemplify the co-op’s core values, according to the company.

“The two recipients of the second annual Ray A. Griffith Award both personify the outstanding leadership traits of former Ace Hardware president and CEO Ray Griffith, and truly exemplify the core values of our organization,” says Jim Ackroyd, board chairman for Ace Hardware. “Ron is an unparalleled leader with the ability to drive continuous improvement and inspire his teams, and Scott has an innate ability to innovate, all the while exceeding his customers’ expectations and finding teachable moments for his teams.”

Williams was presented with his award in front of dozens of associates, corporate employees and family.

Since being nominated, Schlapkohl, who worked for Ace Hardware for 10 years and had more than 30 years of experience in the home improvement industry, has retired.

For more details about the award, click here.

About Renee Changnon

Renee Changnon is the retail outreach coordinator for NRHA. She meets with retailers in their stores and at industry events and introduces them to the services NRHA provides. Renee previously worked as a member of the NRHA communications team. She earned a degree in visual journalism from Illinois State University, where she served as the features editor for the school newspaper. After college, she implemented marketing and promotions initiatives at Jimmy John’s franchise locations across the country. She enjoys exploring books with her book club, Netflix marathons and hosting goat yoga at her apartment complex. Renee Changnon 317-275-9442 rchangnon@nrha.org

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