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Our Team

Canaan
Canaan Lawrence President & CEO, Principal Partner
  • 26 years of experience in the Hardware, Home Center, Industrial & E-comm segments
  • Held various merchandising roles at Ace Hardware, as well as Executive Sales Management roles at Westinghouse & NIBCO
  • Previously President of American Standard Brands
  • Earned a BS Degree from Illinois State University
Mark Whitlock
Mark Whitlock Vice President Revenue Operations, Partner
  • 30 years of experience in the hardware and shipping, packaging, and industrial supplies segment
  • Held Merchandising, Private Brands, Category Management, and Supply Chain roles during an 18-year career at Ace Hardware
  • Previously a Merchandising Systems Manager at Uline
  • Currently leads the Operations, IT/BI & Rev Ops functions
  • Earned a BA Degree from Augustana College
Richard Rush
Richard Rush Vice President, Partner
  • 15 years of experience in the Hardware segment
  • Has held various sales & support roles during his career at Creeden & Associates
  • Currently leads the Orgill business
  • Leads the National Sales Force & Strategic Accounts Teams
Ken Balla
Ken BallaVice President, Partner
  • 20+ years of experience in the Hardware segment
  • Held Buying, Category Management & DMM roles during his 19-year career at Ace Hardware.
  • Previous Director of Sales at Danco, Inc.
  • Currently leads the Ace Hardware business and True Value Teams
  • Earned a BS Degree from Illinois State University
Chris_Krebs
Chris Krebs
Vice President, Partner
  • 13 years of experience in the Hardware channel
  • Previously National Account Manager at Positec Group
  • Leads the Do it Best & eCommerce business 
  • Earned a BS from Indiana University
Heather
Heather WatsonDirector of eCommerce
  • 9 years of experience in the eCommerce and Retail segment
  • Held various roles in eCommerce food and Consumer goods
  • Currently directs the eCommerce team and marketing segment at Creeden
  • Earned a BS degree in Business Administration from Lewis University
Ildas
Ildas Durmic
Director of Sales,
True Value
  • 14 years of experience in the Hardware segment
  • Held Merchandising & Supply Chain roles at Ace Hardware, as well as Sales & Support roles during his career with Creeden
  • Currently leads the True Value business
  • Earned a BBA in International Business from Loyola University Chicago  
Rory
Rory Hillmer
Director of Sales,
Ace Hardware
  • 13 years of experience in the Hardware industry 
  • Held various positions at Apex Tool Group including Outside Sales, Channel Marketing, and National Account Management
  • Earned Bachelor of Business Administration from Grand Valley State University
Brent
Brent Morris Director of Sales,
Farm & Ranch
  • 39 years of experience in Retail Hardware/Home Center business
  • 33 years of sales at Creeden and Associates
  • 5 years of sales experience at Black and Decker
  • Earned degree from Indiana University/ Kelly School of Business
Rosa
Rosa Bolger
Customer Service Manager
  • 21 years of management experience in Customer Care
  • Held Customer Service and Operational Management roles at Familia Dental which has 42 locations
  • Currently manages the Customer Service team overseeing the strategic planning, execution, and overall development of the department
  • Certification with Schedule Institute 
Audrie
Audrey Rutzen Accounting Manager
  • 37 years of experience in the public & private accounting sectors
  • Currently leads the accounting & financial reporting functions
  • Earned a BS Degree from DePaul University
Greg
Greg BiernackiDirector of IT & Business Technology
  • 21 years of experience in software development and database management
  • Held Senior Software Developer role during an 11-year career at Flying Food Group
  • Currently leads Software Development, Network Engineering, and BI Teams
  • Earned BA at DeVry University
Monica
Monica HynesHuman Resource Manager
  • 10 year of experience working in HR
  • Held previous various HR roles at MDC, Tech USA & Sunsource
  • Earned a BS Degree from NIU and a Master's Degree from Benedictine University

National Sales Force

 
National Sales Force
National Sales Force

With coverage of all 50 states and major US markets, our National Sales Force is focused on gaining retail space. By utilizing our proprietary in-field sales software, our sales team is equipped to execute in the stores like no other. Through consultative solution-based selling, our sales team is laser-focused on securing inline programs, end caps, and promotional placement in over 10,000 retail locations annually.

Brent
Dan Grantham Strategic Account Manager
  • Over 31 years of experience in the retail sales
  • Sales and Management - Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Miller Brewing Co Distributor and 12 years at Creeden
  • BSBA in Business Management from Appalachian State University
Bill Chose
Bill Chose Strategic Account Manager
  • 30 years experience in the hardware channel
  • Held various roles at Creeden including 1-year as a Senior Regional Manager, 9 years as a Midwest and East Regional Sales Manager, and 1 year as an Outside Sales Rep
  • Held various roles in hardware from delivery to the buyer to manager
  • Owned and operated a Hardware Hank store
  • Earned a BS in Business Management from Rasmussen School of Business
David_Harris
David HarrisNational Sales Manager
  • 27 years experience in Sales and Sales Management for companies providing services to the retail market
  • Background in building services and former Director of Development in the Commercial Construction segment
  • Manages the National Sales Force  
Scott Albanese
Scott AlbaneseStrategic Account Manager
  • 10 years in the hardware channel
  • 20 plus years of selling experience at the retail level
  • 10 plus years of management experience
  • Earned a BS in Business Administration University of Nevada-Reno
Terry
Terry Richardson 
 National Industrial Sales Manager
  • 26 years in the Industrial, Healthcare, Government, and Retail Sales & Marketing 
  • Previously served in Senior and Executive level positions for both Public and Privately held corporations
  • Since joining Creeden in 2018 he has held sales territory responsibilities in four states and has served as a National Sales Force Trainer
  • Current position, Industrial National Sales Manager with responsibility for Grainger, Fastenal, and MSC
Damon_Edwards
Damon EdwardsNational Industrial Sales Manager
  • 27 years of B2B MRO experience at Grainger
  • Held various management, marketing & sales roles during his 27 year career at Grainger
  • Currently the National Industrial Sales Manager for Creeden

Customer Service

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Customer Service

Our fully staffed customer support help desk is here to support retail stores across the US. With an average inbound call rate of 1,500 calls per week, our team provides product information, order entry, and tracking & field sales support.

Account Team

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Account Team

Our Account Teams offer Headquarter sales, as well as a full suite of back office and trade show support for each of our Customers in the Hardware, Industrial, Farm & eCommerce segments.

Operations & Back Office Teams

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Operations & Back Office Teams

Our operations team and the combined departments of business intelligence, business technology, accounting, and human resources are integral to ensuring all areas of the company run smoothly. Our core values of integrity, service, and continuous improvement are central to these teams’ daily activities.

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