Northstar Electronics Is State of the Art

IRONWOOD, MI - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 - "Business is a lot like a game of tennis – those who serve well usually end up winning." Yesterday, I had an 8:00 AM appointment to meet with Mark Wesenberg and Darryl Kosma, owners of Northstar Electronics. I hate being late, so I arrived at the shop about a half hour early. As soon as I arrived, I went to check the door. It was locked, so I went back and sat in my van. As soon as I got back in the van, the lights in the shop turned on, and within minutes Mark Wesenberg marched out the door with a Kaufman scoop in his hands. He methodically cleared the sidewalk along the front of his building. A few short minutes later Darryl was out there shoveling too! Oddly, both men were smiling from ear to ear. I honestly believe they enjoyed the task! Can you believe it? Could anyone actually enjoy shoveling snow?

As I watched from the van I was reminded of days gone by. I remember driving past Albert's Clothing Store seeing my uncle John shoveling the front of the family store. He had the same smile on his face! Even in the later years, after John had lost a leg to diabetes, he insisted on shoveling the front of his store himself, and he always seemed to enjoy it!

I continued to watch Mark and Darryl shovel away! As I sat there I realized why these men were smiling. And, for the first time, I realized what it was that made my uncle John smile back then. It's not the snow! It's not the drudgery of shoveling! It's the attention to detail that drives these men! It's all part of customer service! A customer's first impression of your business is the entrance to your store! Would any good businessman leave such an important detail like that up to just anyone? Of course not!

Let me tell you this, Mark Wesenberg and Darryl Kosma are very good businessmen.

PERSONAL BACKGROUNDS

Mark was born and raised in Ironwood. In fact, his family home is just two blocks away from Northstar's current location. He graduated from L. L. Wright High School in Ironwood. "I've been in the electronics business since I was 18," Wesenberg continued with a smile, "which, you know, in dog years is a lot longer than we care to think about! But no, actually going on thirty-two years!"

He attended electronics servicing courses at Gogebic Community College, until the program was discontinued. After a year and a half of college, Mark decided to go out in the workplace to earn a living. At the age of twenty, he moved to Wausau and began working for Sound North. He ran a Sound North in Ironwood for several years after that. His uncle owned a chain of seven stores.

He moved to Milwaukee for a short time to work for American T.V. He started in Waukesha and then went to the Oak Creek store as an assistant floor manager. He then joined the Marquette store as an assistant store manager. His business experiences taught him how "big box" stores sold electronics and appliances. The reason he opened Northstar Electronics was to bring a quality electronics business to the area so people wouldn't have to travel outside of the area to buy their appliances and electronics.

Wesenberg, a self-proclaimed gadget fanatic, says that the electronics business is the most fun industry in the world. "It's hard to make money at it, but it's fun!" he jokingly claimed, "It's a passion, it's not just a job! You have to be willing to learn every day of your life! `Cause the minute you stop learning, it will swallow you alive!"

Mark loves skiing in above zero weather. He enjoys motorcycling. He goes to Sturgis every year. He enjoys traveling. This year he plans on traveling to Mexico for a little rest and relaxation.

Darryl was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and he moved up here when he was twelve (in 6^th grade). He attended Norrie School and graduated from Luther L. Wright High School. He studied electronic communications at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He worked for a time in Milwaukee with an airline. He was later hired as a manager of a Best Buy on the north side of Milwaukee. Eventually, he moved back to the Ironwood area, and worked for Mattson's T.V. and Appliance for 13 years. Initially Mark and Darryl were going to buy out Mattson's, but that didn't work out. Instead they opened Northstar, and he's been here ever since.

Darryl enjoys snowboarding, windsurfing, mountain biking and road biking. Kosma said, "It's a great area to live!"

BUSINESS HISTORY

Wesenberg and Kosma first opened Northstar Electronics back in November of 1996. Their original store, with 900 square feet of floor space, was located in the former Totem Pole Restaurant right next to the Plaza. Mark and Darryl were the only employees in the beginning. Business was good, and they soon outgrew their first location. In 2001, they moved to the Cloverland Cedar Court (across from NAPA). This location gave them 2,500 square feet of floor space. It didn't take long before Darryl and Mark realized that they needed more space.

