Dependable Electric celebrates 90 years of dependability
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Joann Sayre, owner of Dependable Electric Supply and Fred Wilkinson, manager.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Joann Sayre, owner, and Fred Wilkinson, manager of Dependable Electric
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Joann Sayre, owner of Dependable Electric.
Joann Bittlebrun Sayre was 24 when her father died, leaving a massive void in the family and the family business.
Her dad, Adrian Bittlebrun, and his brother Jerry had launched Dependable Electric in Washington in 1928, a year before the Depression began. They started out repairing small appliances, and expanded to selling belts, hoses and other appliance parts. The brothers and their shop not only survived the notorious downturn, they eventually thrived in an industrial region demanding their wares.
The Bittlebruns’ operation rolled along smoothly before encountering turbulence in the mid-1960s. Jerry died in 1964, Adrian in 1967, at a time when industry was flagging in the city. Suddenly, the dependable leaders of Dependable Electric were gone and the business was descending into the red.
Joann said her brother Vaughn, six years her junior and just out of high school, took over for a while. Then their mother turned to Joann.
“Back then, a woman running what was considered a ‘man’s business’ was almost unheard of,” the daughter said. “I didn’t want to do it, but I told my mom I’d try it for a year. After that year, we weren’t out of the red, but we were showing promise. Some industry was coming back. We were out of the red in the second year. Eventually, we were able to hire a manager, who made it grow.”
Nearly a half-century later, customers are still depending on Dependable Electric, a company on Ridge Avenue that is celebrating its 90th birthday in 2018.
“For a small business, that is quite a feat,” said Joann, who will be 75 in June. She attributes its longevity to – quite quite simply – “dedication. Total dedication. My friends and family will tell you that’s so true.”
Today it is truly a small business, one that once had a payroll of 13, but is now down to two – the owner and her “significant other,” Fred Wilkinson.
Dependable Electric, near the intersection with Murtland Avenue, carries more than 1,000 belts, a source of pride for the owner. “I’d venture to say we are the largest belt distributor in the area.”
Her store also sells parts for major appliances – such as washers, dryers and dishwashers – and heavy-duty hose assemblies. Appliance repairs are no longer part of the equation. Sayre, who has been in charge for 51 years, used to do paperwork on the second floor of that shop, which now serves as a storage area. She now does her record-keeping in an office at home.
Sayre is a lifelong Washington County resident. She grew up in North Franklin Township and graduated from Immaculate Conception, the Catholic high school in the city, in 1961. She has lived in Chartiers Township for many years.
Although she had taken a few business college courses before assuming ownership, Sayre readily admits that her learning curve was significant at first. “I had to do all the ordering, and I didn’t know who to order from or in what quantities. Basically, I was self-taught.”
Now she is directing the business toward its 10th decade of existence. The shop is sparse but orderly, and well stocked. Parking, at the front of the building, can accommodate three vehicles – no more.
This is Dependable Electric’s third location, all in Washington. It started on Franklin Street. “That whole area is gone,” Sayre said, adding that a parking garage was built on the site, to largely serve the county courthouse.
The second was on West Maiden Street, across from where new headquarters are being built for Traditional Paths to Independent Living.
Although she said she abhors driving on interstates, Sayre is accustomed to being in the fast lane. She was once a race car driver who competed at a number of tracks that were once commonplace in the tri-state. She was known as “The Golden Goddess,” words that adorn the race car she still has and which is being restored “to drive it on the street.”
Sayre also is readily recognized as “Miss Dependable,” an identity she acquired long ago and still hears from patrons at grocery stores and other local venues.
As for the future, Sayre remains committed to maintaining Dependable Electric’s dependability. She said her health is good and that the work keeps her busy.
“I don’t have a desire to retire yet,” she said. “I do hope that when the time is right, there will be a sign that will tell me to do so.”
Take that as a sign that her business could hit the century mark.
Business briefs
- Mindy Walls
- will become the W. Robert Stover chair for entrepreneurial leadership at Waynesburg University in the fall. She is currently assistant vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation at West Virginia University.
- Mike Larkin,
- city of Washington field operations leader for Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, received the Liza N. Beale Loyal Contributor’s Award for 38 years of donating to United Way. He was honored Thursday at the annual Washington County Campaign Celebration & Awards Luncheon at Bella Sera in North Strabane Township. Columbia Gas received the Chairman’s Award as the county’s top campaign contributor. The company and its employees donated about $163,000 to United Way in 2017-2018.
- Jeffrey W. Kent,
- a certified public accountant from McDonald, has been elected vice president of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Kent is a partner at Maher Duessel, specializing in audits of governmental and nonprofit organizations.