Business of Excellence – Evans Ace Hardware
Paladin Powers Hamilton’s Very Helpful Hardware Folks
- Business: Evans Ace Hardware
- Location: Hamilton, Montana
- Owner: David Evans
Tucked along a meandering river between the Bitterroot and Sapphire mountain ranges in west-central Montana, the city of Hamilton glows with breathtaking views and a sheltered valley microclimate that’s warmer than most of the rest of the state.
With about 15,000 residents, it’s the region’s largest city, the Ravalli County seat, and, in many ways, the undisputed hub of the Bitterroot Valley. Alongside tourism and farming, a major hospital, two large biotech facilities, and even the occasional television production (read: Yellowstone) add to the city’s vibrancy and diversity.
David Evans, owner of Evans Ace Hardware in Hamilton, grew up here, but it took a fresh look at his hometown well into his adulthood to remind him what a special place it is. Long after Evans moved away and established a successful corporate career in human resources with Linux International in Texas, his father offered to sell Evans Ace to his kids in the wake of their mother’s passing. The offer came with a one-year expiration date. Evans traveled home in the summer of 2008 with every intention of refusing, but relented on the last night of the visit.
“We pulled a complete 180 just by falling in love with the romance of living in Montana,” David says. “Just seeing our kids be able to play outside and run around and just the freedom you can have here,” he says, convinced him to seal the deal.
“It’s an easy place to be from,” he says. “When you think of beautiful, picturesque Montana, that’s us.”
Stepping into the future with PaladinPOS™
Two years after moving back to Hamilton, David assumed full ownership of the store his parents had bought in 1969 (it was already an institution by then, having been open in the same location since 1936).
Starting with a more basic product mix, the store eventually took on a series of expansion projects including a garden center, outdoor grilling department, extensive Stihl and Milwaukee sections, in-house laser engraving services, and Sandy’s Kitchen, a kitchen, decor and gift department named after David’s late mother.
“We’re not really afraid to try something new around here,” he says.
Meanwhile, the complexity of using the store’s preexisting POS system was compounded by the multiple suppliers involved with the new departments. In 2012, David transitioned the store onto a Paladin Point of Sale system with Ace EDI and other smartly designed inventory, pricing, and ordering features and integrations he needed.
“After we switched to Paladin, it was like, well, this is completely, completely doable,” he says. “It streamlined that process. [Now] it’s just a simple upload.”
David continues to be impressed with the simplicity of the Paladin system, especially when training new employees. Meanwhile, his friends at other retail stores without Paladin POS call training cashiers on their systems “a huge process.”
“I don’t know how they keep people, but I guess it’s all about what’s normal,” David says. “I’m glad this is our normal.”
Deeper in the Paladin feature set, David sings the praises of the automated Suggested Order report for simplifying his special-order processes. He has also deployed PaladinGo™, the mobile app with a growing list of features including inventory workflows that build on the familiar RF gun system, plus reliable connectivity and mobile checkout from anywhere with a cellular or Wi-Fi signal.
Some of the friendly and helpful staff at Evans Ace Hardware.
The exceptionally helpful folks
Efficient business processes and financial success are great, and they help strengthen the Bitterroot Valley even beyond the walls of Evans Ace. Arguably more impressive, though, is the store’s continuous effort to be a social and charitable hub for their community.
Once a month, Evans Ace holds a benefit barbecue at the store, partnering with a single beneficiary each time to boost their exposure and solicit donations.
“We’re really, really focused on community service work and working with nonprofits,” says David, who also serves on the boards of directors for Hamilton’s theater, downtown association, and hospital. David’s sister, meanwhile, runs a charitable foundation left behind in their father’s will. It focuses on feeding, clothing, and sheltering needy local kids and families.
David’s generosity in the community has earned his store awards from the likes of Cub Cadet and Ace Hardware. Ace awarded the store the coveted title of Coolest Hardware Store alongside just one other US-based Ace store in 2024.
David credits the Ace Hardware corporation itself for encouraging Ace stores to be active in their communities.
“They are really focused on being the helpful folks,” he says. “Their whole marketing strategy is around being a good neighbor. They really encourage that kind of stuff and give us a lot of tools to make it happen.”
Ace absolutely deserves praise for their positive corporate influence. But when it comes to Evans Ace, the real special sauce is arguably right there in the Bitterroot Valley. David and his staff clearly embrace the opportunity to raise the collective fortunes of their neighbors in and around Hamilton.
“We’ve got space to do it and the employees seem to really enjoy it,” David says. “It gives a lot of the staff a way to interact with and help others in a way they might not have been able to otherwise.”
