By Allyssa Baird, YSN
New BrandSource member Terry Rulong is a jack of many trades.
A 25-year veteran of the appliance business and self-employed for the last 20, his skills range from home remodeling to appliance and commercial equipment repair. Along the way he also installed remote-control cameras in sewer lines for the city of Houston, and earned his NACE certification as an inspector of coatings on pipelines and other structures.
More recently, Rulong began installing home appliances for the local Sears Hometown Store in Gunnison, Colo., in March of last year. As the only appliance dealer in this town of 7,000, the business was unable to keep up with demand, and the bevy of disappointed customers sparked his next career move.
On Sept. 16, right in the middle of the pandemic, Rulong opened BR Appliances, selling new, scratch-and-dent, and pre-owned products and, along with two other service techs, providing his own in-house repairs. It wasn’t long before his new business took off.
“People found out I opened and started coming to me,” he noted, which also inspired him to earn formal certification as a servicer.
Rulong initially sourced his inventory from Appliance Factory, a 24-store box chain in Colorado. But it was there that a sales staffer suggested he look into BrandSource — a recommendation that was also echoed by GE Appliances.
Now, Rulong has a new AVB website in the works, will begin selling extended warranties through BrandSource partner Allstate/SquareTrade, and has expanded his product horizons.
“If customers want something that I don’t have, I find it and go get it for them,” he said. “I am looking forwarding to using every resource and benefit I can from BrandSource.”
Rulong’s bet on BR Appliance and BrandSource is already paying off: The Sears Hometown owner is looking to close his business and sell the building to his former installer. The deal could close as early as this March, making BR on the only place in town to buy appliances.
Sounds like Terry has found his true calling.
BrandSource, a unit of YSN publisher AVB Inc., is a nationwide buying group for independent appliance, home furnishings and CE dealers.
