Bob Vereen joined the National Retail Hardware Association (now the North American Hardware and Paint Association) in 1963. Until 1980 he was editor of the Hardware Retailing magazine and then its co-publisher. From 1984 to 1987 he served as vice-president of the Home Center Institute. He was also closely involved with the Worldwide DIY Council, an export association of US and Canadian manufacturers, until 2011.
He put his extensive knowledge, gained from half a century of experience of the industry, to use in two books published in 2010: "Surviving...in spite of everything: A post-war history of the hardware industry" and, in conjunction with Dennis Stillwell, "Successful Web Retailing".
Even after stepping down from his association work, Bob Vereen continued to be active as a journalist, writing regularly for DIY International (formerly DIY in Europe) as well as other publications. The latest 1/2021 issue of DIY International features a report by him on the development of online retailing as a consequence of the pandemic. Both the publishing house and the editorial staff mourn the passing of their longstanding and highly respected colleague.