Company: Marshall Electric Company
Owner: Aldo Testa
Type of business: Commercial equipment repair
Location: Broad Street
Employees: 22
Annual Revenues: $2 million
REPAIRING a commercial slicer is Luis deMelo.
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For more than seven decades, Marshall Electric has provided service, but it has been the company’s ability to adapt to the marketplace, serving different communities, that has assured it of continued success.
Founded in 1928 by master electrician John Marshall, the business was focused on electrical installations. As radios, TVs, clocks and small appliances became more a part of the home, Marshall diversified his business by doing repairs in his small Providence shop.
In 1954 the business was bought by employee Gilbert Leonard, who continued to grow the company by networking with others like his company through the National Appliance Service Association (NASA). A decade later the company was an authorized repair shop for almost 100 manufacturers of clocks and portable appliances.
”The company became known as the place to bring small appliances for repairs,” said Aldo Testa, president of Marshall Electric Food Equipment Service. “Most of the business was generated through Mom and Pop type shops. In addition many homemakers who at that time were dependent upon these items would bring their household items in.”
But by the mid 1960s it became clear that the small appliance repair business was at its peak as manufacturers were going out of business, resulting in a heavy decline in the product line, Testa said.
In 1967, after attending a national convention and restaurant show, Leonard and Testa, who was at the time the company’s service manager, decided to try a new route – commercial food service equipment.
“People in the 1950s were more domesticated, but by the late ’60s more people were going out to eat,” Testa said. “Now there are only maybe three key appliances, the vacuum, the toaster, and maybe the coffee maker. We knew then we needed to branch out.”
As the carry-in business expanded, so did the customers’ demand for service at their site, especially for larger appliances. Initially, the company used a station wagon to go on service calls, but in 1968 it bought its first service truck which is stocked with parts to provide better service to its customers.
Today the company’s service fleet has grown to eight and it continues to serve companies in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The store, located on Broad Street in Providence, is also a service center for more than 30 foodservice equipment manufacturers in electric, gas, steam, and microwave.
“We are a 24-hour service,” said David Testa, vice president of the company under his father. “We schedule around the needs of our customers, and for many of them their greatest needs come after our 5 o’clock closing time.”
Almost 90 percent of the company’s business today is in the commercial sector, leading Testa to decide it is again time to refine the focus of the company, which he officially purchased in 1994.
“There have been some real changes in the industry,” Aldo said. “A lot of the major manufactures that we used to deal with, like Farberware, have closed. These are signals for us that it is time to diversify.”
As a result he has decided to downsize the small appliance service area, and reduce the retail portion of the store. The company also is changing its name to Marshall Electric Food Equipment Service.
David Testa said the company will continue to service vacuum cleaners, some outdoor grill products and some lawn tools.
With more people dining out, Aldo said the company’s “future isn’t in the small home appliances, but in the larger commercial appliances that more people are taking advantage of in restaurants and large grocery stores.”
For the father and son team, one of the biggest challenges has been finding qualified electricians.
“There has been a real move away from the trades,” Aldo said. “Nationally, it appears that more and more people are going into the management side of business instead of the hands-on. Like other businesses in this industry, we have felt that.”
David said many of the company’s 22 employees have been with the company for over a decade – something he and his father are proud of.
“We have tried to maintain a family type atmosphere,” he said. “Employee longevity has been a major factor in the company’s success.”
Though gauging the company’s success can be somewhat tricky, Aldo said he is confident about the future.
“One part of the business can grow, while the other is stable,” he said. “Our total growth has been steady over the years. It’s clear because many of the people that were in this business when we started are no longer in business today, and we are still going strong.”
