Ralph Helm, Inc. in Elgin celebrates 100 years

A lot has changed in Elgin in the past 100 years, but dedication to customer care has been a constant for Ralph Helm, Inc.

The outdoor power equipment and parts dealer recently celebrated a century in business.

"Competitors have come and gone, but we know that as long as we maintain our service and our relationship with our customers, we'll be all right," said third-generation owner Ralph Helm III.

Helm's grandfather, the original Ralph Helm, opened the business in 1923 with his brother Ed on Brook Street in downtown Elgin. Helm Brothers soon moved to 231 Douglas Ave., where they stayed for 49 years before moving to their current location at 36W710 Foothill Road in 1981.

The company passed through the family to Ralph Helm Jr., who was partnered with Burt Pearsall for a time. When Pearsall left in 1972, Helm and Pearsall became Ralph Helm, Incorporated.

That same year current partner Jim Brandes joined the company as a 15-year-old working for Ralph Jr. Ralph III joined the company in 1982.

The company came in as gas-powered tractors were becoming commonplace, though they did stock some parts for horse-drawn equipment. They also sold International Harvester's line of large kitchen appliances and various farm supplies.

"Back then, Saturdays were the day for shopping, and people would come downtown," Helm said. "The wives would go one way to do their shopping, and the husbands would do their shopping at my grandfather's store."

Helm III and Brandes took over as 50/50 partners from Ralph Jr. in the early 1990s.

"He told us if there was ever a disagreement where one said to do one thing and the other said to do another, do what Jim says," Helm recalled.

Current store manager Mike Jarvis joined the company in 1995.

Even though the three men aren't related, they feel like they are.

"We are a family business," Jarvis said. "We're basically all like family even though we're not blood-related. Jim and Ralph are like my brothers."

What's the key to staying in business for 100 years? The three men agree they owe their success to service.

"Take care of the customers every day," Brandes said.

Their main competition now is big box stores, which they said people may perceive as more convenient or cheaper, even though generally Helm's prices are the same or lower.

"The advantage we have over the big box stores is our service," Brandes said.

Jarvis said the business has been built throughout its history on having a personal relationship with its customers.

"When it comes down to service, that's why people come to us," Jarvis said. "We don't hard sell our products. We sell our company and our service. We talk about the benefits of buying from us."

That benefit includes The Ralph Helm, Inc. Advantage, which guarantees that if you buy equipment from them and it should ever need service, they'll complete the job in one working week. If they can't, they'll give you a free loaner to use until the repair is done.

That guarantee is a next-day turnaround for their many professional landscaping customers.

"They're earning their livings with these mowers and these weedeaters," Helm said. "They just can't afford to be down."

Helm said to provide quality service they look for quality people when hiring, no matter what their background is.

Jarvis, for example, came to the company after working at a bank.

"He might have been able to change a spark plug, I don't know," he said. "We can teach people what they need to know, but it's very difficult to teach someone how to be nice and how to care about a customer's needs."

The company has 17 employees. Jarvis said they don't have much turnover and that on average their workers have been there about 10 years.

"People come here, we treat them well, and they stay here," he said.

But two of those people won't be around much longer. After 100 years with at least one Helm at the helm, that will change in 2024 when Helm and Brandes retire and Jarvis takes over the business.

"I'm so humbled to be able to carry on the tradition," Jarvis said. "And we're not changing the name. Our customers know where to find us and what to expect from us, so we're excited."

Helm said they've been planning the transition for nine years. He said he and Brandes have been working at least one job since they were 15.

"I'm looking forward to not having a job for a while," he said.

That being said, Helm said that, like his father and grandfather before him, he'll be around.

"My grandfather, he stopped working but he never stopped coming to the store," he said. "He'd come down and drink coffee and smoke cigars with his buddies. My dad would still come by all the time.

"You get to the point you've done it so long you're just used to it."

Jarvis said it's bittersweet to be taking over at the expense of his friends retiring, but he added that Helm and Brandes will always have a role.

"Even though they're going to be gone from a day-to-day aspect, they're still going to be around and be here as mentors. And they can help sweep the floors," he said.