Today YSN concludes its three-part salute to all the dads out there in commemoration of Father’s Day.

Indeed, as independent retailers, the foundation of many (if not most) of our group’s member companies were quite literally built by our forefathers.

This Father’s Day weekend, YSN begins a three-part salute to all the Dads out there, working selflessly to impart a lifetime of knowledge and skills to the next generation, so they too can enjoy the rewards of entrepreneurship and continue the family legacy.

Tragedy struck Crane’s L&M Appliance Center last December with the passing of business owner and family patriarch Raymond Crane.

In this last of a three-part series honoring those among us who served, we highlight three of the many honorable people in our extended AVB/BrandSource family who answered the call of duty.

In this second of a three-part series honoring those among us who served, we highlight two of the many honorable people in our extended AVB/BrandSource family who answered the call of duty.

Memorial Day is a time to honor and remember each of the men and women who have served our country faithfully. We salute all those who effectively gave a blank check payable to the rest of us, for an amount up to and including their lives.

If there is ever a 10-car pileup on Highway 55 outside of Litchfield, Ill., it might likely be caused by local drivers doing double-takes of a billboard featuring the once larger-than-life “Big Ed” Wernsing, owner of Wernsing’s Appliance, looking fit and trim alongside his doctor.

One only has to talk to BrandSource member John Horst for a couple of minutes before you realize that even as he turns 80, there lies as much road before him as behind him. Given what the man has accomplished in his first 80 years, you had better buckle up and pack a sandwich if you’re coming along for the ride!

To get a sense of Don’s Appliances’ longevity, Richard Nixon was in the third year of his presidency when the dealer first opened its doors; Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” topped the charts; and Clint Eastwood made everyone’s day cleaning up San Francisco as “Dirty Harry.”

In his keynote address at last week’s Summit, Marcus Sheridan counseled members to be honest and transparent in their dealings with customers. But BrandSource dealer Michael Cox of Pieratt’s took that credo to new heights this week in a TV news report about delivery delays. Speaking on camera with local CBS affiliate WKYT, the Lexington, Ky.-based appliance, furniture, bedding and TV retailer was forthright about industrywide supply snafus and extended delays on special orders.