The Grit Blueprint
The Playbook for Building Unmistakable Brands in the Built World
You can be the best in your market and still get passed over by a competitor who simply shows up better and more consistently where their customers are looking.
The Grit Blueprint Podcast is where visibility, media, customer experience, and creative brand strategy turn trust into growth in the built world.
Hosted by Stefanie Couch, a lifelong building industry expert born and raised in the business, this show explores how companies in building materials, construction, manufacturing, and distribution position themselves to win before the first conversation even starts.
You’ll hear from executives, operators, and decision-makers who are rethinking how they show up in the market. You’ll also hear from Stefanie and the Grit Blueprint team as they share the systems, strategy, and content that make good brands impossible to ignore.
Every episode turns insight into action. Because in this space, great work alone isn’t enough. You have to be seen, be known, be chosen, and ultimately, become unmistakable.
Produced by Grit Media. Powered by Grit Blueprint.
The Grit Blueprint
Co-op Scaling Power: The Secret Weapon of 9,000 Independent Retailers | Sponsored by Do it Best
The co-op model empowers 9,000 independent hardware retailers to compete against big box stores through unified strength and comprehensive support systems. Jason Stofleth, VP of Merchandising at Do it Best, shares insights on how the recent acquisition of True Value is creating new opportunities for members.
• Merchandising at Do it Best covers vendor relationships, product selection, promotions, market events, and supply chain management
• Co-op model unifies independent retailers into a collective strength that helps them thrive in competitive markets
• Fall Market focuses on preparing retailers for spring season with emphasis on lawn, garden, and grilling products
• New partnerships with grill manufacturers Broking and Napoleon offer North American-made products with better margins
• Power Preview event allows retailers to experience outdoor power equipment and grilling products in action
• Marketing services help independent retailers create effective displays and signage for improved customer experience
• Combined strength of Do it Best, True Value, and United Hardware creates unprecedented scale for vendor partnerships
• Local retailers don't need national advertising—they need targeted strategies to win their specific communities
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Grit Blueprint is a media and growth company for the building industry. We help ambitious businesses in the building materials and construction industries grow through visibility, storytelling media, and smart systems.
Don't miss Power Preview tomorrow. That is one of the best things I think at Market. It's fun, it's outdoors, the weather is beautiful right now.
Jason Stofleth:Fall Market is all about setting up for the spring season, so we're hitting lawn and garden grilling very hard at this market to make sure members are ready to go. Power Preview is on Friday at Market. It's at fall. That event alone is a reason to get to Indianapolis every year to experience, you know, outdoor power equipment grilling live and in action before the market floor even opens.
Stefanie Couch:Welcome to the Grit Blueprint podcast, the playbook for building unmistakable brands that grow, lead and last in the built world. I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint, and I'm a lifelong building industry insider. I was raised here, built my career here, and now my team and I help others win here. The truth is, you can be the best option in your space and still lose to someone else who simply shows up better and more consistently Each week. On the Grit Blueprint, I'm going to show you how to stand out, earn trust and turn your brand into a competitive advantage that lasts. If you're ready to be seen, known, chosen and become unmistakable, you're in the right place. Let's get started. Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. I'm your host, Stefanie Couch, and I'm here today with Jason . Welcome to the show. We are here on the floor live at the event of the year for you the fall market in Indianapolis Basically like the Super Bowl of hardware and lumber right.
Jason Stofleth:Absolutely. It's great to be back in Indy. We're super excited. I'm super excited to be with you today, so thanks for having me on.
Stefanie Couch:Yeah, absolutely, and this is sort of the calm before the storm. We're here on the market floor, there's Fortless beeping, there's things being set up, the action is happening live. But we are talking today about some of the cool stuff that you're going to be showcasing, and you guys have some new partnerships, and last year the big announcement was True Value coming on, that Do it Best had purchased True Value and you're the VP of merchandising here, so I know you have a lot of things you're in charge of specifically at Market. Tell me a little bit about what you do at Do it Best.
Jason Stofleth:No, that's a great question. So merchandising for Do it Best covers vendors, products, promotions as well as market, as well as our entire supply chain. So managing vendor relationships, deciding what we stock in our distribution centers, demand planning and replenishment for those centers, promotional offers, partnering with the marketing and sales team, and then facilitation of our two markets a year.
Stefanie Couch:You're a busy man. I got a a lot of things I've got a great team.
Jason Stofleth:I've got a great team.
Stefanie Couch:You actually have two markets a year, so I was at the spring market. There's a lot of things happening with the True Value at that point, but the scale of each market keeps getting bigger. Tell me a little bit about how you're actually helping members. So, for those who may not know, do it Best is a co-op. It is the largest co-op in the world. Yes, and now with True Value, what is it?
