Welcome to the Ace Vendor Program from The WATER Foundation!

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"Help Make Conservation Pay in Your Business with Ace"

More people than ever want and need to conserve energy, have healthier water, enjoy safer homes, have more natural gardens and breathe better air. Ace Hardware Corporation is continuing to embrace conservation programs which stimulate their 5000 local stores to build a better local economy, healthier communities and thus a better overall environment. "Conservation Pays!" is the motto of this innovative initiative, starting back in 1994. Just as important as the word "Conservation" -- is the word "Pays!" -- in the Ace Conservation Initiative (ACI). You'll see!

ACI Programs and Services work synergistically to generate more sales of conservation-related products (i.e., products which conserve Natural Resources, Reduce Pollution and Waste) on relatively small marketing budget. The ACI also builds a positive business image for all partners, stimulates publicity, romances consumers and attracts free advertising. Select vendors are being asked to participate. Criteria for selection includes; Efficient and natural products/services/systems, appropriate pricing, reduction in pollution and packaging, responsible manufacturing, good customer service, co-operative promotional programs and other aspects of business which promote conservation. The WATER Foundation, Ace's partner in conservation since 1994, is helping source the products, programs and people for the Ace Conservation Initiative.

"According to the EPA, sales of environmentally oriented products reached 130 billion dollars in 2002 and are growing 10-15% each year. The need for the conservation product marketplace is growing each year too."

-- David Winkelman, President
The WATER Foundation

HOW does Conservation Pay? Through participating in creative cause-related merchandising and marketing programs featured herein, your sales can increase and your marketing budget can decrease without sacrificing your pricing! According to the US EPA, a market of more than a hundred billion dollar per year in sales of conservation related products has been growing at a rate of over 15 percent per year for the past decade! With ever increasing prices for electricity, water, fuel and waste disposal, conservation can pay for every American now more than ever before. We're talking about cause-related sales and marketing programs, stimulating numbers truly in the billions of dollars! National, State, Regional and Community wide programs are available to share the costs of researching, educating, supplying, marketing and installing conservation technologies, systems and products. Partners like Power Companies, Energy Service Companies, Federal Agencies, State Agencies, County Officials, Municipal Governments (and other government agencies), Land Owners, Building Contractors, Sales Organizations, Manufacturers, HVAC Companies, Water Utilities, Landscapers, Architects, Engineers, Scientists, Non Profits and Real Estate Developers too. You too can think of more partners, I'm sure, because everyone needs to eventually get in on conservation, as well as the increasing revenues associated necessary to retrofit America for conservation. Your products can make conservation pay, so why don't you join the ACI?

How MUCH does Conservation Pay? Let's learn that together. We don't have all the answers, but more answers are appearing out of science and good old human ingenuity. One Ace store sold 168,000 light bulbs during a recent campaign, so who knows what is possible? Join us in the mission. Sign up now -- and join us in this important and profitable mission!