Betsy Samuel understands what it means to run a family business.
When Betsy’s father began AVM Enterprises in 1980, he operated from his garage while his wife worked as a nurse. Having immigrated from India six years earlier, the couple dreamed of starting their own business and furthering their careers along with their growing family. And from the very beginning, Betsy said her father expanded the business through relationships and honoring agreements made with clients.
“Everything was built on a handshake back then,” says Betsy. “The whole business was built on that.”
Thanks to those solid relationships and handshake deals, AVM grew out of Betsy’s father’s garage and into the wholesale giant it is today. AVM Enterprises supplies hospitality and janitorial products and accessories for clients in the hotel and healthcare industries across the Southeastern United States.
Growing With Integrity
Throughout all the changes, Betsy has remained committed to her family’s values. The company’s website still mentions that AVM is “dedicated to the principles of honesty, integrity, customer relationships, quality products, service and value.”
While the company continues to grow, Betsy and her team maintain their local roots, operating three expansive warehouses in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They sell many products that hotel and hospitality providers need to manage their businesses smoothly and efficiently.
Responding to a Changing World
In 2019, AVM expanded its product offerings to include items for the healthcare industry like toilet paper and hand sanitizer. After years of focusing on hotels’ needs, AVM expanded its client base to include facilities like hospitals and senior living care centers.
This shift enabled Betsy and her team to pivot during the global pandemic to continue serving customers. Shortly after the pandemic began, clients on the front lines of the pandemic could access the protective gear they needed at AVM.
“The year before COVID, we started branching out to other things,” says Betsy. “When COVID came, we were the ones who had sought-after items like toilet paper.”
Thanks to Betsy’s foresight and commitment to the business, AVM expanded its services successfully and continues to produce and sell many of these high-demand items.
A Business Built on Relationships
For Betsy and her staff, it’s critically important to continue her father’s legacy and philosophy of growing the business by prioritizing relationships. It was this focus that eventually led her to choose SouthEast Bank.
“A lot of places nowadays see you as a number,” says Betsy. “I want to be able to go somewhere, and they say ‘Hi’ because they know me.”
After past banking relationships moved toward automation and away from face-to-face interaction, Betsy met SouthEast Bank Senior Vice President Linda White, and a decade-long working relationship began.
“{SouthEast Bank has} done some really great things for us,” says Betsy. “They’re approachable, and they cater to our needs. When you call, you can actually talk to someone. You’re not just a number.”
Betsy appreciates outstanding customer service, as the AVM team aims to maintain the same standard of excellence in managing their clients across the country. Community focus is a value AVM shares with SouthEast Bank.
“You can go talk to them,” says Betsy. “That makes a big difference with your banker, and that’s how we run our business.”
As AVM Enterprises continues to cement itself as an industry leader in hospitality and healthcare wholesale providers, SouthEast Bank is proud to support Betsy and her team’s continued growth at AVM.
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Information contained in this blog is for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing contained in this blog should be construed as legal or tax advice. An attorney or tax advisor should be consulted for advice on specific issues.
