Two business owners came together by happenstance, and changed the direction of their lives.

Three men, Chris Sevigny, Mark Garlitz and Vernon Yoder started working together at Highpoint TV & Appliance, 102 S. Grant St., Salisbury, in early fall of 2022. Closing on the property happened Dec. 22, and on Jan. 2, the Salisbury business became the "new" Highpoint TV & Appliance with Sevigny as the new owner.

How the merger got started

"Chris Sevigny, the new owner, came into Highpoint TV & Appliance to buy a pair of Speed Queen washer/dryers," said Garlitz in an email. "During my conversation with Chris, he asked me how business was. I sort of laughed and said 'We are busy. Very busy! In fact, I wish I were 35 again!' Meaning, I wish I had the strength and determination of my youth. However, at 62 being SO busy was sometimes challenging.

"We talked about how there seems to be a trend back to the days of 'small business.' One hears about supporting your local business — support small business. There seems to be more and more complaints about the lack of service provided by the big box stores and how all of these things are working towards making Highpoint the place to go for sales and for service."

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Sevigny said he also services home appliances and he is serving the Oakland area, Garlitz said.

"I was excited for him, for I know all too well the Oakland/Deep Creek Lake area was in desperate need of an appliance servicer. For Highpoint, the lake was just too far to travel," Garlitz said. "Chris then posed the question 'Have you ever thought of selling your business?' Again I chuckled and said something like, 'funny you ask that!'

Yes, my business partner — Vernon Yoder — and I have had discussions on what it would look like to retire.

Would we be able to find a buyer? Was there anyone out there that had experience in servicing appliances? Could we find a person who was a good salesperson, good servicer, good business person? Honestly, it didn’t seem very likely that we would find anyone.

As it turns out, Sevigny is the owner and operator of Diamond Appliance repairs in Oakland, Maryland, and has been since 2019.

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"This is a business that I started with the need for a repair service in the area. We quickly grew into a reputable repair company that the public could trust," Sevigny said in an email. "I explained who I was and that I had no idea of such a great store so close by. I asked him to talk to his partner about partnering and or selling the business."

The merge is on

They reached out and said they would sell, but want to stay on board and transition the business seamlessly."Sevigny is from Romney, West Virginia, and has lived in Garrett County for almost 20 years. Highpoint opened in 1986 with Vernon Yoder and Mark Garlitz as partners.

"This conversation lead to phone calls, additional visits to our store front, lots of discussions on how we could work together to make this work," Garlitz said.

"After several closed door meetings between the three of us, we quickly realized that we operate our businesses very similarly," Sevigny said. "Dedication, reliability and trust in customer service. Highpoint has been a destination for new and used appliances that come with a warranty that is honored by us. Big box stores do not offer the same service."

"The boil down — Chris always wanted his own store front. He already had his own service company. He truly needed a source for appliances, to provide his service customers more than a big-box store experience," Garlitz said. "So we worked the plan and decided Vernon and I would sell Highpoint to Chris, continue to work for Chris in our present positions, and live to see Highpoint TV & Appliance continue for many years to come."

Garlitz will remain at his desk, helping Sevigny manage the business, ordering the appliances, scheduling service calls, keeping things neat and clean.

"I’m hoping to impart my knowledge of business to Chris and one day have Chris tell me 'I can take it from here,'" Garlitz said.

Yoder’s role will be slightly different. He will continue servicing, but he’ll also be in charge of two other service attendants, Hunter Meyers and Ethan Smith, and help them with technical support on their appliance repairs.

"For now, as we get the new Highpoint up and running, we are working even harder. But we can see a future where the union of Diamond Appliance and Highpoint TV & Appliance afford us the opportunity to kick back and relax just a little bit and see Chris take the business we created to even greater levels of excellence and customer service," Garlitz said.

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Service expansion

"With the merger of Highpoint and Diamond, we are able to expand our service areas, train younger technicians and create good local jobs," Sevigny said. "Mark and Vernon are true leaders in this industry. They were able to adapt and keep current with many changes over the years in technology. They are modest and truly do not realize what they have accomplished and inspired us to become in keeping the strong name alive. Highpoint wants to be the leader in local appliance sales, service and installations which will only continue the tradition."

Garlitz wants to see the business they created taken to even greater levels of excellence and customer service.

"Chris is a man on a mission," he said. "He came into our store with a plan to organize, organize, organize. Our warehouses are now sorted by appliance type and size. Our parts are neatly arranged by category. New signage covers the sales floor walls and the outside of our business. I’m excited. I’m confident that Chris will succeed at continuing Highpoint’s tradition of excellence."

Another interesting story behind the merger between the two companies is, Garlitz and Sevigny attend the same church, Crossroads Church in Oakland.

"He goes to the 9 a.m. service. I go to the 11 a.m. service, so we’ve never met," Garlitz said. "But we share the faith in God and the same values — driven by Biblical principles. How cool is that?"

Sevigny also shares his appreciation to Merle Carolus of Rockwood Hardware "for inspiring Mark and Vernon to open their own store and supporting them throughout the process. Merle has owned and operated Rockwood Hardware for over 50 years," Sevigny said. "He was the pioneer for small town appliance repair and service and always guided and helped Highpoint over the years. I also want to thank Dick Donaldson for helping out on deliveries and being a great friend and supporter over the years."

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Appliance business merges with repair service in seamless transition