ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607300019
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
Sears store has new manager
CHRISTIANSBURG - Customers at the Sears store in the New River Valley Mall have been witnessing firsthand the retailer's recent efforts to win market share, says the store's new manager.
Sears' new emphasis is on customer service and paying attention to the competition, said Rick St. Pierre, 27, the youngest manager in the 21-store district of which the mall store is part.
St. Pierre, a 10-year Sears employee who graduated from a company training program and has held management positions at four other stores, moved here in April.
Sears has learned that its customers want name-brand items, good prices and warranties, St. Pierre said. Also, customers are time-pressed and want to shop quickly. Thus, the mall store widened its aisles in a recent expansion.
"This store is doing excellent. We are seeing fantastic sales. I attribute that to nothing I have done. What they have done over the last few years is take care of our customers."
The 39,000-square-foot store, a small one by Sears' standards, doesn't have a prime location in the front of the mall. "But in the past few years the community has learned that we're here, and that's why we're doing so well," St. Pierre said.
Booth Cable promotes manager
BLACKSBURG - Larry Hoyle, the new general manager of Booth Communications, cable-television provider for Blacksburg and parts of Montgomery County and Christiansburg, says the wave of satellite television does not mean the end of cable TV.
Indeed, satellite TV may be overhyped, Hoyle says.
In the face of satellite competition, though, Booth plans to expand services and upgrade its system. Internet access, interactive services and more channels are in store for subscribers in the years to come, he said.
Hoyle, 40, has been the system's chief technician for three years. He replaces Jim Corrin, who has taken a position with a cable provider in Panama City, Fla.
New Shawsville FNB branch open
CHRISTIANSBURG - First National Bank's new Shawsville office offers a full range of services, including loans and deposits.
Branch manager is Edna Wood, a Shawsville resident who has 25 years in banking. The branch's other three employees also are residents of the town and have a combined 18 years of banking experience.
The bank, the fourth-largest independent bank in the state, has nine branches in Montgomery County and Radford.
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) St. Pierre, Hoyleby CNB