For the past 70 years, Clarke has led the evolution of the modern kitchen in New England.
It got its start back in 1955, just as refrigerators were becoming a fixture in American kitchens, when Jim Clarke, Sr. opened The Clarke Electric Company, in Stamford, CT. Four years later, he met the founder of Sub-Zero, Westye Bakke, at a trade show in Chicago, and soon became Sub-Zero’s number one independent sales rep in the U.S.
“He was so dedicated to making this brand a success,” reflects Sean Clarke, Jim’s grandson and current Clarke president, noting that Jim stayed with Sub-Zero until 1995.
Jim’s passion inspired his son Tom–now Clarke’s CEO–to expand Sub-Zero’s reach. In 1991 he launched Clarke Distribution Corporation, and was chosen as Sub-Zero’s wholesale distributor in New England, establishing the first Sub-Zero Showroom in the United States in Milford, MA.
Today, Clarke and Sub-Zero’s relationship remains strong. The brand is a fixture in Clarke’s three inviting Showrooms–two in Massachusetts and one in Connecticut–along with five other high-performance appliance brands: Wolf, Cove, The Galley, Best, and Scotsman. Fun fact: Clarke has more Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances on display than anywhere else in New England.
In reflecting on Clarke’s platinum anniversary, Sean points to the Showrooms as being “one of the most historic things that we did as an organization.” He explains that the Showrooms, which provide consumer education and kitchen design inspiration, have served as a model for others throughout the country, including the 37 other Sub-Zero Showrooms.
“Our showrooms are unique in that we work with the end user one-on-one to provide them with an amazing luxury experience,” says Showroom Director Marco Barallon, who’s been with Clarke for 25 years. “You can learn about a luxury product without being pressured into purchasing it.”
Even though customers can’t buy the appliances from a Clarke Showroom–they purchase from an authorized retailer–they can view product demonstrations, attend cooking classes and get their questions answered by highly skilled Showroom Consultants. They can also explore a variety of expertly designed, full-size kitchen displays to visualize how the different brands, styles and sizes would fit into their home.
Sean adds, “The experience the customer has is off the charts.”
In addition to overseeing the addition of the Boston Seaport Showroom, Sean, who joined the company in 2000 after spending a few years trying his hand at filmmaking in Hollywood, has led Clarke into several new lines of business, including a publishing company, a TV production company, and a real estate operating business.
“My grandfather never could’ve imagined,” marvels Sean. “We’ve never been complacent. We’re constantly pushing forward.”
There are also six service and parts businesses under the Clarke umbrella–all national leaders in performance, innovation and customer satisfaction–that have allowed the company to expand its coverage into new markets. These businesses provide superior service to Sub-Zero, Wolf, Cove, and Best customers, who are able to have their particular appliance serviced by technicians who focus solely on these brands.
Despite Clarke’s tremendous growth over the course of his tenure, Sean can easily point to his biggest challenge: in 2008, when he was working in business development, his father suddenly became ill, and he had to quickly step into the role of GM. Soon after, the global economy crashed, consumer spending fell, and retail sales took several years to recover.
“But we came through it really strong,” Sean recalls.
More recently, Sean was presented with a new and much different set of challenges when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. This time, customer demand soared due to homeowners finally having the time to tackle their home renovation projects. This increased demand combined with global supply chain issues caused Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove appliances, along with many other brands, to be backordered for months.
While delivery times have been back to normal for more than a year now, sales are stronger than ever. Throughout all of these ups and downs, one thing has stayed the same: Clarke is a family business at its core.
“Work is work, but we try to make it as familial as possible,” says Sean of his approach to running the company, which now has more than 110 employees spread across Clarke’s four business areas. “We know you’re spending a lot of time working with us, so let’s make sure we’re having fun and doing great stuff together.”
Marco agrees, citing the company’s generous employee benefits, accessible management and respect for individual differences as just a few reasons that many employees stay at Clarke for five, 10 or even 20 years.
“The Clarke family always thinks about the employees first and foremost,” he says. “And conversely, every single employee works extremely hard for the family.”
At age 75, Tom’s approach to business continues to have a strong influence on staff and their decision making, according to Marco. In fact, a common saying throughout all of Clarke is, “What would Tom do?” While Sean and his brother-in-law Mike are the only other Clarke family members who’ve stayed on staff, members of the younger generation–including Sean’s son, Hunter–have expressed interest in joining the team.
However, Hunter and his cousins–like their fathers before them–won’t have their pick of jobs at Clarke whenever they decide they’re ready. Not only do new family employees need to spend five years working outside of the industry before coming to work at Clarke, but they also have to work their way from the ground up.
“You’re not just given a job when you get out of college,” explains Sean, who was first put to work in the warehouse before getting exposure to other business areas. “That’s a very important distinction in our family.”
Looking ahead into Clarke’s 70th year, Marco is excited about the future of induction cooking and the new cooktops that are about to hit the market, while Sean is excited for the new Clarke videographer to start creating fresh content with the Showroom chefs. He’s also hoping to more fully explore the ownership experience–how Clarke engages with customers before, during and after their kitchen project, providing service and ongoing support from the Showroom team for the life of the appliances.
No matter what happens this year, or in the years ahead, it’s clear from its history that Clarke will keep innovating and evolving, to remain at the forefront of the luxury kitchen appliance industry.
When asked what Clarke’s legacy will be, Sean sums it up: “Hopefully we’ve improved the lives of families because they had better meals. They had more fun. The sad news that they got was a little less sad, and the happy parties were a little more exciting, because their kitchen was amazing.”