Author Archives: Warners' Stellian Appliance

Spotlight Series: Meet Delivery Field Supervisor Brandon Bailey

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At Warners’ Stellian, one of our core values is family, and each new employee becomes a member of our family. In our Spotlight Series, we plan to share a deeper look into the talent that contributes to our success each day. This week, let’s meet Delivery Field Supervisor Brandon Bailey.

Warners' Stellian Delivery Field Supervisor Brandon Bailey standing in front of truck

How long have you worked at Warners’ Stellian?

I just had my 15-year anniversary. I started right out of high school when I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. The opportunities for growth and family-oriented culture have kept me here. I’m now a Delivery Field Supervisor, and I’ll take my journeyman plumber exam soon.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My mornings start the same. I make sure the crews are on the road and the whole fleet is rocking and rolling. From there, it changes. I might help the plumbing crew one day and jump into deliveries the next. I assist the team in whatever way is needed. We win together.

Who are your mentors in life?

President Bob Warner and Steve Washenberger, manager of the Operations Department, have been role models to me. I lost my dad at a young age, and those two really took me under their wings. I’ve grown and learned a lot thanks to them.

What is your favorite part of the job?

I love the family aspect. As soon as you start the job, you’re part of the Warners’ family. I also really enjoy interacting with our delivery crews and helping guide younger staff. Growing up, my baseball coach always said “Work hard, have fun.” That’s what we do every day.

Warners' Stellian delivery crew working in basement

Brandon Bailey shows delivery assistant Bailey Ketola how to reverse a laundry door.

What’s something about you people would be surprised to know?

I really enjoy romantic comedies. “Dirty Dancing” and “Overboard” are two of my favorites.

Where would you go on a dream vacation?

Italy or Greece. It’s a dream vacation, right? How about both!

Are you interested in joining the Warners’ Stellian family? Apply here!

Should You Turn Off Your Air Conditioner While on Vacation?

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With the end of summer approaching and Labor Day right around the corner, vacation plans are in full swing. And often a hotly debated topic before hitting the road for your end-of-summer hoorah is whether you should turn off the air conditioner. And if you leave it on, what AC temperature should you set while on vacation? Our plumbing and HVAC services manager Joe Nguyen says if your primary goal is saving energy and money, then yes, turn off the AC (unless you’re leaving pets behind). But according to Nguyen, there’s more to it than that.

Vacation Length

If you’re making a quick weekend getaway, turning the AC off won’t realize big energy or cost savings. After all, the system will have to work harder to reach the desired temperature once you return. For longer vacations, consider the following.

Temperature and Humidity

When the temperature is mild, turning off your air conditioner isn’t a problem. However, high temperatures and humidity levels can quickly heat a home, causing other cooling appliances (refrigerator, freezer, etc.) to work overtime. And a malfunctioning refrigerator will cost more than leaving your air running.

Vacation Temperature Recommendation

Nguyen says the widely held recommendation is to just turn the air conditioner temperature up rather than powering it down. He recommends setting the thermostat between 78 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, using a programmable thermostat with WiFi capability, set the thermostat to cool the house to a comfortable temperature prior to your arrival home.

Nest thermostat on wall

Photo via Nest

Home Vacation Prep Tips

Now that the air conditioner dilemma is sorted out, protect your home appliances with these tips:

  • Close the curtains and blinds. This will keep your home cooler, giving your appliances a break!
  • Turn off the water to your home and home appliances. No one wants to come home to a leak or flood!
  • Put your refrigerator in vacation mode if you have that option.
  • Crack open the dishwasher and washing machine doors to air them out.
  • Turn your water heater down to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Last but not least, enjoy your vacation!

Do you turn off your AC before leaving on vacation? Why or why not?

Spotlight Series: Meet Sales Associate Chris Mungin

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At Warners’ Stellian, one of our core values is family, and each new employee becomes a member of our family. In our Spotlight Series, we plan to share a deeper look into the talent that contributes to our success each day. This week, let’s meet Sales Associate Chris Mungin.

Warners' Stellian Chris Mungin The Dapper Chef

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

An appliance is something that will last 10 or more years. Because it’s a purchase you live with for so long, I enjoy helping consumers find exactly what they want to turn their house into a home.

What is your favorite appliance, and why?

