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The Next Wave: Kam Appliances

Cape Cod Home  /  Autumn 2019 / ,

Writer: Haley Cote

The Next Wave: Kam Appliances

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Cape Cod Home  /  Autumn 2019 / ,

Writer: Haley Cote

Sarah Richardson & Brandi Felt Castellano

Kam Appliances

As marketing manager for KAM Appliances of Hyannis, Sarah Richardson shares the company’s passion for community. In all of her efforts, Richardson strives to show the community that KAM genuinely cares about its customers and ensuring they take home the best appliances for their individual needs. But how can you really decide what’s best for you, your family and your home without first seeing it in action? With that in mind, Richardson came up with a clever idea: bring on board a professional chef to showcase in-house all of the possibilities of KAM’s wide range of kitchen appliances. Enter Brandi Felt Castellano, a Cape native with 20 years of restaurant experience. Together, Richardson and Castellano hope to make the appliance-buying process not only easier but also more fun.

CCH: Sarah, what would you say you bring to the table at KAM?
SR: I think I come in with a different marketing view than they’ve had in the past. When KAM started, it was radio and newspaper, those were the two avenues of advertising. Now, it’s so much more. There are different ways of doing TV – there’s digital TV, there’s regular TV. There’s digital radio, there’s regular radio. There’s Google Search and there’s Facebook. There are all these digital ways to go. With our Instagram, I try to make it so unique. My goal is to reach different people, and I think it’s working.

CCH: You mentioned making KAM’s Instagram unique…
SR: A lot of the brands we sell will offer us ads, and they’re the same ads every dealer is using across the country. I want to differentiate KAM. I want to show off more who we are. Since we recently hired Chef Brandi, in the last few weeks it’s been a lot of food, which is great because who doesn’t like to see pictures of food? Hopefully it inspires people to stop by and see what she’s doing.

CCH: Sarah, tell me more about your decision to bring Chef Brandi on board the KAM team. And Brandi, why did you decide to join KAM?
SR: I think it’s hard for a lot of people to visualize how something will work. We can tell you how it’s going to work, but if we’re able to show you with actual food, it takes it to the next level. And I think you then have a certain level of comfort with what you’re purchasing. That’s something we really wanted to offer to customers – to help them in a different, fun way. It’s an experience.
BFC: At KAM, I get to cook food on the best appliances, and talk to customers with real-life application and experience on the products. And there is a lot of potential for what we can do with this position. The sky is the limit. 

CCH: What can people expect from this new collaboration?
SR: Expect Brandi to start posting some cooking classes. She’s coming up with these great menus to do as in-store demonstrations. She recently did an anti-inflammatory diet – she made these Tahini Brownies out of sweet potatoes. So expect unique, fun menus to come from her, and then also really fun, different cooking classes. And if people want to suggest something, they can email us and we will add it to the agenda. There’s going to be a little something for everybody at different times. We also will bring groups of builders in to show them the different appliances too, and Brandi’s here to cook up some food for them.
BFC: We’ll get more involved with helping the community and helping new customers. Long-term, my role will help people seek out KAM rather than just a regular appliance store – it will be the place for people to go and learn and get a new perspective. 

CCH: What advice would you give fellow young professionals looking to succeed here?
SR: Find the job that makes you smile and laugh – I laugh all the time here. Find the job that makes you the happiest. Don’t go for a job with a title and glamour – go for a job that makes you enjoy your day.
BFC: You need to have drive and patience, and be a part of the community. You have to find your village and support your village and be a part of it all.

Haley Cote

Haley Cote is the assistant editor for Cape Cod Life Publications. A lifelong Cape Cod resident, Haley is an alumna of Barnstable High School and Cape Cod Community College. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Suffolk University. When she’s not writing, this self-described “pop culture junkie” also loves discovering new music and catching up on the “Real Housewives.”