On September 20th, Ace Hardware hosted their first ever “Maker to Market” event. Taking place at Ace Headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., the event invited innovators and inventors from the “maker” community to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. The judges were selected from key decision makers in the purchasing chain of Ace corporation.
John Sommers, VP of Merchandising for Ace, stated,” We had an extremely successful Maker to Market event, with a dynamic lineup of new products. We look forward to bringing many of them to market through Ace stores.”
60 contestants flocked from all around the globe to the event. The two categories were: New to Consumer Market and New to Hardware. A winner from each category was selected. Casus Grill, from Denmark, was selected as the winner in the New to Consumer category. The Casus Grill is a biodegradable and affordable ($12.99) grill that offers the perfect solution to on the go grilling. The New to Hardware winner was Stowaway Tools, which presented a 3D-printed phone case capable of storing up to four tools.
These two winners will now both have the opportunity to pitch their products at the annual Ace Hardware Convention. This event will place them in front of thousands of local Ace owners who control the buying chain for their respective stores.
Interested in presenting your newest idea to Ace Hardware? Learn more about the opportunities available at http://innovatewithace.com/.
To read more from Ace Corporation’s Press Release: http://newsroom.acehardware.com/ace-hardware-maker-to-market-event-shines-light-on-ground-breaking-new-products/
