Ace distribution center will beat slated opening by three months.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 1997--Thanks to the outstanding cooperation of state, county and local officials, the 800,000-square-foot distribution center in nearby Wilton will open in August, three months earlier than the scheduled November date.

That good news for Saratoga County, was presented by David F. Myer, vice president retail support and new business for Ace Hardware Corporation, to some 350 state and local leaders at the annual member investment dinner of the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). Myer was the keynote speaker at the Thursday, April 10 event held at the Saratoga Springs Holiday Inn. SEDC was instrumental in getting Ace to locate its northeast retail support center in Saratoga County.

Equivalent to 14 football fields in size, the 1,100-foot long building, will begin accepting merchandise in mid-May and will begin shipping to some 500 Ace Hardware stores throughout the Northeast by mid-August. The $21 million building will have a merchandise inventory valued at $30 million and will employ some 300 people when fully operational.

Job fairs conducted by SEDC and the N.Y. Department of Labor for potential Ace employees were held in the area from April 3 through April 9, with over 3,000 applying for the positions. Some of those selected will begin training shortly in the buildings' newly completed computer area.

Officials from SEDC said applicants not selected by Ace would have their names put into a computer "talent bank" for possible matching with other available jobs throughout the area. Myer said the early opening would be very beneficial to Ace's continued growth in the region, and would start putting money -- through salaries and fringe benefits -- into the local community. Ace added 88 new stores in the Eastern region in 1996, and is projecting the addition of 30 new stores in the Northeast each year for the foreseeable future. Ace's center in Hartford, Ct., which currently serves area Ace retailers, could not be expanded to meet those needs, and will be closed when Wilton opens.

In praising the efforts of New York officials, Myer said, "Ace has built 11 new distribution centers in the past 15 years, so we've had the opportunity to work with many different development groups. The officials here are simply the best and most professional people we've had the pleasure of working with."

Among those signaled out by Myer for their special efforts for the Wilton center were New York Governor George Pataki, and officials at the Empire State Development Commission and SEDC, Roy McDonald, Wilton town supervisor, Senator Joseph Bruno, state Senator Hugh Farley, Assemblyman Bob Andrea and Ken Green, SEDC president.

Looking ahead to a year from now, Myer gave this scenario: "Ace will be functioning as your good neighbor in a clean, non-polluting environment. We'll be an integral part of the community, blending into the local scene, contributing to the local economy. We've worked hard to make the Ace name stand for quality and excellence. We know the people of this area will not only preserve, but enhance that image.

Myer concluded, "Ace is the place for hardware, and we've found Saratoga County is the place for Ace."

CONTACT: John J. Cameron, 630/990-6751