A few months ago my wife sent me on a mission: to buy paint.
Ah, but only Benjamin Moore Regal Select Eggshell Base 1 Interior Latex Wall Paint Interior. One gallon.

Costello's Ace Hardware of Denville, NJ was the nearest ACE franchise location and they had Benjamin Moore. MY PLAN: get in, get out, go home and deliver the paint.

Ah, but they caught me in a weak moment at checkout.

I joined the ACE Rewards club on the spot. They gave me a $10 gift card - that I could use during THAT purchase for the paint. So, $87.99 instantly became $77.99 - and I just earned 879 ACE REWARDS points on THAT purchase. They PROMISED me that joining the 'club' would take less than a minute. I scanned a QR code with my phone, and I was in the club in less than 30 seconds. So, 30 seconds to make $10 = $1,200 per hour. Not a bad gig if you can get it.

Then came the welcome emails, with ANOTHER $10 gift card (can be used online). And I was reminded that I already had 879 rewards points in the bank from the paint purchase - and that my ACE POINTS never expire.

It was a slow weekend, and since my wife was painting..... (ahem) I had some time to explore the Ace Hardware website. And explore I did.

I invite you to visit the ACE website. Be sure to scroll to the bottom. It is a complete business ecosystem.

The 'Shop' on the top left corner of the NYDLA.org is our Technology ASSURANCE Cooperative.

A few weeks ago I gave my staff the task of rebuilding and rebooting our e-commerce 'Co-Op' in the spirit of the ACE Hardware website. All of it. The features, the rewards program, everything. I said: 'Team, go read this, study this, and then DO THIS. Make this for US:  https://www.acehardware.com/about-us

ACE does tools and hardware. We do telecom and technology. They service 5,000 communities around the world. We service 174K+ online schools and their alumni. Also around the world.

I am told that the 'new and improved' TAC-USA.com will be live on Monday of next week. As far as I am concerned, next Tuesday or Wednesday will be just fine. After all, good things take time, right? ACE was founded in 1924 by...

...a small group of Chicago hardware store owners. Ace changed the retail landscape by allowing individual stores to purchase merchandise in bulk to save money and buy at the lowest possible price. A Co-Op model. This partnership enabled even the smaller stores to compete effectively at retail despite larger stores in their market. And to this very day, Ace Hardware Corporation is still owned solely and exclusively by the local Ace retail entrepreneurs. 
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To my team: make it so. 

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