Commercial Integrator August 2021 - 27

IN 2013 GENE CHAIKEN met with Almo's
Professional A/V division group at the
National Constitution Center in Philadelphia
near the company's national headquarters.
He took attendees to a window to tell a story.
He pointed to a tree about a hundred
yards north of Fifth Street and Arch Street.
" That's where Almo was, " he said. " That's
where we started at 509 Arch Street. "
Gene notes that Almo started in the same
area that the United States started. There
is a thread to be drawn. Although Almo
Corporation services some of the largest
companies in the world such as Amazon
and Walmart, it is the independent, family-owned,
small and medium businesses that
have served as the meat and potatoes of the
company's business over the past 75 years.
" We need to continue doing that, " says
Gene Chaiken. " We need to continue to
help our customers grow and help them
stay healthy so we can stay healthy. "
As Almo Corporation celebrates
75 years of service to customers and
continual growth, all eyes are set firmly
on the future and continuing the company's
success. However, it is important to
garner lessons learned from a vast history
of business that includes many sales, acquisitions,
pivots, new business ventures
and continual growth.
With that said, let's take a look back and
learn how Almo managed to thrive and
become a billion-dollar company over the
past 75 years.
A History of Almo
Almo Corporation was founded in 1946 by
Morris Green and Albert Margolis as a contraction
(Al + Moe = Almo). It also helped
1994-1996
Purchases
multiple
consumer
GENERATION
#3
1994
2004
Warren
Chaiken,
Gene
Chaiken's
son, joins
Almo
1999
Starts
e-commerce
business
Names Warren
Chaiken President
and CEO, Gene
Chaiken becomes
Chairman of the
Board
2009
Forms
Professional
A/V Division,
becomes the
largest Almo
business segment
commercialintegrator.com
2014
Names Warren
Chaiken named
President and
Chief Executive
Officer
2019
Warren Chaiken
receives
Philadelphia
Inquirer's 2019
Top Leadership
Award for
Mid-Sized
Companies
A $1.37B company
with more than 2.5
million square feet
of warehousing
space in nine
facilities across the
nation and more
than 650 employees
AUGUST 2021 Commercial Integrator 27
electronics
and major
appliance
distributors
2008
2001
Moves corporate
headquarters to
current location:
2709 Commerce
Way, PA
Acquires
PMC, merged
into Almo's
e-commerce
business,
doubled size of
business
2014
Installs
motion-sensing
lighting in all
warehouse
space, reducing
electric usage
by 40-70%
Al Margolis (left) sifts through files and
Morrie Green (middle) sits at his desk in
the early days of Almo Radio Company.
Morrie makes the long drive to Willmington
in record time and askes manager
Charlie Reed about trailer load of antennas
being delivered (right).
keep the company at the top of the yellow
pages, a boon in the days before Google or
company websites with contact information
readily available.
It was then Almo Radio Company, a
replacement parts for radios and WWII
surplus shop. In the 1950s, television and
industrial electronics had fallen under
Almo's purview. In 1954 Al Margolis passed
suddenly, leaving Morris Green as the sole
owner of the company.
Come 1961 the decision was made to
2017
Formalizes FIIT
(Family, Integrity,
Innovation,
Teamwork) values
program with
employees, partners
and customers
Celebrates
75th year
anniversary
and begins
employee
return to office
2021
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator August 2021

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