Page 36 - NECO News

Earl B Feiden’s first Location on Latham Circle in 1947 is still going strong today! With two more locations in Kingston and Clifton Park.
of brands we’re able to be diverse and take care of a large customer base."
It’s a challenge to compete in today’s marketplace, but one Earl B. Feiden associates meet head on every day.
“We have to get the message out that it’s smarter to buy from a family organization than a big box store because you get service and a relationship with your appliance purchase,” Snyder said. “When you buy from us you get the whole package.”
With more than 70 employees, Earl B. Feiden associates, service technicians, delivery and installation teams are factory trained and accredited. The Feiden family continues to own the business and oversee its daily operation. The founder’s son, also named Earl B. Feiden, carried on the business and is now in his 90s and retired. His son Brad serves as president today and his siblings Mary Feiden Raciti, Micheal Feiden and Mark Feiden are vice presidents. The founder’s great grandson, Bradley, is operations manager.
Now in its 4th generation, and 90th year of business, Earl B. Feiden is one of the oldest appliance stores, not only in the state of New York, but also in the country. Snyder said it was also one of the first appliance stores to join NECO in the early 1980s.
“It’s a great group that figures out what is best for every one of its members from warehousing to pricing to social media,” Snyder said. “They do a great job at making us successful.”
He said being a member of NECO Alliance means Earl B. Feiden can be more competitive on pricing than stores who are not members, and Earl B. Feiden is always a presence at the NECO Show at Foxwoods Resort.
“We enjoy the show quite a bit,” Snyder said. “It’s always nice to put names with faces and network with colleagues and learn how they do things. You can learn to do things better and they can learn from you.”
Quality products, low prices, and knowledgeable, atten- tive customer service remain the cornerstones of its business today, but what does the future hold for Earl B. Feiden?
“We’re expanding every day,” Snyder said. “We’re always looking for new sales and service people. We don’t want to be just that mom and pop store; we always want to grow.”
One secret to continued growth, he said, is learning to communicate with younger generations.
“We have a lot of new millennial customers because we have such an educated customer base,” Snyder said. “We do a lot of social media, and digital marketing.”
NECO Alliance has helped there too.
“We go to classes that NECO provides to educate us on how to talk to millennials,” Snyder said. “They’re becoming the largest buying group out there and we have to understand their needs so we can talk to them. They use their computers and smart phones to research things and then we show them. Our knowledgeable sales staff can communicate with every- one from young millennials to baby boomers and everyone in between.” N
36 NECO News
DECEMBER 2016