True Value Company promoted chief commercial officer Chris Kempa to CEO and announced current CFO Deb O’Connor will assume the title of president and CFO. John Hartmann, who has served as the company’s CEO since 2013, will step down from his role in May, but will remain as a director on the company’s board.
“I am very proud of the organizational depth which allows True Value to promote two capable executives from within,” Hartmann said in a news release. “As I shared last Fall when he joined the company, Chris Kempa brings a wealth of highly relevant experience thanks to his successful, two-decade career at Grainger and the impressive growth he achieved at ORS Medco. Similarly, Deb O’Connor has been my trusted CFO for five years now and knows True Value intimately.”
Prior to joining True Value, Kempa most recently served as CEO and group president of ORS Medco. Kempa has also served as an officer at Grainger with responsibility for its international business. The newly promoted CEO brings over 25 years of experience in the distribution sector to the role.
O’Connor served in various finance roles in her 25-year career prior to joining True Value. The newly appointed president spent seven years with OfficeMax, serving as the senior vice president of integration and finance and playing an important role in the OfficeMax/Office Depot merger.
“I’d like to extend our sincerest appreciation to John,” chairman of the True Value Company board of managers Aron Schwartz said. “Over the last seven years, John’s leadership has shaped the company, including over the last two with us, where he was the visionary behind the transaction unlocking over $250 million of retailers’ equity. He was the leading advocate of investments the company has made in the supply chain, technology, as well as a number of merchandising and marketing initiatives, to better serve True Value’s customers.”
In recent years, Chicago-based True Value shifted a focus to local digital marketing, while also renewing a commitment to bring along more LBM dealers. In 2018, the distributor announced it joined the National Lumber and Building Materials Dealers Association’s (NLBMDA) Manufacturers and Services Council, and signed Ohio-based Carter Lumber.
