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Do it Best Corp. has announced that current president and CEO Bob Taylor will retire effective Jan. 4, and Dan Starr, the co-op’s current executive vice president and chief operating officer, will succeed Taylor in the position.
Taylor has spent more than 40 years in the home improvement industry, serving the past 13 as Do it Best’s president and CEO. Taylor joined the co-op in 2001 and led the launch or expansion of numerous key member-focused programs.
“Today is bittersweet – it will not be easy to leave the outstanding employee team I’ve worked with and incredible family of member-owners I’ve served,” Taylor says. “At the same time, I am proud of what we’ve accomplished during my time here, and I am very excited to see Dan step into this role, one for which he is ideally suited.”
Prior to joining Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Do it Best Corp., Taylor served as president of Taylor’s Do it Centers in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and as a member of the co-op’s board of directors for six years, including two years as board chairman.
“As a former member-owner, Bob understood the unique challenges independent entrepreneurs face, and he ensured that we have a full menu of flexible, scalable, affordable and customizable programs to help us grow our businesses,” adds Jim Lehrer, chairman of the Do it Best Corp. board of directors. “Perhaps his greatest legacy will be in the committed, members-first employee team he leaves behind, which positions the co-op and its member-owners for continued success.”
Starr will be only the fifth president and CEO in the co-op’s 70-year history. He has served as executive vice president and COO since 2012, working closely with the co-op’s board of directors and leadership team on a number of key strategic and operational initiatives and programs. He joined Do it Best Corp. in 2005 as director of human resources and general counsel and was named vice president of human resources the following year.
“I am fortunate to have worked alongside Bob so collaboratively these past 10 years,” Starr says. “It’s humbling to think about how rare a transition like this is in our co-op’s long history. I am honored for the opportunity to build on Bob’s many successes as we continue to help our members grow and achieve their dreams.”
