UMBER RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP & TRAINING TO FURTHER FAMILY BUSINESS

Grant Umber from Umber’s Do it Best Hardware in Fort Wayne is attending the Spring 2018 class of the North American Retail Hardware Association’s (NRHA) Retail Management Certification Program in Indianapolis.

The industry-focused retail management and leadership development program is a college-level course designed to train future retail leaders within the home improvement industry in advanced retail management and leadership concepts and skills that will help them succeed in their careers. Umber is participating in the program thanks to a $6,250 scholarship sponsored by Fort Wayne-based Do it Best Corp. that will cover half of the course tuition.

“Receiving this scholarship and attending the NRHA Retail Management Certification Program is helping me grow into a better director for my business so that I can achieve my dream of ownership one day,” Grant explains. “I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to attend this course and get to meet a great group of my peers from across the country who will continue to be a network for me long after I complete the course.”

“The growth of the newfound confidence and knowledge in Grant just seems to continue to grow with every step of the program,” adds his father, Dave Umber, who owns the family business, which has two locations in Fort Wayne.

Currently, Umber has attended two of the three class sessions at NRHA’s Indianapolis-based headquarters, along with 14 other independent retailers from across the United States during the six-month program. Grant and his classmates will return to NRHA headquarters in Indianapolis next month for the third and final visit of the program where students will present their semester business improvement projects to the class.

“He is very deserving and will make the most of this opportunity to further his career so he can continue to help grow the family business,” says Scott Wright, Executive Director of NRHA’s Retail Leadership Institute.