Leah Nelson of Caldwell True Value is One of the Industry’s Top Women

Leah Nelson and her father, Jerry. Leah has been honored as one of the Top Women in Hardware & Building Materials for 2025.

Leah Nelson, owner of Caldwell True Value in Caldwell, Idaho, has been recognized as one of the Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply by HBS Dealer. She is among 116 outstanding women honored nationwide for their leadership and impact in the industry.

Leah earned a spot among 50 recipients of the Business Excellence Award, which celebrates women who have demonstrated exceptional achievement, growth, and commitment to both professional development and community service.

The awards also recognized 66 Rising Stars—emerging leaders poised to make a lasting impact in their companies and the broader industry.

Leah’s journey in the hardware business began with her parents, Jerry and Phyllis Nelson, who opened Caldwell True Value in 1984. Like many young adults, Leah initially pursued a different path, earning her degree and working for a major banking firm near Seattle. But when her parents began planning for retirement, she and her husband, Dave Wieltschnig, made a bold decision.

“Dave always wanted to be a business owner,” Leah shared in a 2018 Hardware Retailing interview. “After many conversations with my parents about their retirement plans, we took a leap of faith, quit our jobs, and relocated to Idaho to work in the store with them.”

Since joining the family business in 2008, Leah and Dave have expanded operations, opening a second location—Nampa True Value—in 2011. Caldwell True Value has been a Paladin client since 2008.

Industry professionals are invited to celebrate and connect at the 2025 Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply Awards, taking place November 10–11 in Chicago. View the list of award winners.

Everybody Loves a Parade …

Especially sisters Laura Ward and Erika Brown, owners of Sawgrass Hardware in Woodbine, Georgia. Hardware Connection published a photo of them celebrating Woodbine’s Crawfish Festival in April. The women were featured on the cover of in the May/June edition of the magazine.

Here are some headlines and notices from the retail, hardware and LBM sectors.

Hardware Retailing

• Ace Hardware opens new RSC in Kansas City
• Big-Box return restrictions open door for independents
• House-Hasson appoints new key leadership
• Multiple home improvement retailers featured on NRF’s Top 100 Retailers list
• New tariffs and policies cause continued economic uncertainty
• Home improvement industry rallies behind flood victims

HBS Dealer

• Hardware store sales shine in new report
• Building material costs rise (again)
• How tariffs are shaping the home improvement market
• Tariffs causing import cargo volatility
• Home Depot, GMS agree to blockbuster $5.5b deal

LBM Journal

• Slower growth projected for remodeling into next year
• Do it Best Foundation announces grant recipients

Retail Dive

• Tractor Supply to ramp up store openings, with plans for 100 new locations next year
• Lowe’s links end-user feedback loop to AI tool improvements
• These social media platforms are beating out Google for product discovery, reviews
• Small business isn’t quitting checks
• Stores remain dominant, even as digital, AI shopping grows
• Smart store infrastructure is powering the future of retail experience
• Few consumers trust retailers to use their data responsibly, research finds