PRO Group

What PRO Group does

PRO Group, Inc., founded in 1953 and headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, operates the HDA (Hardlines Distributors Association) network, branded as HDAworks. It functions as a B2B trade association and merchandising/marketing firm connecting more than 400 independent hardlines distributors with over 50 vendor partners, collectively serving thousands of independent retailers across all 50 U.S. states. The platform's stated combined member spending power exceeds $7 billion, and it organizes two major annual industry conferences with guaranteed one-on-one business meetings between suppliers and distributors.

The company's core offering is not a single product but a coordinated national distribution and marketing network organized around 16 hardlines industry verticals, including Automotive, Building Materials, Electrical, Plumbing, Power Tools, Hardware, and Housewares. It provides vendor partners with collective advertising, merchandising, and marketing resources that individual distributors could not achieve independently. A member portal (portal.hdaworks.com) supports member access, while the public website (hdaworks.com) serves as the primary marketing channel. The technology stack is conventional web infrastructure (Squarespace-hosted site), with no disclosed proprietary platform, AI capabilities, or software products.

PRO Group generates revenue through recurring membership and network participation fees paid by distributor members and vendor partners, supplemented by event-related revenue from the two annual conferences. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated individually rather than publicly disclosed. The company is privately held with 11-50 employees, has no parent company, and shows no recent funding rounds, acquisitions, or leadership changes in the available data. Steve Synnott is identified as Chief Executive Officer.

Name

PRO Group

Legal name

HDAworks

Website

https://pro-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PRO Group operates HDAworks, a national trade association connecting 400+ independent hardlines distributors with 50+ vendor partners to serve thousands of independent retailers across all 50 U.S. states through membership dues and annual conferences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Network Membership and Services: PRO Group (HDA) generates revenue through membership/network participation fees from its distributor members and vendor partners, providing access to the national network, advertising, merchandising, and marketing resources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

PRO Group operates HDA (Hardlines Distributors Association), the nation's most comprehensive network of hardlines distributors, connecting 400+ member distributors with 50+ vendor partners to serve thousands of independent retailers across all 50 states. The organization provides network membership, national advertising, merchandising, and marketing resources, and facilitates business relationships through two major annual industry conferences.

Product overview

HDA (Hardlines Distributors Association) operates as a unified distribution network platform rather than a single software product. The organization connects over 400 independent distributors nationwide through a centralized network, enabling supplier partners (50+ vendor partners) to reach independent retailers across 50 states. The network is organized around 16 industry verticals including Automotive, Building Materials, Electrical, Farm/Ag, Lawn/Garden, Outdoor Living, Outdoor Power, Outdoor Rec, Paint Sundries, Pet Supplies, Plumbing, Power Tools, HVAC, Hand Tools, Hardware, and Housewares. The primary value proposition is aggregated spending power exceeding $7 billion, which allows member distributors to offer competitive terms and market reach that individual distributors could not achieve alone. The offering also includes access to industry events for networking and business development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HDA Member DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor400+ independent hardlines distributors across all 50 states that participate in the HDA network. These distributors serve thousands of independent retailers and access national vendor partner programs, advertising resources, and merchandising support through the HDA association.
• HDA Vendor PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor50+ manufacturer brands that partner with HDA to access the national distributor network. Vendor partners benefit from the advertising, merchandising, and marketing resources of an expansive national network working to promote their brands to independent retailers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Orgill: Orgill is the most direct competitor to HDA, operating one of the largest hardlines distributor buying groups in North America. It serves independent hardware, lumber, and building material retailers through a similar membership/network model with comparable category breadth and conference-driven GTM.
• Affiliated Distributors: Affiliated Distributors (AD) is a member-owned distribution network that aggregates independent distributors across multiple trade verticals including industrial, electrical, and plumbing. Its model of pooling member spend and negotiating with manufacturers mirrors HDA's hardlines network structure.
• North American Hardware and Paint Association: NHPA is the leading trade association for independent hardware, home improvement, and paint retailers in North America. As a peer trade group serving overlapping constituents, NHPA competes for mindshare, sponsorship dollars, and event participation in the same independent hardlines ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Do it Best: Do it Best is a U.S. hardware/home improvement retailer cooperative serving thousands of independent member-store owners. It combines retail, distribution, and member services, making it an adjacent but broader incumbent that competes for the same independent retailer relationships HDA distributors serve.
• Ace Hardware: Ace Hardware is one of the largest hardware retailer cooperatives in the U.S. with thousands of independent member stores. Its vertically integrated distribution and cooperative model overlaps significantly with the retailers HDA's distributor network serves.
• True Value Company: True Value is a hardware/home improvement retailer cooperative (now operating under Do it Best ownership) that historically served thousands of independent retailers. Its cooperative distribution and member-service structure is directly analogous to HDA's network model.
• SRS Distribution: SRS Distribution is a large specialty distributor of roofing, building products, and related categories serving independent contractors and retailers. It is comparable to HDA's larger distributor members and represents the type of scaled distributor whose growth shapes the network HDA aggregates.
• Ferguson Enterprises: Ferguson is one of the largest U.S. distributors of plumbing, HVAC, and related supplies, serving a mix of contractors and independent retailers. While publicly traded and far larger than any single HDA member, it competes for the same hardlines shelf space and vendor relationships.

Emerging players

• National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association: NLBMDA is the trade association representing lumber and building material dealers in the U.S. It serves an overlapping but distinct segment of the same independent hardlines channel HDA covers, making it a relevant peer for member services, advocacy, and event sponsorship.

Regional players

• PrimeSource Building Products: PrimeSource is a national distributor of building products (fasteners, tools, rain goods) that supplies independent retailers and lumber dealers. It is comparable to the building-materials-focused HDA member distributors and competes for shelf placement in the same independent hardlines channel.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/progroupinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PRO Group