Karen Baker - Bennetts Green Store Manager

Karen Baker has always liked working with people and throughout her 13-year career, she has worked for some of Australia’s leading retail outlets. But even though she has enjoyed her past roles, Karen believes the past three and a half years as store manager of Bing Lee Bennetts Green have been the highlight of her working life.

“I love the fact that Bing Lee is a family owned business and they give me all the support and help I need to get the job done,” says Karen. “While many companies pay lip service to team building initiatives, Bing Lee actually delivers and there’s a real feeling of camaraderie among its 600-plus employees.”

Like many busy working mothers, Karen’s day starts with getting her teenage daughters ready for school and seeing her husband off to work before heading into Bing Lee for an action packed day.

According to Karen, no two days are the same, with her projects ranging from ticketing the showroom with new promotions, through to presenting existing products in a new and interesting way. She always makes sure to spend some time each day serving the customers - a personal touch that Karen attributes to the late Bing Lee Founder and Chairman, Ken Lee.

“During the big Newcastle floods, Ken Lee was at that time in hospital, but he still took the time to call and check that all our staff and their families were OK. It’s this kind of caring attitude that I believe is Ken’s legacy, which remains today and makes Bing Lee a warm and welcoming place for both customers and staff.”

Nick Lazaridis - Audio Visual & Television Buyer

It seems that time flies when you are having fun and for Bing Lee’s AV & Television buyer Nick Lazaridis, this is exactly what he’s had as part of the Bing Lee team for the past nine years.

Prior to joining the NSW and ACT based electrical retailer, Nick held positions with Kleenmaid and Copperart but said it was the opportunity to be a part of a friendly family environment that drew him to Bing Lee.

“Bing Lee has always been a family orientated business – you become a part of the Lee family when you join the company. The people are the business and there is a strong and loyal commitment from everyone in the team from the sales floor up. The culture of the company is as strong as ever.”

While Nick’s day isn’t quite how his daughter describes it - meeting up with friends to chat and drink coffee all day – he jokes that it is pretty close.

“While there is no ‘average’ day, it’s somewhat like coming in to chat with old friends about business and products. Each day I am talking with our suppliers, who we have incredibly strong relationships with, to staff in head office and in our stores finalising advertising details or stock availability. There really is no two days that are the same.”

As a buyer for Bing Lee, Nick is responsible for overseeing the acquisition of stock within his department including LCD and plasma televisions, DVD players and recorders etc, talking to suppliers about new and upcoming product launches, identifying market and product trends, monitoring sales figures for products in-store and assisting in the company’s catalogue development.

“It’s imperative that I’m across the latest products and that I’m able to identify upcoming trends in my category. An understanding of leading edge technology before it hits the market, is also important”, said Nick.

Asked how he sees Bing Lee moving forward into its next 50 years Nick said, “It’s a dynamic market and Bing Lee is able to adapt to the many changes that occur on a daily basis and will occur in years to come. We will continue to press forward, adopting new trends and technology in the Australian market in order to improve our offering and always treat our customers well giving them the right advice and the best negotiable price.”

Darrin Young - Eastwood Franchisee/ Proprietor

Bing Lee Eastwood proprietor, Darrin Young, spent almost a decade with Fisher and Paykel before joining Bing Lee in 2002. According to Darrin, what attracted him to the company was the personal consideration he received when liaising with Bing Lee compared with many other electrical retailers.

“The first thing I noticed when I started working for Bing Lee was the company’s approach, which is based on good old fashioned family values - for both employees and customers,” said Darrin. “Bing Lee chooses to be part of the local community with many stores in community centres rather than just having a few larger-sized mega stores.”

A typical day for Darrin begins with a thorough, yet entertaining staff briefing before the doors open at 9.00 am, which Darrin says is “when the fun begins!”

Darrin enjoys being involved with every facet of the business, from sales to customer liaison, receiving goods and even product displays and merchandising.

His personal philosophy includes never asking a staff member to do anything he is not prepared to do himself and providing the highest level of service. In fact, Darrin believes it’s Bing Lee’s customer service that sets the company apart from the competition.

“We always put the customer first. We offer quick delivery and we offer the best prices – and that’s a winning combination!”

Keith Steel - Rhodes Store Manager

Located in Sydney’s western suburbs, Keith Steel is manager of Bing Lee’s flagship store located at Rhodes Shopping Centre.

After completing his degree in marketing and working for Ikea, Keith joined Bing Lee over 10 years ago. Having worked at a number of Bing Lee stores during this time, including Homebush and Bankstown, Keith has been a witness to many changes in the company and industry.

“We’ve grown as a company a great deal since I first began,” Keith explains. “As a company we have continued to go from strength to strength. It is through the hard work of the entire company that we’ve continued to earn the respect of our customers and our suppliers.”

As a store manager, Keith’s days are varied and always busy.

“Each day I’m involved in assisting my staff and customers, many of whom have been longstanding customers of the store, ensuring we always have adequate stock on hand. As store manager I am also involved in head office initiatives involving advertising and ensuring I’m able to provide all the tools my staff need to provide the best service.”

Keith attributes his long service with the company to the team environment and company culture.

“I’ve been able to develop as a manager during my time at Bing Lee and this is due to the ability for all staff to communicate openly with top level management. We all have the same goals and want to see each other succeed – it’s great to work for a company where we are able to be heard and given the opportunity to develop professionally.”

Simon Baltsas - Bankstown Store Manager

Continuing the family tradition that has seen Bing Lee flourish for over 50 years, Simon Baltsas became involved with company long before he began working at their Liverpool store in 1995.

His father, Theo Baltsas, has been the manager of Bing Lee Fairfield for over 30 years and Simon says Bing Lee has been a part of his family for as long as he can remember.

“Bing Lee has been a part of my life for many years – you could say I have grown up with it! I began working as a casual storeman in the Fairfield store in 1995 and worked my way up from there, learning the ropes as I moved forward.”

Simon, who is now the manager of Bing Lee Bankstown, one of Bing Lee’s busiest and most successful stores has also worked in the company’s Liverpool, Homebush and Sydney CBD stores.

“The industry we operate in has changed so much, even in the time I’ve been with the company; however, Bing Lee has always remained family focused and working towards giving our customers the best possible service and price.”

“Working as a part of the Bing Lee team, I’ve been challenged and rewarded on a daily basis. I have gained invaluable experience in all aspects of the business and I’m always made to feel a part of the bigger picture. We are not just numbers.”

When asked what he thought made Bing Lee stand out from the crowd, Simon said: “Bing Lee is quite unlike other companies, it’s rare to be able to pick up the phone and have conversations on a frequent basis with people like the managing director or the company owner. It is this personalised concept that makes it unique.”