Described as the industry's "most successful and innovative independent retailers," the Top Gun retailers this year hail from Texas, Oregon, Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts.

Organized by the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) and Hardware Retailing magazine, the 2011 Top Guns are: 

• Tony Brookhouse, representing Koopman Lumber Co. in Massachusetts;

• Cally Coleman Fromme, representing Zarsky Lumber in Texas; 

• Dennis Orem, representing Jerry’s Home Improvement Centers in Oregon; and

• Gina Schaefer, representing seven Ace Hardware stores in the Washington, D.C., area.