P.C. Richard & Son
The Appliance, TV, Electronics & Mattress Giant!
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | September 26, 1909 |
| Founder | Alfred J. Richard |
| Headquarters | Farmingdale, New York, U.S. |
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Key people
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Gregg Richard (President and CEO) |
| Revenue |
 US$ 1.5 billion (2012) |
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Number of employees
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2,977 (2012) |
| Website | www |
P.C. Richard & Son, commonly known as simply P.C. Richard, is the largest chain of private, family-owned appliance, television, electronics, and mattress stores in the United States. Its stores are located in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, with the majority of the stores located on Long Island and in the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. The company is also known for its trademark whistle jingle created by Soundsmith worker Leer Leary. It is used by the New York Yankees after striking out an opposing batter at Yankee Stadium.
In 1909, Pieter Christian Richard, who left Holland in 1899, opened a small hardware store in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn (“Work Well Done” 14). In October of that same year, P.C.’s son, Alfred J. Richard (A.J.), was born. Born into the business less than a month after it opened, A.J. played an important role from the beginning. He spent his childhood helping out at the store, only leaving it to go to school. When he completed ninth grade in 1923, A.J. decided to drop out of school and focus entirely on helping his family and building the business (“Work Well Done” 25). A.J. was responsible for introducing the first electric appliance to the inventory, the electric clothes iron, as well as time payments so his customers could afford them (“Work Well Done” 32). On February 1, 1947, A.J. officially took over as the company president and majority shareholder. It was around this time that he began to introduce his sons, Peter and Gary, to the family business (“Work Well Done” 58). Soon, the company grew into a chain as it expanded into Long Island. After the death of his father P.C. in 1972, A.J. promoted himself to chairman of the board in 1974, and he held that position until his death, well into his nineties. Peter and Gary were originally named co-presidents, but this arrangement changed in 1982, when Gary became president and Peter became executive vice president. Soon, Gary’s son Gregg began to work his way into the fabric of the company in the same way his father and grandfather had, until he became president in 2004. A.J. died weeks later at ninety-five years old.
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Wikipedia