Do it Best CIO Ken Widner recognized among Top 10 Retail CIOs for 2026

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — July 28, 2026 — Retail Tech Insights has named Ken Widner, chief information officer of Do it Best Group, one of its Top 10 Retail CIOs for 2026, recognizing his
leadership in advancing the technology, digital capabilities, and data intelligence that support independent home improvement retailers.

Retail Tech Insights is a publication covering the technologies, innovations, and digital strategies transforming the global retail sector. Honorees were selected through subscriber nominations and an evaluation by the publication’s editorial team and advisory board.

The annual recognition highlights technology executives leading innovation, modernization, operational improvement, and business transformation within the retail industry. For Do it Best Group, the recognition reflects the work of Widner and the company’s technology team to develop practical solutions that help member-owners operate more efficiently, serve customers more effectively, and compete in an increasingly technology-driven marketplace.

“Ken understands that technology only creates value when it makes our members’ businesses better,” said Dan Starr, CEO of Do it Best Group. “He and his team are modernizing our capabilities while remaining focused on the real-world needs of independent retailers. Their work is helping us become more connected, more responsive, and better equipped to support our members’ long-term growth.”

Among the company’s emerging retailer-focused capabilities is Retail Pulse, which equips the company’s territory sales managers with actionable data and business insights they can use in partnership with store owners. By bringing greater visibility to store performance, trends, and opportunities, Retail Pulse supports more informed conversations and helps retailers identify practical steps to strengthen their businesses.

Do it Best Group is expanding its use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to help independent retailers improve operations, make better-informed decisions, and drive revenue. Much of that work is being advanced through the Do it Best Technology Center in Dallas, which has played an important role in the integration of Do it Best and True Value and is evolving into a destination for members to explore AI, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and other retail technologies. A new retail innovation lab, expected to open by the end of August, will provide a hands-on environment for demonstrating current capabilities and testing future solutions in a real-world store setting. The company plans to unveil additional innovation initiatives at its Fall Market in September.

These initiatives are part of a larger technology transformation that includes modernizing the company’s digital infrastructure, strengthening its use of enterprise data, expanding internal technology capabilities, and integrating the systems and operations of Do it Best and True Value.

The integration represents one of the most significant technology undertakings in the company’s history. Widner and his team are helping bring together platforms, information, and operational processes across the combined organization while building the foundation for future innovation.

“This recognition belongs to our entire technology organization and to the teams across Do it Best Group that are helping us rethink how technology can serve independent retailers,” Widner said. “Our goal is not to introduce technology for its own sake. It is to give our members better information, more useful tools, and capabilities that help their teams solve problems, improve performance, and deliver an exceptional customer experience.”

Under Widner’s leadership, Do it Best Group has continued to invest in technology talent and specialized capabilities that allow the company to move more quickly from identifying a business need to developing and implementing a meaningful solution. The organization is also placing greater emphasis on data-driven decision making, scalable digital platforms, and purposeful experimentation with emerging technologies.

The Retail Tech Insights profile cited the company’s integration of True Value, digital modernization, investment in technology talent, and use of data to support business decisions as important elements of the transformation underway.

“Independent retailers need access to sophisticated technology, but it must be practical, intuitive, and relevant to the way they run their businesses,” Widner said. “We are building solutions around that principle and using the strength and scale of our organization to make capabilities available that would be difficult for an independent business to develop on its own.”

The Top 10 Retail CIOs recognition reinforces the growing role technology plays in the Do it Best Group mission to help independent home improvement businesses grow profitably, operate confidently, and compete on their own terms.

About the Do it Best Group

Headquartered in Fort Wayne, IN, the Do it Best Group is the world’s largest hardware, lumber, and building materials buying cooperative in the home improvement industry. With nearly $6 billion in annual sales, we support thousands of independently owned locations across the United States and in more than 60 countries worldwide. Partners in the company have the flexibility to operate under the Do it Best, True Value, or their own local store identities, offering a diverse range of branding options to best serve their communities. For more information, visit doitbestonline.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

For more information:

Jaclyn Goldsborough, Ferguson Advertising
574.596.0818
jaclyn@fai2.com