Christensen retires after 30 years in business years ago
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
People in the Marion area and beyond have come to rely on Jim Christensen at Straub International to supply them with first-rate appliances. They trust him to help them make the right choice, and they know he is conscientious in his dealings.
But Jim's familiar face no longer will be there after January. He has decided to retire after 30 years in business.
"I feel honored that a lot of people want me to install their appliances," he said. "It makes me feel good that they trust me. My philosophy is, if you treat people the way you want to be treated, it's a lot easier to get along."
He is especially conscientious about serving senior citizens, going the extra mile to make sure they are satisfied.
Jim's first exposure to the appliance business began as a young child when he accompanied his father, Lynn, on service calls. Lynn was a partner in Marion Equipment Co. and sold International Harvester appliances.
In 1956, International Harvester appliances were bought out by Whirlpool, but years later, Jim was able to repair an old International Harvester refrigerator for a neighbor based on his observations of his father's work.
In 1966, Jim's father became sole owner of the business and it became Lynn's Truck and Tractor.
In 1976, at age 36, Jim left his teaching job after 12 years at Stafford to join his father in the business.
After Lynn retired in 1980, Jim and his brother John took over the business and operated it as Lynn's Farm Equipment Co. When John left in 1982 to return to teaching, Jim became sole owner.
The years 1981 and 1982 had been good years for farmers, and the business had acquired a lot of inventory.
In 1983, International Harvester merged with Case Corporation. Then, President Jimmy Carter instituted a grain embargo and interest rates shot up. Suddenly, farmers, many of whom were overextended on land purchases, weren't able to buy, and the business fell on hard times.
The stress of the situation caused Jim's health to deteriorate. He finally discovered jogging as a means to improve his health. (See sidebar.)
Jim learned as a business owner, he was only as good as the people he had working for him.
Business eventually improved, but times were changing and the customer base continued to shrink. Some farmers were selling out while others were getting bigger and buying bigger equipment. The employee work force dropped from a high of 31 to eight at present.
In August 1995, as the business continued to downsize, Straub International bought it. Jim stayed on as manager of appliance sales.
The Marion store was the only one of Straub's six stores to continue to offer appliances, and now is the only appliance store in the county, according to Jim.
He said he learned the appliance business through trial and error and took advantage of service training classes to learn how the machines operated and to keep up-to-date on the newest versions.
"In 30 years, if you don't learn anything, you're not growing," he said.
Years ago, the appliance manufacturer provided an instructor in the use of the machines. Jim's wife, Judy, and a home extension agent provided instructions on how to operate microwave ovens when they first came out.
Those kinds of services no longer are provided, so people rely more and more on Jim's expertise.
He is going out at the peak of his career as an appliance salesman. The store had record sales in 2006.
Jim was a star football player at Marion High School, graduating in 1958. He went to the University of Kansas on a football scholarship but didn't see much playing time in his three years as an active member of the team.
"I was not big enough or fast enough, but I learned a lot that helped me in coaching," he said. "I knew what it felt like to stand on the sidelines."
As a high school coach, he worked to give every member of the team a chance to play.
Jim looks forward to retirement. Looking back, he is satisfied with the way he has lived his life. To him, service came before money.
"I feel like I've been able to help people, in teaching and working for the public," he said. "I'd do it again."
He plans to continue to jog and to spend his time in helping people in any way he can.
Jim and Judy have been married for 46 years. Their son, Jeff, was born in 1963 at Lawrence and now lives at September Apartments in Marion. Son Jay was born in 1967 at Stafford. He and his wife Kathy live at Ft. Leavenworth, where Jay serves in the Kansas National Guard.
Jim and Judy's only grandchild, Alex Christensen, died Feb. 1, 2006.
Straub International is looking for someone to replace Jim, but that will not be easy. Customers only can hope the company will find someone like him, to whom service was the most important thing.
