Hajoca’s Rick Fantham to receive Fred V. Keenan Lifetime Achievement Award

In recent years, some of the PHCP-PVF industry’s most respected leaders have received the prestigious Fred V. Keenan Lifetime Achievement Award — the American Supply Association’s highest honor.

That distinguished group includes Joe Poehling of First Supply, Joe Maiale and Rob Grim of InSinkErator, Jeff New of Mid-City Supply, Gary Jones of Hajoca, Don Maloney of Coburn Supply, Brian Tuohey of The Collins Companies, Jim Lewis of Kohler, and 2025 recipients Tim Milford Sr. of Milford Supply and Steve Cook of Northeastern Supply.

The list now grows with the addition of Hajoca CEO and former ASA President Rick Fantham, recipient of the 2026 Fred V. Keenan Lifetime Achievement Award. The ASA Executive Committee unanimously accepted the Keenan Award nominating committee’s recommendation.

Fantham will be honored at the ASA Annual Meeting and Member Luncheon this month during NETWORK2026 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The award has added meaning for Fantham because Hajoca acquired Fred V. Keenan’s Keenan Supply and its 32 locations in 1983.

“Fred made us a national player,” Fantham said. “This award means something special because of what ASA represents and my personal connection to Fred. Hajoca continues to build on the Keenan Supply legacy, with many locations still operating under his name today.”

Fantham noted Keenan continued attending Hajoca’s Forecast Reviews and adding value until 2010, when he was 96.

“Fred and I formed a special connection” Fantham said. “He had a remarkable passion for the business, its people and the industry.”

Fantham also recalled Keenan’s 100th birthday celebration in Palm Springs, California, attended by industry leaders including Earl Zarbock, John McDonald and Frank Finkel, along with their wives.

“To honor Fred, we donated $1,000 for every candle on his cake — $100,000 to his favorite charity, the ASA Education Foundation,” Fantham said. “My personal history with Fred and Keenan Supply adds a unique dimension to receiving this award.”

A rewarding journey

A CPA by training, Fantham first experienced leadership during the summer before his senior year of high school near Ottawa, Canada, when he was unexpectedly placed in a temporary general manager role at a local auto parts store.

“I even had hiring and firing responsibility,” he recalled. “I wanted to be a general manager before I really understood what it meant.”

After four years at global accounting giant KPMG, Fantham joined automotive supplier Magna International, where he moved from accounting and finance into sales and marketing.

His Hajoca journey began in 1988 when he joined Hajoca-owned Emco in Canada. Over the next 37 years, he has held dual CEO responsibilities for Hajoca and Emco while helping both businesses achieve sustained growth.

“I fell in love with wholesale distribution,” he said. “It is fast-moving and incredibly people eintensive. I have loved every day, every experience and every connection. Thirty-seven years later, I still love what I do.”

Two sources of fulfillment stand out for Fantham: helping people achieve their goals and building powerful vendor partnerships that create profitable growth and shared success.

Fantham is especially proud of Hajoca’s Management Development Program, which now includes more than 200 trainees across North America. But its meaning extends well beyond its size.

“It is about empowering talented people and providing them with the opportunity to live into their dreams,” he said. “When you combine drive, self-determination and ownership, magical things happen.”

Fantham describes himself as a steward of Hajoca’s decentralized, freedom-based business model — placing authority, responsibility and accountability with the folks on the front line.

“Our role is to create an environment where people can become the best they can be,” he said. “We provide opportunity and support, but our people supply everything else in an ‘It’s up to you’ environment.”

Fantham also points to Hajoca’s vendor partnerships as one of the most rewarding aspects of his career.

“We have worked hard to build genuine, win-win partnerships that create enduring profitable growth for Hajoca, our vendors and our customers,” he said. “The best partnerships are built on trust, shared opportunity, stretch and a commitment to changing our world together.”

The power of ASA

Fantham is candid about what ASA has meant to him, professionally and personally.

Hajoca went from deciding to resign from ASA during the 2009-2010 economic downturn to, as Fantham described it, “jumping into the deep end of the ASA pool”— all in a 120-day period. He later served as ASA president in 2015.

“Being Canadian and leading a United States-based business, I initially felt like a junior partner,” he said. “I was thrilled by how people welcomed me into ASA. It was meaningful for Hajoca and for me personally.”

Fantham has especially high praise for ASA CEO Mike Adelizzi.

“I have Mike Adelizzi on a pedestal,” he said. “Working with him has been a highlight of my ASA experience. Through ASA, I have worked with outstanding manufacturers and built relationships with many other distributors.”

Fantham said ASA reflects the values that make the PHCP-PVF industry special.

“I love this industry,” he said. “The plumbing and heating business reflects get-up-early, blue-collar, work hard values. It is real life, in the moment, and ASA has been a crucible for bringing it all together. My association with ASA has been so rewarding.”

Building something enduring

Under Fantham’s leadership, Hajoca has achieved compound annual growth of 10% since 2007. Today, the combined Hajoca, Emco, Noble and Denali organization includes more than 900 locations and 10,000 teammates across North America.

“Our aspiration is to build a better, bigger and enduring business,” he said. “Better comes first. We continually improve our businesses, strengthen our people and deepen our partnerships. From that foundation, we can become bigger in a healthy way — and build something that endures for generations.

“It has been a privilege to be the head cheerleader of our North American team for more than 20 years. Our success belongs to the thousands of people who serve customers, develop others and build our businesses every day. I have had the honor of supporting them and helping create an environment where they can succeed.”

Looking ahead

Famous for being a road warrior, Fantham has traveled 40 weeks a year since 2006. He has no plans to fully retire, although he will reduce his travel to less than 20 weeks next year (and watch his status with Air Canada fall by the wayside) and stop attending local Hajoca Forecast Reviews.

“Tina wouldn’t want me to retire-retire,” he said with a laugh.

“I continue to love the business, our people and the opportunities in front of us. I want to keep investing in our people, leaders and partners to support Hajoca in our quest for bigger, better and enduring for generations to come.”

Fantham intends to remain active as a steward of the company’s culture, business model, and long-term growth.

On a personal note, Rick and Tina, his wife of 45 years, are the proud parents of two sons and a daughter. Ryan joined Hajoca in business development in 2024, Steve is a forensic accountant at KPMG and Mallory is in corporate marketing at BMO. They have five active grandchildren. (Carter, Lila, Parker, Andi and Quinn).

“It is a whole new dimension for Tina and me,” Fantham said of being a grandparent. “It is energizing, rewarding and tiring.”

Other past recipients of the Fred V. Keenan Lifetime Achievement Award include Keenan, for whom the award was named, Karl Neupert, Ed Felten, John McDonald, Frank Finkel, Nick Giuffre, Morris Beschloss, Joel Becker and Dottie Ramsey.

By Mike Miazga
Vice President, Sales-Operations
mmiazga@asa.net