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The Ace Hardware Corporation is a retailers' cooperative based in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. As of 2015, it has over 4,600 locations, and does over $13 billion in retail hardware sales annually.〔(Ace Hardware - Career Opportunities )〕 ==History== Ace Hardware was founded in 1924 by Richard Hesse, E. Gunnard Lindquist, Frank Burke, Oscar Fisher, and William Stauber in Chicago, Illinois. Ace Hardware, incorporated in 1927 as Ace Stores Inc., was founded to provide a centralized purchasing organization to supply the founders' and members' stores. The company was named after the ace fighter pilots of World War I, who were able to overcome all odds. Its retail network expanded to hundreds of dealers by 1949, when annual sales reached about $10 million. After Hesse retired in 1973, Ace was sold to its retailers, becoming a cooperative,〔("Ace Hardware accounting off by $154 million" ). Associated Press. 5 Sept. 2007.〕 and the headquarters moved to suburban Oak Brook. Independent owners became dealer-owners and shareholders in the company. Because it is a co-op and not a franchise, each Ace Hardware store looks different. However, Ace has placed a focus on Ace stores exhibiting some similar characteristics, such as signaled and core product lines. The Vision 21 program, as this is called, is aimed at making all stores recognizable as an Ace Hardware location. Ace Hardware's long-time slogan ''The helpful hardware place'' has been replaced by ''The helpful place''. Another change came in 1989, when its longtime jingle—"Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man"—was modified, replacing "man" with the more accurate "folks".〔(Ace Hardware Aims to Win with “The Help” - Marketing World Today )〕 Celebrities Connie Stevens (from 1974 to 1978) and Suzanne Somers (from 1979 into the early 80s) did TV commercials for Ace Hardware; and since 1987, former NFL coach and NFL commentator John Madden did their commercials. In some of the commercials, Madden used some of his famous football quotes. Home improvement expert Lou Manfredini serves as Ace's "Helpful Hardware Man" and media spokesperson. John Venhuizen is the President and CEO of Ace Hardware Corporation and has served in that position since taking over for Ray Griffith in 2013. Ace Hardware Corporation now does over $3 billion in hardware sales annually and had $12.5 billion in retail sales during 2007. In 2012, Ace Hardware acquired its largest member, Westlake Ace Hardware, for $88 million.〔(Westlake Ace Hardware sells for $88M )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ace Hardware」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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