Dean Voelker, the go-to man at Klein’s BrandSource, has been sharing his expertise and a smile for 30 years and counting.
Dean Voelker receives YSN’s inaugural HighFive employee excellence award
By Andy Kriege, YSN
Dean Voelker of Klein’s BrandSource was named a 2022 Exceptional Employee-High Five Award winner by AVB BrandSource and YSN.
Voelker, a 30-year veteran of the Fairview Heights, Ill.-based business, was one of only five industry employees selected from across the U.S. and Canada to be honored with an inaugural HighFive award. Winners were chosen from nominations submitted across the home goods industry, including retailers, manufacturers and suppliers.
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Recipients were selected for their exceptional ability to go above and beyond the call of duty. These are the staffers who do the heavy lifting behind the scenes, with little or no fanfare and deserve a collective “high five” from their peers.
Voelker, a sales associate, was nominated by Klein’s co-owner Clay Iler, who praised him as the ultimate team player. “Whenever there is anything that needs to be done around here, we can always count on Dean,” Iler said. “Dean has been so incredibly loyal to this business for so long. Finding anyone this dedicated to a business is so rare these days, let alone for 30 years.”
Voelker’s career with Klein’s began with a visit to the store with his dad, in search of a washing machine part. While there, they inquired about any potential job opportunities for the younger Voelker, who had a couple of years of electronics sales under his belt. He was told to come back later that day for an interview, at which he was offered a job and never left.
Voelker is known by all for his encyclopedic knowledge of all things appliance related. “If anyone has a question about just about anything they can’t figure out, they always go to Dean for the answer,” Iler said.
It is for devoted employees like Dean Voelker that the YSN High Five Awards program was created. So, a well-earned congratulations to you Dean, as we raise our collective arms in a high-five salute!
BrandSource, a unit of YSN publisher AVB Inc., is a nationwide buying group for independent appliance, mattress, furniture, and CE dealers.