Ace Hardware announces leadership appointments for Westlake Ace Hardware
Ace Hardware Corporation, the world’s largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative, is pleased to announce two key leadership changes for its subsidiary company Ace Retail Holdings, also known as Westlake Ace Hardware. Effective today, current Chief Operating Officer (COO) Joe Jeffries has been promoted to President and COO, continuing to support Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tom Knox.
In addition, Andrew Schmitt will be promoted to the position of Vice President of Operations for Westlake Ace Hardware. Schmitt currently holds the position of Director of Retail Operations – Western Division, for Ace Hardware Corporation.
“I am pleased to announce the promotion of Joe Jeffries to the role of President and COO of Westlake Ace Hardware,” said Tom Knox, CEO, Westlake Ace Hardware. “Joe is a proven leader with an outstanding vision for operations, merchandising and new store development, as well as growth strategy design and implementation.” Knox went on to say, “I’m also excited to welcome Andy Schmitt to the Westlake Ace Hardware team. I worked with Andy extensively during our time at the Ace Hardware corporate headquarters – he will be an exceptional addition to our leadership team.”
Jeffries joined Westlake Ace Hardware in 2014 as the COO. Prior to joining Westlake Ace Hardware, Jeffries was CEO and COO at A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts, Inc., a regional chain of arts and crafts retail stores. Before that, Jeffries spent eight years with Office Depot where he held several executive positions that oversaw retail store operations, space planning and visual presentation. He also spent 13 years with Home Quarters Warehouse, where he started his career.
Schmitt joined Ace Hardware in 2010 as Senior Finance Manager. In 2011, he transitioned to the Retail Operations department where he held various positions including Director of Retail Operations – Western Division, Regional Manager (Texas), and Corporate Manager of Retail Operations. Prior to joining Ace Hardware, Schmitt was Director of Finance for Factory Card and Party Outlet, a division of Party City. He also held various financial and procurement roles with Allstate Insurance Company. Schmitt holds a bachelor of science degree in Finance from Illinois State University and an MBA from Northern Illinois University.
In June 2017, Westlake Ace Hardware announced the acquisition of two new neighborhood hardware stores, bringing the chain’s total store count to 100 locations. For more information about Westlake Ace Hardware, visit www.westlakehardware.com.
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For more than 90 years, Ace Hardware has been known as the place with the helpful hardware folks in thousands of neighborhoods across America, providing customers with a more personal kind of helpful. In 2017, Ace ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores, Eleven Years in a Row," according to J.D. Power. With more than 5,000 hardware stores locally owned and operated across the globe, Ace is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries operate an expansive network of distribution centers in the U.S. and also have distribution capabilities in Ningbo, China; Colon, Panama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and approximately 55 countries. For more information on Ace, visit acehardware.com or the company newsroom at newsroom.acehardware.com.
About Westlake Ace Hardware
Westlake has been in operation for more than 100 years and currently has 100 neighborhood hardware stores in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. It has been part of the Ace hardware distribution network since 1959, and a wholly owned Ace subsidiary since 2012. Westlake is the largest member of the Ace Hardware Cooperative, giving its customers access to more than 70,000 products—both in-store and by special order—to help them complete numerous household and lawn and garden projects. For more information about Westlake, please visit www.westlakehardware.com.