In 2006, Wesenberg, along with his brother Jeff and his business partner Darryl, opened the Sunnyside Plaza, the business complex at 629 West Cloverland Drive, that houses Northstar Electronics along with several other businesses. Their new store has 8,500 square feet of show room space. They added appliances, and a Radio Shack dealership with the move. Mark's brother owns and operates the Sawdust Bin that is attached to Northstar. Many of Northstar's appliances are displayed at his brother's store as well, adding an additional 4,500 square feet of space to the mix. "So we have a total of about 12,000 square feet of showroom right now, compared to 900 when we started twelve years ago!" Wesenberg said. In addition, they currently employ five people.

The Sunnyside Cabins, last owned by Evar Anderson, once stood where the Sunnyside Plaza now stands. Strangely enough, Mark's relatives previously owned those cabins. His grandparent's home was also located right on the site – in fact, in the exact location where Northstar Electronics now stands. His grandparent's house had to be demolished in order to build the new complex. Mark's brother Jeff – through the Sawdust Bin – was the general contractor for the Plaza project.

Northstar features many quality electronic brands like Sharp, Toshiba, JVC, Pioneer, Hitachi, and Panasonic. They have JVC and Pioneer car audio equipment. They offer General Electric – the number one selling appliances in the world – as well as Fisher and Paykel, Bosch, Whirlpool, Amana, Sharp, Danby and Crosley. They sell Oreck vacuum cleaners, filters, bags and accesssories. They offer their own electronic service and repair. Darryl is their main service tech. And Black Bear Appliance, Lake Gogebic, does all of Northstar's appliance and warranty repairs.

Northstar also sells cell phones. They currently have AT&T Wireless only, but they are in the process of getting Alltel Wireless. Wesenberg likes having both services – even though the wireless companies don't like it – because he is able to better fit his customers with one or the other of the different plans each service offers. He explained that they used to offer both services through Radio Shack, but things changed.

BUSINESS IN IRONWOOD

I asked Mark what he thought about the new Wal-Mart and other developments on the highway. He responded, "I'm excited that we're finally seeing some things happen in the Ironwood area. I think we sat too long with things that weren't happening in this area. It's exciting to see Wal-Mart come in. I'm excited to see Walgreens come in. I think our shopping plaza on this end was a big plus for Ironwood as well. So, ya! I'm excited about it! I'm not excited about the fact that it probably will put some businesses out. I'm not concerned about us because I think we can compete with them. I don't have a problem with that. We offer service where they don't. We offer appliances that they don't. And we offer an upscale brand – an upscale product – that they don't typically offer, plus the service and installation and all the other things that go along with it. So, I'm excited about it. I don't think it's going to affect us too bad, but it probably will in some aspects."

Being in business for yourself is not as easy as some people believe. He says he generally puts in between 70 to 75 hours a week. He usually arrives two hours before the store opens and he stays one or two hours after closing, in addition to Saturdays and sometimes Sundays.

"There's nothing easy about being in business in Ironwood, and it's not for any one reason. I think the major thing is to get into people's heads that you are willing to stand behind them if they have a problem. So many times nowadays, retailers walk away from the customer when they have a problem. They're happier than heck to bring them in the door and to sell them something, but when they have a problem, they don't want to deal with it. And I'm of the belief that I want to take care of my customers – that's why they are my customers. And I want them to always be my customers." says Wesenberg. He believes Ironwood is growing. He points out that the traffic count on the US-2 has increased substantially in the last five years. He predicts that Ironwood is going to be the next Minocqua. He believes our lower taxes and Lake Superior are two things that will entice people to locate here.

"I think we've been very blessed," said Wesenberg, " with people standing behind us and doing business with Northstar Electronics and welcoming us the way they have." One of the major problems Wesenberg has been dealing with, in the recent past, however, is internet sales. He points out that service is very important when buying electronics. Internet sales companies can, at times, save the consumer substantial money over traditional brick and mortar stores. They don't have the overhead or a service department to maintain. However, he warns that many times items sold online are not what the appear to be. Often hugely discounted electronics are "refurbished" and no longer carry manufacturer's warrantees. Many traditional stores won't even service what they don't sell. Northstar tries to help everybody, but many times items sold online have a seller's warranty only. Most online dealers are concerned only about selling goods and will not help you if you have problems with the goods you buy, he warns.

Wesenberg talked about a customer that purchased a 56" JVC television online from buy.com. When he opened the box and plugged the unit in, it didn't work. He brought it to Northstar, because it was supposed to have a year warranty on it. JVC told Northstar that the unit was "refurbished" and no longer had a JVC warranty. JVC told Northstar that the customer would have to send the unit back to buy.com. "How do you send a 56" TV back to them for service? It's frustrating, yeah it's frustrating" Wesenberg said.

Northstar is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Saturday. They are closed on Sundays.

Jim Albert