I really like the Frigidaire kitchen package. As a private chef, I enjoy how many accessories and features you get all in a budget-friendly price point.

Tell me more about your private chef business:

The Dapper Chef is an amalgamation of my culinary experience and wanting to share that with people. More than anything, I want to help people love food. I started cooking seriously when I went to college and missed my mom’s cooking. I couldn’t make it home very often, so I decided I would have to cook for myself. During the holidays, my friends would throw me $10 each and I would prepare three-course holiday meals that made them a little less homesick.

After college, I studied culinary arts at the Art Institute in Minneapolis. Afterward, I traveled around Southeast Asia exploring the cuisine. Today I host dinner parties in my home or travel to customers’ homes when they want a private chef. My side business ties in well with working at Warners’ Stellian. Great chefs need great appliances, and I love talking cooking techniques with customers!

What about the dapper part?

I tend to be a dapper dresser. My main style icons are my dad, who perfectly captures that smooth suaveness of the ‘70s, and André 3000.

What would your dream kitchen look like?

I would have 6 burners with a Vent-a-Hood range hood over top, a convection oven, marble top island, big butcher block and Sub-Zero fridge.

If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Difficult question for a foodie, but I have fallen hard for the tortas at Tavial Grill in Saint Paul.

Are you interested in joining the Warners’ Stellian family? Apply here!

Savings on a Stick: Warners’ Stellian and the Minnesota State Fair

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A sign posted in view of State Fair traffic at the edge of our flagship store’s parking lot on Snelling and Larpenteur Avenues, two blocks north of the Fairgrounds.

Back since Warners’ Stellian was simply Stellian in the 1950s, our appliances were warehoused at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds all but two months of the year.

Many different buildings housed our refrigerators, washing machines, etc. through the decades we spent there. After a customer bought something, our guys would just drive the two blocks to the Fairgrounds, load the appliance into the truck bearing our name on its stakes, and deliver it – sometimes beating the customer to their own house, founder Jim Warner would brag.

An earlier iteration of our delivery fleet

We kept overhead low enough to offer great prices. In exchange, we had to completely clear our stuff out for the Minnesota State Fair and for the circus (before which Marketing Director Jeff Warner remembers hauling appliances out as the elephants walked in  – probably when we were in the 4-H Building).

We also shared a building with Steichen’s grocery. Still another building we used across the street lacked a toilet, so the side of the building had to do…sorry!

Savings on a Stick

When we’d return all the inventory hauled from the building to our  (then) little single store in Falcon Heights, we barely had space for it, thus creating our annual State Fair Warehouse Sale.

Warners' Stellian Appliance Company 1952
Warners’ Stellian flagship location in 1952.

Finally in 1995, we built our first warehouse in the North End neighborhood of St. Paul, which we expanded a few years later and outgrew by 2004, at which time we built our current Warners’ Stellian warehouse and corporate headquarters.

For some years now, we’ve been referring to our history there and our former annual warehouse sale with our Savings On A Stick promotion during the Minnesota State Fair.

“Make sure you say they were good to us,” Jim Warner said, referring to the State Fairgrounds. He said being able to store our inventory so cheaply probably deserves much credit for keeping us around to this day.

Sounds fair to us.

Featured Image via Flickr m01229
This is an updated version of an article previously published on Aug. 23, 2011.

Spotlight Series: Meet Customer Service Supervisor Ranesha Jackson

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At Warners’ Stellian, one of our core values is family, and each new employee becomes a member of our family. In our Spotlight Series, we plan to share a deeper look into the talent that contributes to our success each day. This week, let’s get to know Customer Service Supervisor Ranesha Jackson. 

Ranesha Jackson Warners' Stellian

How long have you been working at Warners’ Stellian?

I’ve been here for five years.

What advice would you give prospective customer service candidates?

Always ask questions, because there’s no such thing as a stupid question. You learn something new every day.

Favorite part of your job?

I enjoy assisting other customer service staff members and serving as a mentor. It allows me to share and spread the knowledge I’ve gained over the years.

What do you like most about working for Warners’ Stellian?

You are treated like part of the family rather than as an outsider.

What actor would play you if they made a movie about your life?

Rosario Dawson, because people say I look like her!

If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Definitely lasagna!

Are you interested in joining the Warners’ Stellian family? Apply here!