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 The official CAO Proxy card
Vote HERE
Like to Join our forum? Click Here Must be ACE store owner
Number of Current CAO Members
735
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Mission Statement
Promote a board of directors that is more representative of members
Strive to maintain our current co-op form of organization
Promote and enforce our financial code of ethics. 
Dallas Convention CAO speeches
Life is made of millions of moments, but we live only one of these moments at a time. As we begin to change this moment, we begin to change our lives.- Trinidad Hunt
Thank you to all of our familiy of CAO members who have provided me with endless inspiration and hope...
Looking back, I believe this brief period will be the most pivotal point in ACE's long history.... it's absolutely, absolutely right now. We either take it back, or give it away. It's up to us now. What would your family say? Whatever the outcome, let's agree we did nothing less than our best. Thank you for letting me be part of this fine group.
Norm Bishop and Family
"If "disruptive presence" means questioning the validity of present management practices and actually holding them accountable rather than simpy giving accountability meaningless lip service and if "disruptive presence" means reverting back to some of the principles and practices that were successful in the past, rather than plunging ahead into more bottomless money pits, then a "disruptive presence" isn't a bad thing but a positive thing."
Rich
Fear of our own company is totally unacceptable.
Tim Kuhn
On a deeper level I suggest the corporate culture needs changing and it can only start at the top with the Board and trickle down. - Rich
Welcome to the world of being able to talk your mind to people who are really listening!
Mike Holloway
To extraordinary circumstances we must apply extraordinary remedies -Napolean Bonaparte
If you dont like the news, go out and make some of your own!
Dave Reed
Your mission however, would be the greatest reversal of fortune. I'll spread the word as best as possible...It's important for Ace's survival. George Pluhar
"Nothing has been said that the Board would disagree with" - Tom Glenn in response to why the Board never says anything at all
Let's add the whole truth: Bonuses were overpaid, profit sharing was overpaid,retail initiatives were overfunded, borrowing was over used, and equity disappeared.
What does it take to demonstrate ineffective leadership?
Charlie Huff
Adhering to very simple, open and honest lines of communication will do great things to get us back on track. Pat, you can archive all this CAO stuff on Acenet and close down this PIA forum and then we can all have a good laugh some day. But please keep a back up copy!
Ken Nelson
"That said, the CAO Forum is large enough now that I believe our Members may accept Directors who are actually willing to speak up. I don't ask that the Directors become moderators, but I do expect them to argue their positions with the same respect that the Owners show to each other. Merely saying that "we'll have to agree to disagree", without first having debated the issues, is not respectful - it is an insult to the intelligence of the person it is directed toward. It is like hanging up the telephone on an annoying caller.
But, as some of the long-term ACE Owners who particapate on the Forum have repeatedly noted: "Why expect that the Directors will speak up now, when they never have before?" "
Brian Odell
I may be wrong, but no one has ever stepped up to tell me why I'm wrong.
Brian Odell
Since Ace operated over 20 retail stores at one time and lost money on every one, Id be careful about operating my business based the advice that Oak Brook offers on how to operate a retail hardware store - Larry Perry
Ten people who speak make more noise the ten thousand who are silent - Napolean Bonaparte
My point is I learn a lot from my customers. Much of what we stock is because of our customers. We have grown our business because we listened to our customers. I'd like to see corporate do the same - Mark Nakajima
If each one of us were to call just 2 other like-minded dealers, our momentum would be explosive and our opportunity to effect change would be highly credible. If you haven't done so already, take an hour out of your week and let a couple of other Ace Owners know that there is a place where our concerns are heard and our collective voice has real power. It starts here, folks - Dave Reed
The cornerstone of our candidacy is Open dialogue with Owners before, and after, major decisions are made.- Brian Odell
The growth of our forum has not just been in size, but in dedication, passion and conviction. The strength of our diversity has manifested itself into a vast communication network based on open and honest expression of ideas. The members of the CAO have demonstrated the knowledge and ability to make permanent and postive change in the direction of our struggling company - and are doing so! - Sharyn Kalies
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King Jr.
