60 years, Pattersons is ‘here to stay’
At the 25th anniversary of Pattersons Home Appliance Center in 2018, third-generation co-owner Mark Patterson said the business “is here to stay.”
“The secret to our success for over 60 years is simple: treat every customer like
family,” he said last week. “From helping you choose the right appliance, to delivering it with care, to standing behind it with dependable service — we believe relationships last longer than warranties.”
Don Patterson founded the business in 1965, in Harriman, Roane County. Then
July 12, 1993, the Patterson family opened its third location at 10640 Kingston Pike, just outside Farragut. Its second location is in Oak Ridge in 1986 or 1987. It also has a location in Crossville and Rockwood.
“I’ve had the privilege of working at Pattersons Home Appliances Center for more than four years,” said Steve “Slim” Stiltz, Pattersons’ outside sales and promotions. “Before that, I spent over 35 years working for my own family’s business, so I truly understand the values that make a family-owned company special,” he said. “At Pattersons, taking care of our customers doesn’t end with the sale — it begins there.
“From helping you choose the right appliance for your home to coordinating a seamless delivery to being there when you need service, we go the extra mile every step of the way,” Stiltz said. “That’s the difference a family-owned business makes. To us, you’re not just a customer, your part of the family.”
“The fact that we’re a third generation-run business, that’s something that we’re very proud of as a company,” said Brittany Fordham, sales for Pattersons. “That we’ve stayed in business continually since 1965, our reputation in the communities.
“We’re community-oriented, family-oriented,” she said. “We try very hard to do
right by everybody who walks in the door, and that’s something that’s been that way for day one.”
She surmised Pattersons’ success is attributed to the company’s values.
“Our company values start with ‘honor God in all that we do,’” Fordham said. Then, “respecting others, doing good work, helping others, forgiving others, by giving thanks and celebrating life.
“That’s something that the Pattersons all sat together and came up with as our values, and we really try every day to live by those values in our business,” she said.
About Pattersons, “We’re very honest in what we do,” Fordham added. “We don’t try to hide things from our customers … we’re going to be very upfront. Here’s the issue and here’s what we’re going to do to fix it.
“We hope no one ever has an issue, but if problems arise, we’re very honest, and we do care,” she said. “That’s our slogan, ‘because we care.’”
Through the years, Pattersons has seen the technology and the type of appliances change, Fordham said.
“We started out as a service company, servicing, refrigerants,” she said. “I believe we serviced air conditioning units. The natural progression was that we moved into
selling the appliances themselves and still servicing
everything.
“What appliances people buy have changed,” Fordham observed. For example, “dishwashers weren’t really a home appliance [in the 1960s] as heavily as they are now. That also varies from area to area.
“In Roane County where we started, dishwashers are still not in 40 percent of the homes,” she said.
The Kingston Pike location was added “just to expand our customer base, expand where we can service, to expand Pattersons as a whole,” Fordham said.
Today, the company carries the entire Whirlpool line: Amana, Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid and JennAir.
It offers delivery and installation and repair on all appliances it sells.
“What we sell is what we service,” Stiltz said.
The store is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through
Friday; from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and closed on
Sundays.
