PERSONNEL:

Tammy Elias of Elias Ace Hardware, 1719 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, recently attended the Ace Hardware Corp. spring convention, held at New Orleans.

Elias was among the more than 18,000 guests at the convention which feature business seminars, displays of the latest in home improvement products and new concepts in merchandising.

While there, she met longtime Ace Hardware spokesman and former National Football League coach John Madden.

Ace Hardware, founded in 1924, has more than 5,100 stores in 50 states and 68 countries. Annual retail sales top $13 billion a year.