United Radio Celebrates 100 Years
March 9, 2023Company News
Newly re-launched United Radio eBay store reaches 100 Perfect Positive Reviews!
Thursday March 2, 2023The Automotive Radio Sales department re-launched the United Radio eBay store in mid-2022, and after six months of active sales the group has recently hit 100 buyer reviews, and every single one is a perfect…
Phil Rubenstein on leadership: Six core values at the heart of a century-old company
Tuesday November 8, 2022The following story was featured on syracuse.com as part of their weekly “Conversations on Leadership” column. By Stan Linhorst | StanLinhorst@gmail.com United Radio celebrates its 100th anniversary in January. Jacob Rubenstein founded the company in 1923 as…
Mike Fabery to take part in Remanufacturing Sectors: Consumer Products webinar
Tuesday November 8, 2022Mike Fabery, United Radio Automotive Operations manager will take part in Remanufacturing Sectors: Consumer Products webinar. November 9, 2022, 10:00 am EDT Description This is the second webinar in a new series where RIC will…
United Radio employee focus: Jim Fellows, Director of Technical Development
Jim recently celebrated his 50th year of employment at United Radio! He has held several positions during the last half century with the company and is currently Director of Technical Development, which involves training United Radio employees to get their Certified Electronics Technician certification amongst other accreditations. Also, in support of United Radio’s dedication to community and industry service, Jim serves on the Board of Directors for several local schools and national electronics trade organizations.
Jim possesses several industry-related accolades. Two that he is most proud of include being inducted into the National Electronics Industry Hall of Fame “For outstanding service to mankind through contributions to the advancement of the electronics industry” in 2012.
Jim also received the first-ever Gerry M. McCann, CET/CSM/EHF Memorial from the National Electronic Services Dealers Association, “For dedication to promoting the goals and welfare of NESDA” during the preceding year in 2008. He again received the award in 2019.
We asked some members of our Senior Management Team this question: “What has Jim Fellows meant to you and your division during his 50 years of service to UR?”
Here are their responses.
Phil Rubenstein: Jim Fellows has been a teacher and mentor to me for many of his 50 years at United Radio, in not just electronics, but also customer service and when to use more commas.
Mara Charlamb: Where do I begin to try to explain what Jim Fellows has meant to me over the vast majority of my life? As Jim will tell you, he has known me since I was in diapers. Our relationship has seen many different phases over the course of 5 decades. He has watched over me when I was young, taught me about United Radio, and managed me when I was working in “the Shop” as we used to call it. Today, he is still trying to teach me electronics, advise me on things that have or have not worked in the past, and ensure that Phil and I continue the success of United Radio. Most importantly, Jim is FAMILY and I don’t tell him that enough!
Keith Martin: The thing that stands out to me about Jim is his enthusiasm and willingness to teach others the things he has learned. He has spent years not only trying to better people for United Radio but to also give them skills that will make them better for the rest of their lives.
Jim Fitzgerald: I have had the pleasure of seeing the amount of respect and admiration Jim is viewed with from people in our industry. His name is synonymous with United Radio in our industry. The legacy he has created is well known and respected. I aspire to gain the respect and influence he has achieved in our industry. He is a role model and hero to me.
Mark Fuller: “For me, Jim has always represented our commitment as an organization to “Learning, growing and accepting challenges…” He and Arnie bring a wealth of history, institutional knowledge and deliver plain-talk perspective often when it is difficult for some of us to hear. I appreciate Jim’s commitment to teaching, his ability to meet his students where they are and his innate knowledge of how stuff works.
Here is some more about Jim:
What makes you the happiest at work? When we are recognized by a customer or dealer for the great service we provided.
When not at work, you’ll probably find me doing this: Reading, working on my old house, and playing guitar.
Looking into the future, the one thing I’m most excited about for United Radio is: The amount of electronics in almost all new products; automotive, industrial, and consumer is increasing at a very fast rate. New semiconductors entering the market promise to make greater advances in efficiency, especially in the automotive and power industries. United Radio can service almost any type of electronic equipment, so the opportunities are endless.
Why have I stayed at United Radio for 50 years?
