Christian Peterson
Reporter@riverbendnews.org
“Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks.” The jingle is well known throughout the United States, and it’s probable the jingle played in your head as you read their slogan. The motto and quote rings true for Suwannee River Ace Hardware, as they took home an impressive award for 2022.
The Pinnacle Performance Retailer award is one of the hardest awards to win for Ace Hardware stores. In fact, only five percent of the 4,800 Ace Hardware locations receive the award. Out of that five percent, only one percent are repeat winners. This is where Suwannee River Ace pulls ahead of most of its peers, as it is their third year in a row winning the award.
To take the award home, a location must rise above the competition in three areas: customer service, maintaining 93 percent of inventory and convenience. This means that, from the moment someone enters the store, they should be greeted with a smile. Throughout the entirety of the visit, the customer should be guided and helped thoroughly. On top of that, maintaining 93 percent inventory means customers can always find what they need. While it is not an easy task to keep the store full, the Suwannee River team pulled it off. Convenience is one of the major factors, as it helps the customer feel welcome, but not as if their time is wasted. A customer should be able to have their questions answered quickly and concisely, and know where and how to get what they need, getting them in and out of the store in a quick fashion.
“We're extremely excited. Its very hard to win three times in a row,” Assistant Manager Lori James said. Suwannee River Ace Hardware is located at 105 Suwannee Ave. NW, in Branford.