Dave Hansson Goes Above and Beyond
A lot of branches talk about going above and beyond for their customers. They stay later, they work harder, and at the end of the day, they have one happy customer.
For CES Lawrenceville and their driver Dave Hansson, they took “above and beyond” literally.
“Not many people can say they installed a generator eight feet off the ground, but not many people are like Dave Hansson,” said Bill Scannon, Branch Manager for CES Lawrenceville.
Back in September, Dave was asked to deliver a home standby generator 45 minutes away to the Jersey shore after a rough season of storms that caused multiple power outages.
But after he dropped it off, he didn’t make the long trip back to the branch right away.
He stayed put to help Professional Electric, a small two-man crew owned by David Carabelli, one of Scannon’s long-time friends and customers.
“You don’t see something like that every day,” said Scannon. “Dave saw these guys could use a set of extra hands, and he rolled up his sleeves and got to work. That’s the sort of attitude you want on your team, and the culture you want at your branch.”
This job had all the ingredients for a pretty big headache. First, they had to install a generator eight feet up on a platform because of seasonal flooding issues along the Jersey shore. Second, they had to wedge a Bobcat in a tight alleyway, raise the generator onto a small platform, and situate it onto the concrete pad.
With Dave there to help, that “headache” turned into a job well done.
Lending a Helping Hand
At CES Lawrenceville, they don’t just have a great culture, they’re also the go-to branch for generators. This year alone, they’ve already sold over a hundred generators.
“Summer storms cause a lot of power outages in New Jersey and along the shore, but this year, it seemed like generator demand has been higher than ever with everyone working from home,” Scannon said. “It didn’t matter if it was a portable or permanent generator, everyone wanted one.”
And especially now, home standby generators are more important than ever. Millions of Americans are still working from home, and even more children are attending school online. If there’s an extended power outage, there’s no telling what sort of impact that could have on families.
Fortunately for this homeowner, they don’t have to worry about that. Dave Hansson and the rest of CES Lawrenceville came through. And Professional Electric isn’t about to let anyone forget it any time soon.
“David Carabelli, the owner, he always tells people about this job,” Scannon said. “He’s always showing it off and talking us up. And it all happened just because our driver saw they needed another hand.”
“This is why we go above and beyond for our customers,” he added. “You don’t hear every day about a driver helping to install a generator. A lot of people say they’ll do whatever it takes, but we really mean it. We’ll stay late, we’ll help longer.”
And Scannon really does it mean it. From their Operations Manager Dave Donahue who helped size and quote the correct generator, to Counter/Warehouse Associate Kevin Sullivan who helped load it up, to Dave Hansson who delivered (and helped install) it, this whole job was a team effort.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a contractor, end-user, or a little old lady who needs a lamp. We’ll do anything we can to help,” Scannon said. “We did it last year when it was more challenging than ever. Now, we’re looking forward to helping even more people this year.”
The great news is that that chance could come sooner than later. Professional Electric has even more generator jobs lined up. We think we have a good idea of who they’re going to call to help fill those orders.