Rallying the troops during the Ace Fall Convention and Exhibits, chairman Dave Ziegler showed the early morning general session audience a video clip of Ace COO John Venhuizen wielding a Home Channel News magazine.

In the magazine was a quote from a Home Depot executive about leading the industry in convenience and service. Venhuizen responded by channeling defiant former NRA spokesman Charlton Heston: Ace will relinquish the title of most convenient “when they can peel it out of our cold dead hands.”

It’s been a tumultuous summer so far for ProBuild, the nation’s largest pro dealer, as it tries to keep its head above a churning housing market that has already pulled apart or capsized many of its competitors. Being a privately held company, ProBuild has done its best to quietly close or sell off yards, downsize staff and add — or subtract — staffing under the radar.