RONA Honours Entrepreneurs!

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RONA honours the Entrepreneurs & Builders of the Year

RONA inc. (TSX: RON), the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, renovation and gardening products, has presented the "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award to the most innovative and visionary affiliated dealers in its network, as well as the "Builder of Excellence" Award to the best-performing corporate stores. The awards were handed out at ceremonies held during the RONA 2011 Spring Show in Calgary, an internal event where dealer-owners and managers of RONA stores are invited to discover exclusive new products and services available as of spring 2011. RONA also recognized three dealer-owners for their leadership and initiative, as well as the managers of the 10 stores that have performed best. In addition, 217 employees in the RONA network were declared Customer Service Champions.

2010 "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award

"The 'Entrepreneur of the Year' awards represent the true spirit of RONA," said Jean-Luc Meunier, Senior Vice President, Affiliate Dealer-Owner Network Development. "They're our way of honouring the remarkable contribution of dealer-owners who have confronted new challenges with passion and drive, while focusing their efforts on providing the best possible customer service to the communities they serve. These people also stand out for their entrepreneurial spirit and exemplary work, which are key elements in the success and excellent reputation their stores enjoy in their respective markets."

The recipient of the 2010 "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award for Western Canada is:

MJ Palsson, Gimli, Manitoba
Owner: Marc Palsson
Marc Palsson owns the MJ Palsson store in Gimli, north of Winnipeg. This natural-born entrepreneur managed numerous businesses of various types before entering the field of home renovation in 1999, with the opening of a 6,000-sq.-ft. store in Arborg, Manitoba. In April 2008, Mr. Palsson joined the RONA network. Two years later, he opened a 14,000-sq.-ft. store in Gimli. His passion, talent and business acumen are among the qualities that make Marc Palsson a true entrepreneur.

2010 "Builders of Excellence" Award

The "Builders of Excellence" Award is presented to the 10 stores judged to be the best performers in RONA's corporate and franchise network. The criteria used to measure their achievements include sales growth, profitability, and quality of customer service and loss control.

"Builders of Excellence" Awards are given to stores that set themselves apart through their excellent performance at all levels of their operations, but especially in terms of the quality of their customer service," said Mario St-Louis, Vice President of Store Operations for Eastern Canada. "It is also an honour for the entire store team, whose dedication to customers helps position their store as the best in their region."

This year's Builders of Excellence in Western Canada are:

RONA Home & Garden, Grandview, British Columbia, managed by John Gatti
RONA Home & Garden, Millwoods, Alberta, managed by Brent Connelly
TOTEM Calgary Contract, Calgary, Alberta, managed by Justin Erdahl

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