PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA VISITS FRED'S PRO HARDWARE

Toledo, Ohio store brimming with pride after selling POTUS a pair of gardening gloves

Fred's PRO Hardware in Toledo, Ohio, had an unexpected visitor Monday, June 3: President Barack Obama.

Obama arrived at the store, unexpectedly, following a tour of Chrysler's North Assembly Plant, where he spoke about rebuilding the U.S. economy, and congratulated the domestic automobile manufacturer for repaying its loan to the government six years early.

After his visit to the Chrysler plant, he said that he needed a pair of gloves for his wife, and asked to visit Fred's PRO Hardware. There, an employee guided him back to their garden glove selection, and he chose a pair of $4.99 green Boss Dirt Digger Gloves. After purchasing the gloves, he posed for photos with the store employees and about seven customers before leaving.

Jeff Brown, who owns Fred's PRO Hardware, was out of town at the time. He says he received a call from the store's mechanic about 10 minutes after Obama left.

"He said, 'You'll never guess who was at the store,' " says Brown. "I had no clue." The only person Brown could think of was a man who dropped off his lawn mower for repairs a year ago and had yet to pick it up. That was what he expected to hear. But that's not what the mechanic said. He said "The president."

"Who?" asked Brown.

"The president," he said.

"What president?" asked Brown.

"The president of the United States."

Brown was shocked, but thrilled. His store was immediately the talk of the town. So were the green Boss Dirt Digger Gloves. So much so that the store sold out of them and had to have them rushed in to fill demand.

"I'm proud that the store was up to the standards that he would come in and buy something," said Brown. We work pretty hard here, and it means something. I think it'll help our reputation that he came here and bought something."

Shari Kalbach, managing director for Denver-based PRO Group, Inc. said Fred's PRO Hardware is a customer of the Toledo, Ohio based The Bostwick-Braun Company, a PRO Hardware distributor member and added that Boss Manufacturing Co. is a PRO key supplier. "Fred's PRO Hardware has been a PRO Hardware store for over 30 years," Kalbach said. "I'm sure this ranks as one of their most famous customers. I'm happy that the President chose an independent hardware store."

Damian Nicholson, PRO program director for The Bostwick-Braun Company said, "No matter what your politics are, when the President of the United States visits your hardware store to buy something, it's great for business! How can any advertising or marketing compete with the leader of the free world shopping in your store? Jeff at Fred's PRO Hardware should be proud of the service his staff provided the President, and they deserve all the attention they are getting from this. We may update our tagline, 'PRO Hardware...where Presidents shop!' "

After the visit, Obama briefly addressed a crowd that had gathered in the streets outside of Fred's PRO Hardware, before heading to the airport.

For More Information Contact:

Shari Kalbach, PRO Group, Inc.

(303) 792-3000 shari.kalbach@pro-group.com

Additional media contact:
Ruth Furman, ImageWords (702) 255-8288