Page 70 - Enlightenment Magazine - July 2013

Retail Spotlight

upbeat atitude. Change has to be accepted, There are no ivory towers at Atlantic Electrical
whether it is good or bad, Alfred states. Supply. Dave and I are very hands on, Steve
What would their fathers think? My dad would states. We can still do everything at the store but
be proud that I stayed in the business for 58 years, drive the forklif, he quips, adding, We both work
Alvin says. The industry was diferent back then, roughly 60 hours a week.
where it was more of a people business. You could Although the store has been serving the Rich-
call up the president of a lighting manufacturer and mond community since 1929, Steve and David are
hed know you by name as well, he recalls. We not content to sit on their laurels and count on
even had friendly relationships with competitors repeat business. With the Internet, there is more
[in the old days]. Theyd come to me to do their competition out there than ever.
homes and wed do things together. I enjoy coming Even though we have the largest showroom in
to work every day, Alvin adds. the metro area, as a [relatively] small independent,
I think my dad would be proud that I atained we don t have the buying power of larger organiza-
the amount of experience that I have, says Alfred. tions. Weve had to learn to buy smarter and look at
Hed be proud of the friendships Ive had with cus- diferent sources in order to remain competitive,
tomers and the amount of business Ive brought in. Steve explains. We have an e-commerce Web site
One of the original cash Both Lehmans have high praise for the way Steve and we consider it to be like another salesperson
registers (which still and David lead the company. We pride ourselves and it still requires you to communicate with the
works) is on display. on our ethics, integrity, and honesty, says Alfred, customer.
adding, Steve and David have been very open to The operation is comprised of 25,000 square
the changes and suggestions Ive made. feet and encompasses several foors of warehouse
space, which comes in handy when selling from a
rising to the Challenge Web site. Not only do we have the most knowl-
Change One of the biggest changes that David and Steve edgeable staf in the area, but we also have the
largest back up of inventory, Steve states.
made was to computerize the business. When
has to be I arrived in the 1990s, they were still handwriting The cousins also keep Atlantic Electrical Sup-
accepted, orders, Steve says. I decided that we needed ply involved in many community activities. One
of the most recent endeavors was initiating a co-
computers. We found an industry-specifc program
whether it (for electrical supply houses), but afer a week, we sponsorship with the Central Virginia Electrical
Contractors Association to raise funds for appren-
sent it back. Since Steves public relations busi-
is good or ness and its media directory were computerized, ticeships through the Richmond Electric bowling
league. We have 12 teams and have goten other
he knew that programs could be customized to ft
bad. more exactly to what was needed. Therefore, on electrical supply houses and manufacturers reps
nights and weekends, Steve began working on cus- involved. Weve donated $4,800 to the apprentice-
Alfred Lehman
tomizing a computer program that would beneft ship fund so far, Steve says.
the company best. I spent close to 1,000 hours of Atlantic Electrical Supplys commitment to serv-
my own time on it, he recalls. ing the community in a variety of ways plus its
The hard work paid of though, as the program playful promotions such as holding a funeral for
was able to capture transactions eligible for GE the A19 bulb when the new EISA legislation was en-
rebates. It repaid for itself within nine months by acted and superior customer service has created
creating and sending reports. Before that, we had generations of loyal customers.
done everything manually. The computer program The legacy just may continue into a fourth gen-
[calculated] additional revenue that we wouldn t eration. While Davids children are too young to
have goten previously, he explains. think about a career in lighting, Steves sons have
Adding computers wasn t a hit with the older already worked in the business afer school like
generation (in addition to Alfred and Alvin, who are their father did.
in their 80s, the purchasing manager for the supply The future looks rather bright (pun intended).
side is 94-year-old Wilbur Ellis). I have a computer Were turning the corner; were seeing the econ-
on my desk, but thats because I have to, Alvin omy improving, especially in the light commercial
chuckles. His ofce is also the central location for side. Adds David, Things are defnitely moving
all of the manufacturer catalogs, which is a medium along now and everyone [16 full-time employees]
he is familiar with and prefers. here is busy.

68 enLIGHTenment Magazine | July 2013 www.enlightenmentmag.com