Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • October 28, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 35 FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS 2019 4 TH PLACE — 25–75 full-time employees category Saybrook Home S aybrook Home is a retailer of furniture, home décor trends, giftware, rugs, custom window treatments, designer apparel and accessories. Recent accomplishments: In late 2018, Saybrook Home was rebranded from Saybrook Coun- try Barn. In the same ways that families evolve, our business did too. A major rebrand after 40-plus years in the business re- quired a signifi- cant effort across all marketing platforms, from logo and website to signs and shopping bags — it was quite an accomplishment to achieve in under nine months. We are pleased to report that our customers have embraced the change and our customer base has grown due to the rebrand. We have also accomplished our goal to utilize more technology in the way we do business without losing our personal touch. We developed a digital design quiz, which allows customers to get a feel for their personal style prior to meeting with an interior-design consultant. We also transitioned some of our marketing efforts to incorpo- rate working with social-media influencers who help to tell their Saybrook Home experiences in their own voice. How do you instill your family values in your employees? We created a company-wide sur- vey to learn what our employees feel our values of the business should be. With their feedback, we all agreed to the following value statement: 'We believe in quality: Quality in our service, quality in our products, and quality in how we treat each other, because that is who we are.' We have established an inter- store award called 'The Trophy of Awesomeness' that is awarded monthly to the person who best demonstrates the values we hold dearly. Saybrook Home Headquarters: Old Saybrook Industry: Retail — Home Furnishings/Interior Design/Apparel Year Founded: 1977 Founder: Clara Keith Zirkenbach Generation Currently Running Company: 2nd and 3rd No. of Full-Time Employees: 35 No. of Part-Time Employees: 20 Family Members Currently Employed at Company: Keith Bolles, President, Father; Jane Bolles, Vice President, Mother; Keith A. Bolles, Vice President, Son; Lindsey Bolles, Receiving and Distributions Associate, Daughter. Company Website: www.saybrookhome.com 4 TH PLACE — 76-plus full-time employees category Key Cars K ey Cars owns and oper- ates several car dealerships throughout the state. Recent accomplishments Key Cars recently purchased Jack- son Chevrolet, another Connecticut- owned family business. Jackson was owned and operated by TJ Jackson, also a third-generation family busi- ness owner. Our grandfathers even shared the same first name, Sam. The acquisition included both the business and the property. We also broke ground on a major renovation to our Milford location. We are adding a 7,500-square-foot service department that will add 14 new service bays, a state-of-the-art car wash and two service drive lanes. We are completely reworking the entire site to allow easier access for our customers. Finally, we are expanding and re- modeling our showroom to make our customer's experience even better. This year alone, we have invested $12 million to support our Connecticut- based businesses. How do you remain competitive in the market? Consumers have access to more car pricing information now than they've ever had, but are more confused than ever. We do not play pricing games and stick to our mission of being solution provid- ers and not product pushers. We find that over 50 percent of our customers come to us because they have a problem they want to solve and need guidance. We provide a service that customers are willing to pay for. We remain competitive by being transparent, educational and avail- able. Much of our business comes from referral and word of mouth. How do you instill your family values in your employees? The first step is to be very clear about our values. Our values are to be kind and uplifting, to always be learning and to act with grit and determination. When we hire someone, our primary concern is that they are a values match with us. No matter how skilled someone is, if they aren't a cultural fit, it will not work. In order to make sure our family's values stay intact as we grow, they have to be reinforced every single day, in every single interaction. We also ensure our employees are well cared for through excellent compen- sation, birthday celebrations, perfor- mance recognition and a first-class, black-tie holiday party. The Bolles family: (standing from left) Keith A. and Keith; (sitting from left) Lindsey and Jane. Key Cars co-owners and siblings Jill Merriam and Jeff Merriam. Key Cars Industry: Car Dealerships and Automotive Financing Year Founded: 1950 Founder: Sam Merriam Generation Currently Running Company: 3rd No. of Full-Time Employees: 180 No. of Part-Time Employees: 5 Family Members Currently Employed at Company: Jill Merriam, Co-Owner, Sister; Jeffrey Merriam, Co-Owner, Brother. Company Website: keycars.com

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