Outdoor 1-8 - Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce

6Williamsport Sun-Gazette, June 2013
SMALL BUSINESS
Friedman Electric meets all customer needs
By MIKE REUTHER
mreuther@sungazette.com
Friedman Electric services customers ranging
from the homeowner to those in the electronics,
maintenance and natural gas industries.
“We service a pretty broad-based market,” said
Eric Hoover, manager of the store at 325 Penn St.,
Williamsport.
Since opening the store in October 2011, business
has been good, he said.
All told, the 8,000 square foot building, which
includes a showroom and spacious warehouse, offers
a wide assortment of items.
Hoover noted that store employees are trained to
serve the customer.
“They understand customer needs,” he said.
On any given day the store receives its share of
MIKE REUTHER/Sun-Gazette
Eric Hoover, manager of Friedman Electric, 325
Penn St., stands in the warehouse of the business.
The warehouse stocks a plethora of items.
However, items not found at the Williamsport
site can be delivered from the storeʼs New
Jersey distribution site.
foot traffic.
Hoover attributes
that to the store’s location
and its easy accessibility
at the corner of
Penn and East Third
Streets in the city’s
East End.
The business is
growing and plans are
in the works to add
another employee.
Besides Hoover, the
employee base consists
of a warehouse manager,
two inside sales
people, an outside sales
person.
Before the store
even opened two years
ago, Friedman had a
presence in the local
area, according to
Hoover.
“We’ve had an outside
salesman here for
the last seven years,”
he said.
The store does not
include a service
department.
“It’s a great company,” he said. “We have great
people, and that’s what makes it easy to do business
with us.”
Hoover said the store does its best to serve all
MIKE REUTHER/Sun-Gazette
The staff of Friedman Electric, from left: Eric Hoover, manager, and Dean
Minium and Brent Walz.
customer needs, and a distribution center in Monroe,
N.J. makes it convenient to obtain items that are not
readily on hand.
“We don’t run out of stuff often,” he said. “Even
if we do, it’s next day delivery from New Jersey.”
Hoover said store personnel strive to meet all customer
needs.
The Williamsport business is among more than a
dozen Friedman stores.
“I’ve been in the business since 1989,” Hoover
said. “It’s fun. You get to meet a lot of people. You
learn something every day.”
Recently, the store launched a commercial lighting
department.
Hoover noted that there has been a greater
demand for LED lighting, and that has led the company
to becoming “more green.”
Store hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
HOURS:
Monday - Saturday
10:00 am to Close
Sunday
Noon to Close
1225 River Ave. Williamsport • faxonbowling.com 323-0273