Arnold Gerberding — the hardware co-operative

born Fort Wayne 1900 · founded 28 June 1945 · died 1977

Arnold Gerberding spent a quarter-century learning hardware before he founded anything: born in Fort Wayne in 1900, he went to work for Pfeiffer Hardware after high school, spent nearly two decades as a buyer at Schafer Hardware in Decatur, and was general sales manager at Auburn Hardware from 1943 to 1945. On 28 June 1945 he founded Hardware Wholesalers, Inc., in Fort Wayne — a buying co-operative of independent hardware dealers. One detailed company-history account puts ninety-six subscribers at the incorporation meeting; the International Directory of Company Histories chain counts investments from one hundred independent owners across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, and both counts stand here as they stand in the record. Gerberding wanted to name it the Royal Hardware Company and was outvoted by his own subscribers. He served as president about twenty years and retired on 30 September 1967 with more than six hundred member stores, remaining honorary executive vice-president and consultant until his death in 1977. The line his successor's successor carried forward was his standard: "In 20 years I never told a lie to anybody." The presidency passed to Don Wolf — hired in 1947, president from 1967 to 1992, the same Don A. Wolf who founded Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana, whose story is the Charities section's — and then to Mike McClelland, president and chief executive from 1992. The company is Do it Best today; its course is the Business section's.

Sources:

1. Businesses — "Hardware Wholesalers, Inc. → Do it Best Corp." (the 28 June 1945 founding and the two subscriber counts, stated side by side; the Royal Hardware naming; the 1967 retirement at six hundred members).
2. The company's history accounts — Gerberding's Pfeiffer, Schafer and Auburn years; Mike McClelland's recollection of the "never told a lie" line; the Wolf and McClelland successions.
3. Charities — Don A. Wolf, president of Hardware Wholesalers, as the mover behind Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana (8 February 1972), cross-referenced.