It has been a busy start to the year for Do It Best Corp., a member-owned hardware, lumber and building materials cooperative based in Fort Wayne, Ind.

On March 4, Do It Best merged with Maple Grove, Minn.-based United Hardware Distributing Co., a wholesale hardware distributor. United Hardware operates a distribution center in Milbank, South Dakota and has an extensive product line with more than 700 stores in the Midwest.

Do It Best is No. 419 in the Top 1000, Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest North American online retailers.

Do It Best merger with United Hardware

“We believe deeply in the power of the co-op model. It is about partnership, mutual growth, and shared success,” said Do it Best President and CEO Dan Starr. “United Hardware joining us is not just a merger. It is a declaration of our belief in this model and in partnering with our members to compete and win.”

The merger is subject to co-op member approval. But when the two cooperatives are merged, the newly formed organization will be operating on an updated platform and under the leadership of a new ecommerce executive.

Do It Best sales and personnel

Do It Best, which generates about $5 billion in annual sales and operates eight distribution centers, also in March named Allison Flatjord as the company’s vice president of marketing and ecommerce.

Flatjord joined Do it Best in 2022 as director of ecommerce shortly after the launch of the new Ecommerce division, and was eventually promoted to vice president of ecommerce. Before Do It Best, she worked as the chief marketing, merchandising, and digital officer of Shindigz. an online party supply retailer. She holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

In 2023, Do It Best spent more than $100 million updating its technology base. The investment includes new warehouse management and order management systems, as well as a new ecommerce platform.

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