Stefanie Couch:9,000 members 9,000 retailers, yeah 9,000 retailers all over the US. Tell me a little bit about that scale that you're able to help people, and what does a co-op really do to help its members?
Jason Stofleth:Co-op model is all about unifying the independence into a singular strength so that they can compete and thrive. We help members do things that they otherwise can't do themselves. Buying products is just a piece of what it is to be a retailer. You need support, you need services, you need tools that go along with the products to bring customers into the store and to have those sales go out the front door. That's what we're all about is helping the independent thrive and compete against the big ones out there.
Stefanie Couch:I love the independent business. My dad and my granddad owned a lumberyard and harbor store, so I grew up selling hardware. I used to take people back to the plumbing aisle when I was about 12. And for some reason people would go back there. I was really confident that I could be the help that they needed and we would go back to aisle 12 and we would figure out those puzzle pieces and they would hopefully fix their pipes.
Jason Stofleth:Yeah, there's not a more exciting category than PVC pipe and fittings. I mean, that is where it's at.
Stefanie Couch:Well, electrical can be quite a lot more exciting, which is why I stayed away from the advice on that. I'm like people probably won't die if I tell them the wrong thing with a PVC versus CPVC, but bad things can happen if I give them bad electrical advice. As a 12-year-old I felt like that was even too risky, even for me.
Jason Stofleth:Yeah, good move. Way to avoid that one.
Stefanie Couch:But I think one of the things that I see a lot, especially with this partnership learning more about what Do it Best and True Value offer is that the independent lumberyard and retailer hardware store, paint store, lawn and garden all the people that you serve can come and buy a tool or they can come and buy a whole inset that you guys have curated Like. They have 10 stores, 100 stores, 1,000 stores because you do. You have 9,000 members and you're leveraging the scale and power of purchasing as 9,000 instead of one or two or three. That is so huge for dealers that are selling in the market. Tell me a little bit about how you go about curating programs and finding the best fit for vendors. I know at this market you're actually introducing a big partnership with two new grill vendors. Tell me a little bit about that.
Jason Stofleth:Yeah, so Broking and Napoleon are here and are showing out in a very big way.
Stefanie Couch:I saw them setting up. I'm excited.
Jason Stofleth:We're excited for both those partnerships that we've formed. We're essentially going to have made in North America product, most of which is made in the United States a high quality product that can compete with any brand out there at an equivalent retail. That makes retailers more margin when they sell it. So it's an absolute home run for retailers. And your earlier comment about how do we curate you know partnerships and relationships. It's truly putting the retailer first, the member first. And what do they need in their store to compete and draw in consumers and thrive in their communities? And so we're looking for brands, we're looking for cutting edge products, and then you know partners that are going to help drive traffic into the stores to buy those products, because it's great to have a product, but if nobody knows about it or if the store can't get it out to the consumer, then it doesn't go anywhere. So we need partners that are truly in it to be with us on that journey.
Stefanie Couch:Well, I think brand is something I love to talk about because I believe personally that brand is probably the most underestimated thing that can really help a business. And people think of branding as logos and you know colors and all that. And look, I'm a girl that wears a hat all the time, super colorful, and I think that does draw attention. But real visibility is about consistency and it's about connection with people, being able to tell stories and share experiences with people that they resonate with, that hit them where it matters, that they remember and want to come back to. And I think a lot of these brands do such a great job of that of helping members tell the stories that their consumers are going to pay attention to and they're going to connect with. I mean, outdoor living is fun, because I mean what's more fun than fall football and a great grill with a steak or a hot dog or hamburger on it? You know there's got to be a golden retriever in the background playing tennis, and then it's just the American dream, right?
Jason Stofleth:That's right.
Stefanie Couch:Hopefully my Georgia Bulldogs are on the TV.
Jason Stofleth:We'll see.
Stefanie Couch:I don't know. I mean, does that incite you in some way, Jason?
Jason Stofleth:You know, go Georgia. Okay, well, I'll help you out.
Stefanie Couch:I mean, I do think my Bulldogs have a good chance this year of having a good season, but we'll see. It's early yet. But I do think this market is a great way for people to come and see these new products in real life, touch them, feel them.
Jason Stofleth:Just like your Georgia Bulldogs. Right, it's a brand. Yeah, a brand is a feeling, and that's exactly what we do it best. Or a member's you know own brand. It's all about creating a feeling for that consumer and, you know, getting their heart and their you know commitment to buy local and to come into their store versus any other store.
Stefanie Couch:One of the things that hit me, since we're talking about football, is you know I was watching College Game Day. I love football, but I'm mainly only watching now because Peter the Golden Retriever is on there every week. Kirk Herbstreit's dog is like the number one star, but in the background there was a lot of orange branding. That show is sponsored by a very large big box store, yes, and I cannot imagine the amount of money that they pay for the sponsorship. But what actually hit me is that what people in independent retailers shouldn't say. Well, I can never afford to sponsor College Game Day.
