True Value Appointed to White House Task Force to Address Supply Chain Challenges

True Value Company’s CEO Chris Kempa joined a roundtable discussion at the White House with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese to discuss the launch of Freight Logistics Optimization Works (“FLOW”), a data-sharing pilot program created to ease supply chain congestion.

True Value joins FLOW along with a small number of U.S. companies asked to share their expertise managing the supply chain crisis. Set up by the Department of Transportation, FLOW aims to improve congestion and speed up the movement of goods by establishing a baseline supply chain data infrastructure to significantly improve goods movement coordination. True Value will contribute critical data about the supply chain to help give a clearer, real-time picture of the flow of goods and where infrastructure improvements should be focused.

“We are honored to be recognized as a leader in supply chain management and asked to serve on this White House task force,” said Chris Kempa, CEO of True Value Company. “These have been exceptional times, and I’m very proud of the innovative solutions we employed to help our retailers remain in stock so they could effectively serve their communities during the pandemic.”

A White House fact sheet about the FLOW initiative is available here.

Following the White House roundtable discussion, Jennifer McNeill, Vice President of Logistics at True Value, held a live discussion with Secretary Buttigieg to further discuss FLOW, the benefits to consumers as a result of the data sharing effort, and True Value’s experiences navigating the supply chain crisis to get products to its retailers as quickly as possible.

“All of True Value’s local, independent retailers were declared essential businesses at the start of the pandemic, so it was particularly vital that they have the products they needed to serve their customers,” said Jennifer McNeill, Vice President of Logistics at True Value.

“By now the confluence of factors is well-known: raw-material shortages, factory closures, vendor service-level disruptions and allocations, port congestion — the list goes on. What we learned in mitigating all of this should prove valuable in helping to plot national strategy moving forward,” said Jennifer McNeill.

About True Value Company

True Value Company, headquartered in Chicago, is one of the world’s leading hardlines wholesalers with a globally recognized brand and over 70 years of experience serving independent hardware retailers. True Value Company provides its customers in over 60 countries an expansive product set with market-customized assortments at highly competitive prices, superior product availability, innovative marketing programs and a la carte value-added services like eCommerce ship-to-store, store remodel support and True Value University, all within a flexible model that requires no membership. With 13 regional distribution centers, and approximately 2,500 associates serving nearly 5,000 stores, True Value Company celebrates independence and drives retail excellence across the U.S. and internationally. Learn more at www.TrueValueCompany.com.

Contact:

Jean Miemi – Senior Vice President Marketing & Communications – jean.niemi@truevalue.com – (678) 386-2902

Source: True Value Company, LLC