My previous job was as part owner of a small electronics service business in Oneida, NY. We ran a very ethical company, and prided ourselves in how well we treated our customers. I knew about United Radio at that time and had heard they had a great reputation. Also, I had purchased parts from them in 50s and 60s when they were in the old State St. location, and I was always treated very well at the counter. When I was offered a job at UR, it was a tough decision, but I felt in the long run it would be the right choice. After a very short time at UR, I really enjoyed the family atmosphere and how well everyone worked together. Equally important, their business philosophy meshed very well with my own. In short, just “Do the right thing”. Today that is summarized in our “Core Values”, and I often refer to it as the “United Radio Way”. I’m very proud of how we conduct business at UR, and have never regretted choosing to come here.
Dedicated. Inspired. United.
Dion Ford goes home to attend “A showcase of Black Excellence”
Some people believe the saying “you can’t go home again,” which means “past times which are fondly remembered are irrecoverably in the past and cannot be relived.”
Doin Ford is not one of those people.
Dion recently attended an event at his former high school in Syracuse, New York, Henninger, for “A showcase of Black Excellence”. According to Dion, this event is held every year during Black History Month and the school invites individuals of color to speak and answer questions about their profession and how they got there.”
We asked Dion some question about his participation in the event:
Q. Why did you decide to attend?
A. I decided to attend because I once roamed the halls of Henninger High School and walked in the shoes of many of the students. I feel I can relate to them which gives me and my story credibility. I also feel it’s important not to forget where you come from and to give back when you can. There are enough bad examples of what not to do we need to counter that with positive examples.
Q. What did you explain to the students you spoke with regarding your career?
I explained how I came from a very low-income household, that resonated with some individuals. I also explained how there are many resources available to help them achieve success. The military was my catalyst to success where I learned a trade and earned money for college which I put to use once I served my time. You trade four years of your life for a college education. That led me to 18-year career at United Radio where I was afforded the lifestyle I enjoy now.
Q. What were some of the questions you received from the students you spoke with?
What was the Navy like? How much money for college can you earn? What is my job at UR? Where have I traveled while in Military? What was my job in the military?
Q. Would you like to do something like this again?
Absolutely! I truly enjoy being a mentor, especially to the underserved.
Thank you Dion for taking the time to participate in this event. This is a fine example of our United Radio core value, “We have a responsibility to each other to create a better community.”
Consumer, Automotive R&D Innovation Lab team up for customer solution
When the Valve company approached our Consumer Division looking for a productive way to remanufacture broken Steam Deck gaming devices, Business Development Manager Mark Daily turned to the United Radio Research and Development Innovation group for a solution.
Mark Daily approached Dan Marafino, Product & Process Design Team Lead Engineer, with a challenge. Could he create a jig that would allow United Radio repair technicians to replace the LCD modules on the Valve Steam Deck for this new repair program that is set to launch in our Salt Lake City facility.
“Dan took the challenge and ran with it,” said Mark Daily. “His vision and experience aided in developing this design. What he created meets our needs and looks really cool!”
Dan explained the creation process. “The design of the assembly started with downloading the 3D model of the Steam Deck from the open-source repository for the project. Using the provided 3D model, it was imported into Solidworks and the fixture was designed around it in multiple pieces. Once designed it was then printed using a few of the 3D printers in the RDI lab including the Prusa i3 Mk3 and the Creality CR10 V3. The model was printed
using a combination of PLA and Polycarbonate for the latch.”
“The Steam Deck Clamp Fixture device that the Dan’s group created, allows the Consumer Division to provide an
in-house solution for the application of the display panel onto the Valve Steam Deck gaming device,” said Daily. “Having this mechanism will provide us with a solid process that will allow us to process the repair and avoid sending the unit back to the OEM for a display replacement.”
The plan is to develop three Steam Deck Clamp Fixture devices for use in Salt Lake City.
“The Consumer Division would like to give a big shoutout and thank you to the Automotive Product & Process Design group,” said Jim Fitzgerald, Consumer General Manager. “It’s this type of collaboration that allows United Radio to provide custom solutions for our customers.”