Stefanie Couch:The truth is that unless you're trying to win over every person in America which most independent retailers are small businesses in one area or even a small region you don't need to buy out College Game Day or the Super Bowl. You need to win your local person in the store that's at their home football game, at the high school or maybe their small college or any of those things. And I think some of the services that you guys offer here allow people that maybe aren't marketers, they're not thinking about branding in their sleep. They can come and find those resources with your teams here at Do it Best that can help them do that easily. So tell me about your services a little bit and how you help people merchandise their product in a way that people do love to come by.
Jason Stofleth:Yeah, so with respect to the display of the products, or the planograms, so to speak, you know how the product is presented on the shelf is so critical. And then the signage to make the shopping experience easy for the consumer is a critical piece of what we provide. So not just the products, but helping them display the products in a way that makes it easy for the consumer to make the purchase. Our marketing team, our sales team, they do a great job with getting our brands out there, partnering with us on our vendor brands, our product brands, to draw traffic into the store. They're making sure that we have strong promotional offers as well to keep that sharp pricing image. So the marketing services alone are the most comprehensive offered in the industry. Yeah, so that's what it's all about is setting the retailer up for success.
Stefanie Couch:If someone's here on the floor and they've never been here before, I feel like they might be shocked by how all out people go. So I was walking down earlier. There is a full tractor trailer that is a actual crocodile truck.
Jason Stofleth:Yes.
Stefanie Couch:So you've got a little bit of everything here. That's for crocodile cloth, which is a hand cleaning wipe. Yeah uh, you've got bissell right next door. That's gonna have puppies tomorrow and sunday the puppies are back.
Stefanie Couch:I'm probably going to borrow one for the rest of my podcast time here hope no one misses it. And then you've got a lot of other things. So tell me some of the categories that if someone's here in Indy they should definitely go check out. I know there's some things that you guys just offer that are Hallmark. Tell me about that.
Jason Stofleth:Yeah, so Fall Market is all about setting up for the spring season. So we're hitting lawn and garden grilling very hard at this market to make sure members are ready to go come February, march next year. So power preview is on Friday at markets at fall. So that event alone is a reason to get to Indianapolis every year to experience, you know, outdoor power equipment grilling live and in action.
Stefanie Couch:So last year I got to drive a really cool riding lawnmower. I'm definitely planning on doing that.
Jason Stofleth:Absolutely so. I mean that alone is an experience in itself, before the market floor even opens the following day. So then, you know, outside of the seasonal categories, you know we have many, many of our areas are core to the hardware store. We have everything a hardware store, home center, lumberyard needs, but some of our highlights this market are tools, along with plumbing and electrical. We have so many offerings in those core areas. I don't know if you had a chance to check out the DeWalt booth, but DeWalt is making a statement. You know, Stanley Black Decker, they're really stepping up big for this market, making a statement. So you know, Stanley Black Decker, they're really stepping up big for this market, making a statement.
Stefanie Couch:I love the tools booths. They always let me touch things and like use new things, and the gadgets are always fun. I love that. Well, I'm going to get over there tomorrow and check out some of these amazing booths. Don't miss Power Preview tomorrow. That is one of the best things I think at market. It's fun, it's outdoors, the weather is beautiful right now, yes, and I am excited to just see what you guys keep doing with your amazing partnerships that you're building and some of these products that I've never seen before. You guys are finding like some real hidden gems.
Jason Stofleth:Well, yeah, and or you guys are finding like some real hidden gems. Well, yeah, and what's interesting is, with the combined strengths of both companies coming together along with United Hardware you know, all three companies coming together within the last 12 months we now have even more scale and, you know, the vendor community is now even more excited to partner with us, and they want their brands on our shelves. We mentioned 9,000 retail locations. Why wouldn't you want to have your product, your brand, on each one of those shelves? And so that's what this is all about is is getting their brand out there in front of the members, getting members familiar with the new programs and products that we have to offer and, um, also giving them some great deals while they're here to maximize their profits.
Stefanie Couch:Yeah Well, thank you for all you're doing to make sure that independents in this market can thrive and win, because it's competitive out there and they need all of the help that they can get from people like Do it Best and True Value to really make sure that they're capitalizing on every opportunity. So thank you for everything you're doing and I appreciate you sitting down with me on the Grit Blueprint Hope you have a killer market, just go crush it today.
Jason Stofleth:All right, thank you, Stefanie, appreciate it.
Stefanie Couch:Thank you for listening to the Grit Blueprint podcast. If this episode helped you think a little differently about how to show up, share it with someone in your building world who needs it. If you're ready to turn visibility into growth, then head to gritblueprintcom to learn more and book a call to talk to us about your growth strategy. Until next time, stay unmistakable.
