Stauffers of Kissel Hill (SKH) is a growing and innovative group of supermarket and garden center locations with a large expansion of services offering high quality foods, garden, floral, and nursery products and services in
SKH was founded by Roy M. Stauffer, Sr., who was born and raised on the Stauffer Fruit Farm in
The strength and stability of the business in the hands of hard working owners and a progressive corporate board made it possible to open additional stores throughout the years. Over 70 years later, the company has grown to include over 1,100 employees.
SKH depends on people who are driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and whose conduct and decisions are based on ethical business practices. They focus on the three most important aspects of any business: customers, employees, and the community. As part of their mission statement, they strive to delight shoppers, energize employees, and enrich the community.
SKH is on the third generation of owners and continually reinvents itself to offer customers the best in garden center and supermarket retail. SKH has initiated many changes over the past several years, from corporate redesign to acquisitions and remodels. These changes have been made with the intent of building a stronger retail garden center and supermarket brand.
As we’ve seen in this economy, no retail business is completely immune to recession, especially as consumers tighten spending. The team at SKH knew this and prepared for it in the fall of 2008 with a few key steps that helped to position the 77-year-old, family-owned garden center and supermarket company well. These steps included such things as revising its garden center sales outlook for 2009 and holding company-wide discussions to brainstorm on action items to ensure a successful 2009.
Don Oberholtzer, Chairman of SKH, added that “As part of our Recession Action Plan, we addressed areas that probably all businesses look at, how to grow sales, operate at more efficient levels and we looked at places to 'tighten the belt' and reduce costs. Some aspects of our action plan impacted our employees’ compensation. We felt it was important to communicate our plans to our employees in the early part of the year so that they could budget and plan their personal finances. We did not want them to have surprises later in the year.” SKH also worked hard to keep their customers coming back as well as to gain new customers through refreshening the corporate brand and remodeling stores. Their goal for these changes was met as the new look rolled out and proved to help drive traffic in an uncertain economy.
Sales have been a part of life at SKH since Roy Stauffer, Sr. started the operation as a fruit and vegetable stand on the south side of Kissel Hill in 1932. And while SKH has upheld their principles of good customer service, through the years SKH has also learned to serve their team and keep their community at the forefront of the business. Even through doubtful times, SKH focused on their customers, employees, and community and have prepared themselves so that their team effort continues to build market share, capture new shoppers, and keep existing customers. “As a business person who is also a Christian, I find comfort in the promise found in James 1:5, that we will have wisdom to make sound business decisions. We know that our decisions not only impact the business, but also the families of our 1,100 employees who rely on the success of our business,” said Don. SKH is an Organization that “Gets It”.
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