Ace Hardware Corporation announced changes to its Board of Directors following the company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which took place on May 12.
Following the meeting, Ace Hardware stockholders elected Brandi Joplin as a new non-member director to her first term on the Board of Directors. Steven Burggraf, Chairman of the Board at Ace Hardware Corporation, said, “I am pleased to welcome Brandi Joplin to the Ace Hardware Board of Directors. Brandi brings a strong track record of leadership, innovation, and strategic insight that will further strengthen our Board and support Ace’s continued growth. We look forward to the valuable perspective and experience she will contribute as we continue building on Ace’s legacy of service and success.”
Joplin is a financial executive who most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Sam’s Club. Her previous roles include several leadership positions at Walmart such as Senior Vice President and Chief Audit Executive, Vice President and International Controller, and Vice President for Global Internal Audit Services in the U.S. & Canada. She has also held roles at Alltel as Chief Audit Executive and Arthur Andersen LLP as a senior auditor. Currently an Executive in Residence at the University of Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business Department of Accounting, Joplin serves on multiple boards including America’s Car‑Mart Inc., Southern Bancorp, Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, and Hope Cancer Resources Finance Committee.
In addition to electing Joplin, stockholders re-elected member directors David Cripe and Matt Mazzone along with non-member director Eric Lauterbach for continued service on the board. Cripe joined in 2023; he is Chair of the Retail Supply Chain Committee among other committee assignments. He is also Vice President at Whitmore Investments Inc., which operates a chain affiliated with Ace since 1975 in Illinois.
Mazzone has been part of the board since 2020; he serves on both Audit & Finance Committee and Retail Stores & Services Committee while also serving on subsidiary boards such as Ace International Hardware Corporation. He leads Mazzone Hardware Corp., a four-store chain based in New York City that joined Ace in 2013.
Lauterbach joined in 2023; he chairs the Compensation & Human Resources Committee among other duties. He is former President & CEO at Peet’s Coffee, overseeing all operations for subsidiaries including Stumptown Coffee Company.
Outgoing non-member director Karen May completed her maximum permitted years under company bylaws; she was recognized by Ace for her years of dedicated service.