"We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive" C. S. Lewis--thanks missy
We would be remiss, our actions would be mis-guided, we would be doing a mis-service to all those who stood before us..and we would be risking our lively hoods if we continue to perpetuate the current direction of management. Read, be informed, make the only responsible choice for OUR company. Management are the guests in our house, ACE. We own the house. Lets show them. Lets get everyone back on the same team working for the betterment of ACE HARWARE together. We can move our company forward while looking out for all stores.-Tim Kuhn
It is this lack of clarity that underlies my skepticism. - Dave Reed
When I asked them how they felt about all the issues confronting ACE today, they were overwelmed that someone actually cares what they think. These fine people have been ignored far too long!-RJ Markle
We can create a Board that works.
We can deliver competitive costs
We can deliver an open IT system
We can create a catalog that works.
We can create an advertising system that works
We dont need consultants to tell us how.
We cant do it with 5,000 employees.
Charlie Huff
CAO has only one chance to make a difference and that is the BOD election...win or we become irrelevant!- Tim Sowecke
You CAN make a difference in this election, and you CAN make a difference in our Company...the time is now and the choice is yours... - Sharyn Kalies
Let's face it Do It is just out-Ace-ing Ace Hardware when it comes to growth and new dealers. - Rich
Since the individual board members have said nothing, and since the chairman has expressed unwavering support for the management team, we can only infer that as a body they are satisfied with the disastrous performance of the officers and upper management. If it is the mission of the Board of Directors to hold management accountable for achieving the stated goals and preserving our equity, they have failed in their mission - Ernie Asten
Today the challange is a shareholder initiative but soon may come an even larger threat, the change of our corporate structure. We need to be organized, funded and committed for the long haul.
Tom McClelland
Now superimpose the perfect storm of the accounting error, loss of trust, bank defections, bad weather, a divided dealer base, and an unwillingness to recognize that immediate change of direction is required and you have your barn on fire and you can't get your animals out!-Mike Holloway
From a family that puts the customer first and works hard together. We do not know every persons story but we know what kind of person it takes to be here. -Michelle Zylstra
It is up to leadership to provide the foundation for unity - Dave Reed
I would like to know and understand the real Corporate Vision. I am seeking real, honest communication as partners.-Jim Maze
I sometimes wonder who's really driving the bus because, while some seem to only be along for the ride, others seem to me more likely to be navigating than the guy who is behind the wheel-Ken Nelson
The quicker we get out the truth to as many people as possible, the more awareness, and the more chance of turning things around we have. The facts support us, and the truth will shine through-Tim Kuhn
Forgiveness must be preceded by remorse for there to be any change in behavior-Ken Nelson
Just sayin'-Lamar Wingo
The co-op's primary purpose and emphasis shall be to provide the highest quality products, at the lowest possible cost, delivered to it's Members in the most timely and efficient manner possible. -Charlie Huff
Can four little guys from across the Country and a few hundred friends change a $3bil company??...I think so, if given the chance - Norm Bishop
The answer is locked up in...the heart of everyone brave enough to have joined this forum and I fear the message will die unless we get the message out to those who need to hear it most...Mike Holloway
A co-operative is not, and never was, intended to favor one group of members over another - except in reference to how much buying they did with the co-operative. Moving from that model is a violation of the principles on which a co-operative is based. Those that would sew patches on your business to identify you, and your "proper" station in the community, should be ignored and their definitions rejected! Unity, not separation, is the long-term cure for what ails us. - Dave Reed
They already know whats being said. They always have on all forums and boards and that is what indicts them. They just won't respond. - Ken Nelson
We are the people in the trenches that make Ace what it is.- Joe Falabrino
You voted us in, now let us lead?
What choice did, or do we have? Put only hand picked canidates on supplied proxy....
Who else could we vote for?
