Great Bend Appliance, Furniture & SleepSource celebrates 23 years of business “We have a phenomenal staff who understands customer courtesy. They know their product and how to treat a customer the way that they want to be treated,” Great Bend Appliance, Furniture & SleepSource owner Dale E. Pruter said. This philosophy has served the business well as they just celebrated 23 years of business in Great Bend and the surrounding communities. “We started out with just my wife and me, and have expanded to 21 employees as the business has grown,” Pruter said. They recently hired a second Service Technician, Eric Johnson, to keep up with the demand for service and installations. Both Steven Nagel and Johnson are certified technicians trained at Fred’s Service Academy in Madison, Ohio. The store’s franchise agreement with Brand Source is the backbone of its variety and competitive edge. Brand Source collaborates with 4,000 individual business owners across the United States to buy brand-market appliances and furniture. “BrandSource gives the independent owners the visibility of the bigger box stores because we carry the same brands,” Pruter said. “It levels the playing field with the bigger companies. Some people come in and need it all and we can make truly competitive package deals.” Appliance service has also been a big part of their success. Service Tech Steven Nagel was trained to service all Whirlpool, Maytag and Kitchenaid appliances, graduating as valedictorian from Fred’s Appliance Repair Academy in Madison, Ohio. “We are happy and proud to have such a quality young service tech who knows how to treat customers and holds
Dale Pruter
customer service as their number one priority,” Pruter said. In addition to service, they offer delivery, installation and set up as well as in-home design and consulting services for customers. Great Bend Appliance showcases Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid and Amana appliances. The Sleep Source offers beds, mattresses, headboards and sheets. Serta’s gel-infused iComfort bed is a best seller, and they offer Corsicana and the new Tempurpedic family of products, plus a new line of Sealy hybrid mattresses. The England furniture division is a La-Z-Boy company that offers many different furniture products. Additions over the years include: Oreck vacuum cleaners, SunHeat infrared heaters and LG, Samsung, Panasonic and Toshiba flat-panel televisions. “We are always looking for that next niche in the market,” Pruter said. “We try to have something for everyone. That’s how we succeed – by diversifying and listening to customer requests and needs.” The business was honored as Outstanding Business of the Year by the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce in 2005, and was awarded the BrandSource Dealer of the year in 2005. Employees include co-owner Sherry Pruter, Kenny Pruter, Steven Nagel, Rachel Nagel, Eric Rostine, Eric Johnson, Eric Juergensen, Audra Rostine, Chonny Simonson, Teresa Wondra, Shelly Post, Jeni Doan, Pablo Ibarra, Tammy Dreese, Daniel Hammeke, Chris Jeska, Kevin Wondra, Roland Nagel, Kenny Harman, Grant Doan and Sue Johnson.
PAWNEE COUNTY SOURCE • 71
