OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwire - May 17, 2012) - Today, Ace Hardware and The Weather Channel announce the grand prize winner of "Forecast Fix Up," an initiative that pairs Ace Hardware's home maintenance expertise with The Weather Channel's trusted local weather knowledge to help homeowners across the country turn their to-do list into a to-done list. Throughout the month of April, consumers were invited to submit a brief 100-word description of their home maintenance to-do list along with a home photo through The Weather Channel's Facebook page or at www.weather.com/fixup for the opportunity to receive a $15,000 home maintenance makeover.
After reviewing more than 4,000 online submissions, Ace Hardware and The Weather Channel selected the Cassara family of Fullerton, CA, to receive the makeover, which is taking place this week. Several years ago, the Cassara's moved into a new home to accommodate their four grandchildren after rescuing them from an unhealthy environment. Through this makeover, Ace, which prides itself on being helpful inside and outside of its store walls, will help the family turn their house into a home. Led by Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware's Home Expert, the family's home maintenance makeover will include updates to both outdoor and indoor living spaces such as new organizational storage systems, patio furniture and décor, as well as a new coat of paint inside and out, courtesy of Clark+Kensington™ -- Ace's new premium line of paint+primer in one. The makeover will air in an extended programming block on The Weather Channel on May 25 and 26.
"We couldn't be happier to provide this makeover to the Cassara family," said Manfredini. "Homeowners frequently put off small home maintenance projects that can make a huge impact on the quality of their home. Our alliance with The Weather Channel not only offers us the opportunity to help a single family realize their home's potential, but also allows us to provide homeowners across the country with the knowledge and advice they need to take on any home maintenance project with confidence."
With 4,600 locally-owned and independently operated stores, a large selection of nationally recognized brands and award-winning customer service, Ace understands the needs of its local communities and helps homeowners quickly and easily take care of their homes, no matter the weather condition. Whether homeowners need to care for their lawn and garden, install new organizational storage systems, or apply a new coat of paint, "Forecast Fix Up" is designed to help homeowners update their homes properly and tackle the projects they've ignored for too long so that they can get back to enjoying their weekends.
"Completing any home maintenance project begins with the tools and guidance to handle it with confidence," said Ann Brown, senior vice president, client solutions for The Weather Channel Companies. "Aligning our localized weather forecasts with Ace's home maintenance expertise ensures homeowners complete their home maintenance projects successfully and quickly."
Through September, The Weather Channel will feature segments with Manfredini on popular home maintenance projects, such as interior painting, outdoor lawn care, energy efficiency, spring outdoor living, grill maintenance and moving into a new home. Ace takes pride in offering its customers some of the most respected brand names and best-selling items in the industry and will provide all of the materials for the makeover. For more details and information on "Forecast Fix Up" -- visit www.weather.com/fixup.
About Ace Hardware
For more than 85 years, Ace Hardware has been known as the helpful hardware store in thousands of communities across America. Customers depend on Ace to help them take care of their homes quickly and easily so they can get on with their lives. In 2012, Ace ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores, Six Years in a Row," according to J.D. Power and Associates. With over 4,600 hardware stores locally owned and operated across the globe, Ace is the largest hardware cooperative in the industry. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries currently operate 14 distribution centers in the U.S. and they also have distribution capabilities in Shanghai, China; Panama City, Panama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states and approximately 60 countries. For more information on Ace, visit www.acehardware.com.
About The Weather Channel® Companies
The Weather Channel companies (TWCC) are made up of The Weather Channel® television network, the Weather Channel digital properties, and WSI. The Weather Channel is based in Atlanta and is seen in more than 100 million U.S. households. TWCC also operates Weatherscan®, a 24-hour all-local weather network; The Weather Channel Radio Network; and The Weather Channel HD. The most popular source of weather news and information, TWCC properties reach 60 million monthly web consumers (weather.com and Desktop) and 32 million monthly mobile users (mobile Web and applications) and offers the second most popular mobile app on all smartphones. WSI, headquartered in Andover, MA, primarily provides business-to-business weather services, particularly for the media, aviation, marine and energy sectors. TWCC is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. For more information, visit www.weather.com/press.