Al Miller

There are almost 1,100 Home Hardware franchises across Canada; to stand out, you must be doing something right.

Al Miller, the manager of Invermere Home Hardware, and his team are clearly doing something right. The store was recently awarded the Retailer of the Year award from Hardware Merchandising magazine, an honour made more significant when you consider the size of the community Miller serves. Miller is pleased by the recognition, which he sees as a reflection of his team’s dedication to service, excellence and community. But beyond the team, to what does Miller attribute the success?

“What I have brought to it is a lot of passion,” he said. “Believe it or not, I do get excited about hardware and building supplies.”

Miller started his professional career with Home Hardware in St. Jacobs, Ontario, so that when he took on Invermere’s Home Hardware in 1993, he already had all the tools to build a strong foundation.

“It was put everything on the line and go—and don’t look back,” he said.