By Alan Wolf
Kelley Appliance of Augusta, Ga., was named the 2019 BrandSource Dealer of the Year for the South Atlantic Region on August 25 at the BrandSource National Convention & Expo at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas. Third-generation principal Zachary Zapata was honored at the buying group’s annual awards ceremony, which was held amid the hoopla of its four-day confab.
The family-owned business has been serving the greater Columbia County community for the past 57 years, beginning with its founding by Zach’s grandfather George Kelley in 1962. In 1980 the company swapped its electronics assortment for major appliances, and following the passing of Zach’s granddad in 2006 and his uncle Rusty in 2015, he and sister Kelley stepped in to run the business, with an assist from their grandmother Joyce Kelley and mom Debbie Zapata.
Since then Kelley Appliance, with showrooms in Augusta and Aiken, S.C., has continued to win accolades for its customer service and appliance expertise, including First Place for Best Appliance Store by Augusta’s Best of Home and Columbia County’s 100 Best, and Dealer of the Year honors from BrandSource. Membership in BrandSource helped the company double its business, Zach has said.
The BrandSource Dealer of the Year awards are presented annually to members who have shown continued support of BrandSource and its direct suppliers. A Dealer of the Year must support the group by attending regional meetings as well as national events such as the Convention and Summit.
This year’s 14 winners, which were selected by each region’s membership, demonstrated a continued commitment to excellence in the retail industry and to their fellow BrandSource dealers.
Congratulations all!
YSN is published by BrandSource parent company AVB Inc.
