Paul Mordvar, 59, Manager: Ace Garden & Hardware, 2500 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg, 822-4801
By Times Staff Writer
Published June 16, 2004
What is your business background?
I spent my career in the steel industry. I grew up here and moved back four years ago. I guess I'm semiretired. I worked in that (steel) business for about 30 years. I was a regional manager and was in sales the whole time.
How did you wind up at Ace Hardware?
Dave and Gail McDonnell are the owners, and Dave and I have known each other since the first grade. We were out having a hamburger one night, and they wanted to take a trip, and they asked me if I could come in and watch the store for a week or so. And I'm still here.
So did you end up taking over for the owners?
Right. Gail was pretty much here all the time. They have other interests that Dave spends a lot of time on, and Gail was pretty much tethered to the store. Little by little, I started taking over some of her responsibilities, and now we don't see them nearly as much as we used to.
Did you start out as manager or work your way into it?
I worked my way into it. I started out on the floor, just assisting customers, kind of learning the business. Then I got into doing the purchasing, the scheduling, and then subsequently most of the day-to-day responsibilities of dealing with contractors and problems that may come up.
How many employees work with you?
Seven.
What hours do you work?
7:30 (a.m.) to 4:30 (p.m.) Tuesday through Friday, and 8 to 5 on Saturday.
Can you tell me what your typical day involves?
Well, like today (Tuesday) I'm doing our order for the week. We have a computer printout I have to verify that the quantities are correct. Each of our employees gets some sheets to check, and any changes they give back to me I will correct in the inventory in the computer. Then tomorrow I'll put in the order for delivery on Friday. Then I'll work on our paint order. We do paint orders twice a week.
What are some of the top-selling items that you order every week?
A lot of painting items. Like caulk is one that we order on a regular basis. Light bulbs, air filters, concrete, nails, a lot of cleaning supplies.
Who are your customers?
I'd say probably about 95 percent homeowners. Contractors make a big portion of our sales, but they are a small portion of our customers. A contractor might come in and buy $500 to $1,000 worth of inventory, whereas the average sale for the rest of the store might be $5 or $6.
Do you have to be pretty handy yourself to work here?
Well, having been a homeowner myself for many years, I knew a little bit about home repairs. But nothing significant, so I had to learn. But we have training videos and a lot of literature to read. We learn a lot from our customers. They'll come in and help you out with something that you're not familiar with. And we have people here who are skilled in other areas, and we all kind of help each other out.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
The customer contact. This is almost like doing business with your friends. You have the same people in and out all the time. You get to know them, their needs and personality.
How much of your time is spent dealing with customers, versus employees and inventory duties?
It's probably about 50-50. If I'm doing something, as far as inventory, and need to pull off to take care of customers, you know customers always come first. It's our policy to greet people when they come in. We don't let them wander the store without giving them assistance.
Any hidden hazards of the job?
No, not really. We have to be careful, because we do cut glass, for windowpanes. It's not really dangerous, but you do have to be respectful of it. And there is a certain amount of heavy stuff that we do have to lift; you know, bags of concrete, topsoil, 5-gallon cans of paint. You just have to be smart about how you handle that.
What is the most popular section of the store?
Well, the copy machines. This is our color copier, and we have three black and whites up front, and we have a tremendous amount of traffic for the copy machines. And now we're also taking bill payments for Progress Energy, TECO and AT&T and that's bringing in probably 100 people a day just for that.
How long has the store been here?
They (McDonnells) have had the store for over 25 years, but there's been a hardware store at this location since the '40s.
What are the differences between this store and the new location across the street scheduled to open soon?
We have about 3,000 square feet here, and we'll be going into a building with 10,000 square feet. We'll be going from five parking spaces to 50. We will expand (product) in most areas. We're going to expand our hours too.
How much do other employees here make?
Usually $8 (an hour) is our starting salary. Depending on experience, you can usually make a little more.
What would your dream job be?
Probably to build custom cars.
Is that a hobby of yours?
Yeah, I did for a while. And I still have an antique car. A 1964 Mercury Marauder. They just built this model for a couple years, it was very low production, so it's a very rare car.
Tell me something most people don't know about Ace Hardware?
A lot of people think that because of Lowe's and Home Depot and bigger stores coming in that the smaller stores are on the decline, and you know, that's not true. Our business is very, very good. I think we're somewhat recession-proof. The people who come in, they're not remodeling their kitchens or whatever, they're coming in to buy air filters or light bulbs, and it's just easier for them to come in here.
