John Venhuizen, president and CEO of Ace Hardware, recently announced the company will be hiring 40,000 new employees this spring.

Venhuizen said that it is fortunate that the company is in the position hire so many new employees, and it is a high-class problem to have.

“Fortuitous to be in a position of hiring and a lot of it,” Venhuizen said.

According to an interview with CNBC, Venhuizen said the need to hire is driven by three things: One, new stores opening. Ace Hardware opened 183 new stores in the U.S. last year and expects the same growth this year. Two, overall growth. Ace has grown by 42% in two years. Lastly, the season. Spring is the “peak” season for Ace Hardware.

Ace added 182 new domestic stores in fiscal 2021 and canceled 78 stores. This brought the company’s total domestic store count to 4,751 at the end of fiscal 2021, an increase of 104 stores from the end of fiscal 2020. On a worldwide basis, Ace added 206 stores in fiscal 2021 and canceled 86, bringing the worldwide store count to 5,583 at the end of fiscal 2021.

The growth is in part driven by the pandemic and people working on their homes, but Venhuizen said the growth is sustainable. 

“Whether the economy is good or bad or the stock market is up or down, there is a need to preserve one’s largest asset,” Venhuizen said. 

However, Ace is beginning to feel the pushback from consumers as inflation rises. Venhuizen further said the company is blessed to be in the business where it can serve other people. Ace Hardware plans to hire an extra force of 40,000 employees to support the communities across America. The company is offering part-time, full-time and seasonal positions at both its retail support centers and stores across the U.S.