It isn’t every day that a successful business has a career path for young employees baked into its long-term strategy. Then again, Valley Central Appliance isn’t just any other business.
“When we started the business, my wife and I talked about figuring out a system where we could hire young people, and they could have a future with us,” recalls Harry Stiller. “When I started out, I was the only young person I knew of who was getting started in this industry.”
Valley Central Appliance, established in 2014, services and maintains appliances produced by most manufacturers. Over the past decade, they’ve also expanded their service area east of Winnipeg to Kenora, ON, west to Brandon, north to Gimli and south to the U.S. border, with a particular focus on Steinbach, Niverville and southeastern Manitoba.
“We don’t sell appliances. We provide service for manufacturers,” Still explains. “So LG, Samsung – you name it. We’re most likely authorized to perform factory service.”
Stiller points out that a lot of manufacturers have realized that while producing name-brand items is all well and good, quality service is nevertheless required to back up what they sell. That’s where Valley Central comes in. From tackling a refrigeration or sealed system problem to repairing a gas appliance or electronic device, they have the expertise to complete the job. They even have in-house staff to perform controlled rebuilds.
If it sounds like Valley Central Appliance has a knowledgeable grip on their place in the industry, it’s because Stiller’s own experience was acquired from the ground up. There’s really nothing in the appliance world he hasn’t seen.
“I was working on some appliances at home and wound up working at a local repair shop. That was back when I was about 14-years-old,” he remembers. “They offered me a summer job while I was in high school, and I went back a second summer. It became a full-time job for me, and I loved it.”
After working in the shop for eight years, Stiller launched Valley Central Appliance with his wife. On the technical side, he was well-prepared. On the business side, not so much.
“It was a struggle initially,” he says. “I knew appliances inside and out, but I didn’t know the business side of it. We initially had a hard time finding clients and getting jobs. But eventually it was so busy that it became hard to stay on top of it all.”
Growth meant Valley Central was able to hire, and they currently employ a staff of 15 people. They’ve also added brick-and-mortar locations within their much-expanded service area. Stiller has also made a point of giving opportunities to young workers with an interest in the industry.
“Most of my technicians are under 30,” he says. “We’ve started them, we’ve trained them in-house and we’ve got them going. They love their jobs and they see a future in it.”
Stiller says that an appliance technician can earn a good wage – comparable to that of an electrician or a plumber. More young people are becoming interested in appliance repair, and with that youth has come additional benefits.
“We’re a completely paperless system,” says Stiller. “We’ve become a lot more efficient. We have scheduling software and have been able to trim costs while giving even better value to the customer.”
The company’s emphasis on creating a positive, growth-oriented working environment has also benefited multiple communities in Manitoba.
“We try to hire local technicians in the communities we serve,” Stiller says. “I feel that’s one way to invest back into communities. Sometimes in smaller communities, there might not be a lot of well-paying jobs. Just to offer that opportunity to young people in those communities is very important, I think.”
The new generation, and continued growth of Valley Central Appliance, has Stiller excited for the future of his business and the industry as a whole.
“My passion is to get young people interested, to train them and provide a job that’s fulfilling and pays well,” he says. “Our big goal was always to build a company that was profitable and also workable for young people who want to make a career here.”
Valley Central Appliance, headquartered at 1329 Niawka Rd E in Winnipeg, MB, can be reached by calling (204) 8089778. Their services can be browsed by visiting their website.