Tim Kuhn
What bright shiney paper will they wrap around the rest of the story?.-Rocqui Gustafson
Of course they want us to have a positive attitude -- we're the ones paying for their mistakes! It would be funny if it weren't so painful. -Peggy Bushey
lack of over site
lack of over site
lack of over site
Pat Smith
All I can say is, we'd better win this election. This train is a lot further down the track than most of us know - Norm Bishop
As a smaller, active group - the power we have to be an effective watchdog of this corporation is immeasurable. I think the very fact that our leadership is responding to the specific concerns repeatedly outlined by CAO members (although they dare not speak our name and give us any accidental notice) reveals how powerful we already are. Be proud when they respond and ignore at the same time . . . this is a clear indication of what can, and will, be accomplished in the future.-Dave Reed
Our intent is to ask for your vote to bring new, independent voices to ACEs Board of Directors. We will bring a fresh set of eyes, tough questions, and a desire to solicit ALL Owner-Members input to the decision-making process at ACE. -Brian Odell
In the end it is possible, despite our most valient efforts, we may not win...but it is guaranteed we won't win if we never try! Rather than living with the fear of Corporate Ace and the possibility that they might remember who I am and what I did, I'm more worried about living with myself, and the knowledge of what I didn't do. Sharyn Kalies
4 dealers owning 6 stores simply brings the voice of 80% of Ace owners to the table. How can anyone say 4 owners representing 80% of Ace corporate owners will be a destructive influence is beyond me? It does however shed light on how our current directors view the majority of owners.
Pat
Members responses to the current Board of Directors accusation that we would be a disruptive influence:
"If "disruptive presence"
means questioning the validity of present management practices
and actually holding them accountable rather than simply giving
accountability meaningless lip service and if "disruptive
presence" means reverting back to some of the principles and
practices that were successful in the past, rather than plunging
ahead into more bottomless money pits, then a "disruptive
presence" isn't a bad thing but a positive thing." -Rich
"I would be "disruptive" only in the respect that I would ask hard questions of senior management, and try my best to look at proposed initiatives from all angles - not just for what is best for a certain segment of ACE Owners. I believe that, from this perspective, Directors have a fiduciary responsibility to be "disruptive".
- Brian Odell
"If there were ever a
time to dare to make a difference, to do something really
worth doing, that time is now" Joyce Giula
As the BOD election nears, I have spent a lot of time lately
reflecting on the growth of the CAO. The early posts on this
fledgling forum were confused and tentative questions
amongst strangers; individuals seeking unity and
answers...evolving over time into knowledgeable, insightful,
enlightened discussions amongst friends and colleagues who
had come together as a cohesive group with common goals.
The growth of our forum has not just been in size, but in
dedication, passion and conviction. The strength of our
diversity has manifested itself into a vast communication
network based on open and honest expression of ideas. The
members of the CAO have demonstrated the knowledge and
ability to make permanent and postive change in the
direction of our struggling company - and are doing so!
As gratifying as it is, however, to catch the glimpses of
changes that speak to the incredible possibilities, where we
are at right now is not enough. Without representation at
the Board level, we will never be seen in the bigger picture
as anything other than the "disruptive presence" our
administration has falsely portrayed us to be. Every day I
speak to Owners who say, "I believe in the goals of the CAO,
but what can I really do to make a difference...?"
Today, now, before another minute passes,if you believe in
the CAO candidates,the platform they support, and the vision
of what is possible, vote your proxy! Print it off our
forum, fill it out and fax it in. Then make it your goal to
call 3 other Ace owners you know and talk to them, REALLY
talk, about the issues within our Company. I think you may
be pleasantly surprised at the positive results. I have yet
to talk to a dealer who is not appreciative of the time and
effort to spread the word - and it means even more when it
comes from someone they know. You CAN make a difference in
this election, and you CAN make a difference in our
Company...the time is now and the choice is yours...
Sharyn
"Your continued donations are helping us to make this possible
by defraying the costs of reaching the many Voting Owners who do
not use the Internet."
Not receiving our mailings? If you are not receiving our post cards in the mail ...We don't have your correct address! If you would like to stay fully informed and have an alternative choice of candidates in the next election then please click HERE to update your address. Updating your address will not automatically sign you up for the CAO forum. You simply will have the ability to make a fully informed decision on the make up of your BOD in June and the direction of your company in the future.
Missed January's post card mailing? view it HERE
Missed Febuary's post card mailing? view it HERE
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The following four Owner-Members are running on the 2008 CAO proxy to represent you as Ace board of directors... |
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