Plans more time for family… and golf!
By Andy Kriege, YSN
BrandSource’s Northeast affiliate, The New England Appliance Group (NEAG), has announced the retirement of its longtime president Steve Moran.
A notice sent to NEAG members said in part:
“It is with heartfelt congratulations that we announce the retirement of Steve Moran from our Board of Directors effective at the end of January. Our time spent with Steve has been invaluable and we all cherish these moments with him. Wishing him many sunny winters in Florida, extra rounds of gol, and some well-deserved rest!”
Moran started in the retail appliance business nearly half a century ago as the second-generation owner of Dracut Appliance Center in Dracut, Mass. Today his two adult sons, Peter and Craig, continue in the Moran tradition as owners of the family business.
Moran served as president of NEAG since the summer of 2000 and during his tenure has guided the group through remarkable growth and many transitions. A few of NEAG’s more noteworthy accomplishments under Moran’s leadership included two major warehouse expansions; alignment with the Nationwide of Connecticut chapter of their umbrella organization, the NECO Alliance; and NEAG’s breakaway from the Nationwide Marketing Group and subsequent alignment with AVB BrandSource.
Moran said he is very proud of how far the group has come and its ability to adapt to the rapidly changing environment. “We have had so many amazing accomplishments over the last 22 years,” he said. “We have always strived to do what is best for our members.”
Moran’s tenure is also marked by the group’s incredible growth and the expansion of its reach and influence, with scores of new members joining NEAG over the past two decades and sales volume exploding from $121 million to an astonishing $600 million.
Rob Balzano, NEAG’s executive director of merchandising, offered high praise for his friend and colleague, without whom many of the group’s major transitions would not have transpired. “Steve is one of the most respected people in our industry and has always been such a level-headed straight shooter,” Balazno said. “He was instrumental in changing the direction of both our group and the NECO Alliance. He had such great relationships with all the parties involved. He laid out the roadmap to get us to where we are today. None of our success happens without Steve’s steady leadership. He left his mark and will be missed tremendously.”
The feeling, apparently, is mutual, as Moran shared in a letter to NEAG members:
“It has been a tremendous pleasure and an honor to be your board member and president for over a third of my life. Working alongside of this management team through our incredible growth while working through many challenges and achieving such great success has been a wonderful experience. However, the time has come for me to finally be able to hang with my wife of 46 years, spend time with my three sons, and watch my five grandchildren grow up. Lastly, I can now finally play my favorite game of golf when I want to play it.”
Longtime NEAG board director Arthur Redding, owner of Hudson Appliance in Hudson, Mass., was elected to succeed Moran as president effective Feb. 1.
YSN publisher AVB BrandSource is the nation’s largest merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, mattress, furniture and CE dealers.
