AIMExpo Names True Value President and CEO John Hartmann as Keynote Speaker

With its largest event to date approaching, the American International Motorcycle Expo (AIMExpo) has announced its 2015 keynote speaker – True Value President and CEO John Hartmann. Hartmann is an avid motocross rider, but in the business world he has nearly two decades of corporate experience at the senior executive level.

Hartmann will share some of his experiences and progressive business models with AIMExpo attendees on Friday, October 16 from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. inside the Chapin Theater at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. Intended for all industry attendees – dealers, media and exhibitors ‒ Hartmann will kick off day two of AIMExpo’s trade days.

True Value is one of the world’s largest retailer-owned wholesale hardware cooperatives with gross billings of over $2.0 billion in 2014. The True Value cooperative includes approximately 4,400 independent retailer locations worldwide with 13 regional distribution centers, approximately 2,500 True Value company associates and more than 35,000 store associates.

“The True Value business model operates similarly to that of retailers in the powersports marketplace,” said Hartmann. “While True Value co-op stores differ from dealerships that operate as franchises for manufacturers, dealers are still independent brick-and-mortar retailers much like those with True Value. As a result, the challenges of operating the business and maintaining its success in this new age of retail are virtually one and the same.”

Hartmann’s commitment to an aggressive plan of growth for True Value, ensuring the future success of its retailers and associates, is a significant reason why he’s become a respected figure in the business world in his short tenure with the company, which he joined in May 2013. With past experience at big box giant The Home Depot and industrial distributor powerhouse HD Supply, Hartmann possesses a diverse range of knowledge and a knack for improving businesses exponentially.

Perhaps even more intriguing is Hartmann’s 10 years as an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As someone who was assigned to a variety of the FBI’s investigative areas, Hartmann honed interpersonal skills – listening, understanding and empathizing – that have had a significant impact on his ability to grow businesses. Moreover, his affinity for two wheels makes him particularly invested in the health of the greater powersports industry, and it’s why he’s eager to share his experiences and strategies with the AIMExpo audience.

For more information: AIMExpoUSA.com.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame recently named Marilyn Stemp and Steve Piehl to its board of directors.

Stemp is a pioneering figure in the motorcycle industry, founding IronWorks Magazine with her late husband, Dennis, and becoming the first female editor of a nationally circulated, mainstream motorcycle magazine. She also revived their trade magazine, Iron Trader News; edits the monthly Kiwi Indian News; contributes to several powersports media outlets; and is the founding editor of Sturgis Rider Daily. Stemp is a noted editor and writer of several motorcycle-focused books. Her consistent support for charitable efforts in the industry include the annual Biker Belles Celebration, Las Vegas BikeFest and as campaign chair for the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum’s development plan in 2014. She co-founded the Flying Piston charity events taking place in Daytona and Sturgis each year and is a National Ambassador for All Kids Bike. Stemp was inducted into both the Las Vegas Motorcycle Hall of Fame and the Sturgis Museum's Hall of Fame in 2018, and in 2022 she was recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Powersports by DealerNews.