Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM MARCH 2020 54 A S S O C I A T I O N N E W S T he July 2019 issue of The Retail Observer featured an article about SkillsUSA's Major Appliance and Refrigeration Technology (MART) program, authored by Greg Doster, National Chairman of SkillsUSA MART. The article was of particular interest to Debbie Schaeffer, owner of Mrs. G's Appliance Center in Lawrence NJ. Debbie has a long- standing passion for the appliance industry – she's the third- generation owner of Mrs. G's which was started by her grandmother over 80 years ago. Debbie has been involved in giving back to her community and our industry in as many ways as she can. Debbie shares the same challenges in her business as other readers of the article, which asked: "Where will I find my next qualified appliance technician?" She got in touch with David Nash, an administrator at Mercer County Community College, and asked if they had a MART program. As is all too common, the answer was, "No." Not to be deterred, Debbie asked, "Why not?" David replied, "We aren't aware of any MART programs, or how to start one." Debbie then gave David The Retail Observer article on the SkillsUSA MART program, whereupon he agreed that there was a definite need for such a program in their community to serve the area's many appliance industry businesses. Debbie and David have now set the wheels turning to get a MART program started. Not long after the conversation, Debbie's dealership hosted a Vendor Day at her store. Most of the brands she sells sent manufacturer's representatives. But Debbie wanted to go outside the box and promote a program that hadn't even been formed yet – the local SkillsUSA MART program. She emailed Greg Doster, National Chairman of SkillsUSA MART, and revealed that she would set up a SkillsUSA booth at the Vendor Day to raise awareness of SkillsUSA and accept donations for the MART program. The booth was manned by David Nash who spoke to many attendees about the 105 SkillsUSA programs, MART being just one of them. Through Debbie and David's passion, energy and commitment, they collected donations totaling $1,025.00 which she planned to donate to the national SkillsUSA MART program. Debbie emailed Greg Doster and asked how she could get the donation into his hands. Mark Pollitz, SkillsUSA MART national co-chairman, happened to be in NJ when Debbie called, and he arranged to visit her at Mrs. G's. Mark was impressed by the energy and exuberance that Debbie and her staff have for their business and the industry, the community, and for education. During Mark's visit, Debbie presented him with a check for the donations, which will be invested in the SkillsUSA MART Custodial Fund and distributed as a travel scholarship to MART contestants who apply and show a need for travel assistance. The SkillsUSA MART program was created to start new MART programs and support existing programs in as many markets and schools as possible throughout the U.S., with a goal of training skilled appliance technicians to meet the needs of a growing industry for qualified professional technicians. The SkillsUSA MART National Technical Committee members are: Asurion Service Network, BEKO Appliances, BB Appliance Service, BSH Appliances, Commercial Food Equipment Svc. Assn., Electrolux Major Appliances, Fisher & Paykel Appliances, General Electric Appliances, Marcone Appliance Parts, Michaelson's Appliance Repair, Mr. Appliance, Professional Servicers Assn., Reliable Parts, Samsung Appliances, ServicersWeb, Sub-Zero/Wolf Appliances, United Servicers Assn., Whirlpool Corporation The SkillsUSA MART National Technical Committee thanks Mrs. G's appliances and Retail Observer for their efforts and support. If you would like to become involved in or support the SkillsUSA MART program, there are several ways you can do so: 1. Give the SkillsUSA MART Chairman and Co-Chairman contact information for a technical school or high school in your area that would be open to discussing a MART program in their school. 2. Give a monetary donation made payable to SkillsUSA (memo: MART program). 3. Donate new or used products and/or equipment to a local school's MART program. 4. Volunteer as a contest judge or Advisory Committee member to a local school with a MART program. Visit www.skillsusa.org/about/why-career-technical-education. for more information on SkillsUSA. Contacts for the MART program: martskillsusa@gmail.com, Greg Doster, National Chairman, and Mark Pollitz, National Co-Chairman. THE RETAIL OBSERVER ARTICLE HAS FAR-REACHING IMPACT RO

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