Centerra Sells Middlefield Operation to Hartville Hardware
Change is in the air and swirling around a popular farm and lumber supply business in Geauga County.
Change is in the air and swirling around a popular farm and lumber supply business in Geauga County.
Just as southeast county residents adjusted to calling the former Western Reserve Farm Cooperative in Middlefield Village Centerra LLC, the well-known operation on East High Street has joined the Hartville Hardware Inc. family of businesses.
According to a Feb. 24 press release, the owners of Hartville Hardware purchased the sprawling Centerra Lumber and Supply Center in Middlefield to establish a close relationship with the community in which the Miller family that owns Hartville Hardware has roots.
Howard Miller Jr., president of the company, said on April 6 his grandparents, Henry and Mary Ann Shrock, and his mother, Sarah Shrock, lived in the Middlefield area for many years.
The Miller family became involved in the hardware business in 1972, when Howard Miller Sr. purchased an existing True Value store in Hartville. The business, part of HRM Enterprises, Inc., grew over the years and has a facility in Tallmadge, as well.
The purchase of the Centerra store in Middlefield took place in early March and is no longer a cooperative, Miller Jr. said.
Measures were taken to protect the staff in all facilities, listed as essential businesses, from the coronavirus, per the Ohio Department of Health’s orders. Some employees from all stores are unable to work, a difficult situation since farmers need supplies to start planting the fields, Miller Jr. said.
“But we’re operating as usual and want to keep the (Middlefield) staff. They’re good people and we need them,” he said.
Hartville Hardware plans to carry its tradition of convenience, quality and personal care to the new store, according to the press release.
“We were very excited when the opportunity to come into the Middlefield area became available,” he said. “Our company’s values of treating customers, suppliers and each other as we would like to be treated and giving back to our community match well with Centerra’s previous approach and we look forward to building upon the great work they’ve been doing.”
Hartville Hardware has a long history of close relationships with the communities they operate in, Miller Jr. said.
The Millers intend to foster another close relationship with Middlefield while providing new products and services to compliment those already in place. This approach is consistent with their presence in Hartville, Ohio.
Supporting many of the charitable and service-oriented organizations in Hartville has produced a great partnership where employees live out their commitment to serve others both inside and outside the store.
Howard Miller Jr. and his brother Wayne, company vice president, have guided their family business through multiple moves, including the construction of their current 305,000-square-foot store that opened in April 2012.
Hartville Hardware is the largest independently owned hardware store in the nation and a model retail environment for the hardware industry, according to the press release. Innovative retailing concepts include a drive-thru lumberyard, award-winning Kitchen and Bath Design Center and fully constructed 1,850-square-foot Idea House in the Hartville store.
The Hardware and Lumber Store is part of HRM Enterprises Inc., a family of companies that include Hartville Kitchen, Hartville Marketplace and Top Advantage Surfaces among others.
“It is not just the size of Hartville Hardware that makes it exceptional — it is the culture. We employ caring individuals who understand hardware and the importance of serving our customers. We are looking forward to sharing that same culture in Middlefield,” Wayne Miller said.
“Middlefield customers have come to expect high quality products delivered accurately and timely by friendly people” said Jean Bratton, CEO of Centerra, in the press release. “I am very proud that our employees have built this reputation in the community, and I am 100 percent confident that Hartville Hardware and the team at Middlefield will continue this approach towards customers.”
