Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM MAY 2018 60 B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S RO W hen BrandSource selects the winner of its annual Trail- blazer Award, it is recognizing the importance of female leadership among independent appliance dealers. This year's winner, JoAnne Keen of Frank's Appliance Center and SleepSource in Bradley, Illinois, has carried on a family tradition of female business ownership and strong advocacy for new generations of women. When her name was called during BrandSource's Spring Summit in Nashville, Keen was caught off guard. "I was totally surprised," she said moments after receiving her award. "It's unbelievable. I didn't even think about it as a possibility. I don't look at myself that way. I go to work, I do my job. That's what I'm supposed to do." Of course, when studies show that women do the lion's share of purchasing for their families, including of appliances, furniture, and mattresses, it makes sense to recognize the leadership qualities unique to females among the BrandSource family. Frank's was founded in 1961 by Keen's parents, Frank and Adella Petkunas. Known as Frank's Maytag then, it was a successful small business that ran on family power: Frank ran the service department, Adella handled sales and the couple's six children grew up in and around the shop. Then when Keen was 16, her father died. Though times were different then and a woman at the helm of an appliance dealership might not have been widely approved of, Adella Petkunas made it work. "She was amazing," Keen said. "She picked up after her husband died, raised six kids, ran a business – behind the scenes, even. I don't think the community knew she was running the business. It's called Frank's, there must be a Frank." It was a man's world then, Keen said, and Adella knew how to operate within it. With her elder daughter, the late Sue Martin, at her side, Adella continued to build the business. Keen and her husband Mark bought the business in 2000 and continued to build, adding mattresses to the inventory in 2006. Frank's Appliance Center and SleepSource had been a member of Brand- Source since 1995, and women were few and far between when Keen got involved in the organization. "When I first started coming to these, there were way more men than were women," said Keen, who serves as the first female president of BrandSource's Greater Midwest Region board. "There were times when I was the only female in that big room. Now there are a lot of women in that room." The Trailblazer Award is one way to make sure the next generation of women in the appliance industry – which includes Keen's daughter, Stephanie, who also works at Frank's – know there is a place for them, as well, Keen said. "Because it's not ever been thought of as a woman's job or a woman's field of expertise," she said. "It just kind of reaffirms that, yeah, you're doing the right thing, you're in the right place." (Not to mention giving those young women something to aspire to. ) "I think the other thing the award does for those younger women who are sitting out there, they're like 'Wow, if she can do it I could probably do that,'" Keen said. When Keen returned to her hometown and got involved in the family business, she found her true calling. "I was really into it," Keen said. "I would tell people that appliances were my passion." Frank's has always put a premium on customer service, and that philosophy became Keen's guiding principle. "I just loved not knowing from one minute to next what I would be doing," she said. "Customers could call or walk in the door and totally change what you're doing that day. The relationships, helping people – I just really love doing it." Keen said that although she didn't set out to become BrandSource's newest Trailblazer, she hopes the award encourages other women to be leaders in their careers. "We just really need to get women to feel confident that their voice is important," she said. "Their thoughts are important. Their ideas are important." BRANDSOURCE RECOGNIZES LEADERS ENCOURAGES NEXT GENERATION OF WOMEN BrandSource selects the winner of its annual Trailblazer Award

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