T-Mobile is raising its profile in the lakes area with a new store in Baxter that opened Friday.
Owner Jordan Van Maanen grew up in Watertown, S.D., with an interest in technology that came from a young age.
"I've always had a general passion for it," Van Maanen said.
That let to a desire to teach business but along the way Van Maanen got a job in a cellphone store and found he liked the work so much he was drawn back to it even after a stint away. Now he plans to put his interest in business education and technology together with the T-Mobile store in Baxter and three others he is opening in Minnesota in the next few months. Van Maanen said one of his goals is to assist businesses with technology and provide education on what is out there and at a low cost..
"I want to be part of the community and want to help other business be more efficient and to use any technology to improve what they are doing," he said.
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The Baxter store, which is in the Grizzly Center on the opposite end of the building with the Caribou Coffee building, employs five. The past week staff members have been going through training in preparation for the store opening.
Van Maanen started working for Verizon but said he found there were few opportunities to expand into store ownership given the company's footprint. In the last few years, he said, T-Mobile has ramped up its coverage area and now having a physical presence should assist in further growth. With T-Mobile's advances in speed and coverage, Van Maanen also found the opportunity he was looking for with its expansion into store fronts. T-Mobile already had the Brainerd area on its list for a location, Van Maanen suggested also going into Detroit Lakes. He'll be opening stores later this spring in Detroit Lakes and Moorhead and into Willmar by June. And he has a vision for further expansion to other states-North and South Dakota, as well as Wyoming. Van Maanen said getting into a position for store ownership was a two-year process.
So what makes T-Mobile, known for its signature magenta color, stand out among the crowd of mobile phone and technology providers? Van Maanen said he thinks T-Mobile's commitment to its customers is part of what makes it stand out among competitors. He pointed to T-Mobile CEO John Legere. Earlier this year CNBC did a profile of Legere and how he was changing the CEO game and the industry. Legere, the article noted, is known for his authenticity. Van Maanen pointed to Legere as the driving force to create pricing that was clear and understandable so customers who are quoted a figure for a monthly phone bill end up paying that price and not seeing a larger bill later because the original quote didn't include taxes and fees.
Legere is also known for visiting call centers to check on customer service, Van Maanen said, adding the CEO sets aside time to personally respond to customer emails.
In addition, Van Maanen pointed to T-Mobile as offering competitive rates. The store features the same phones people are accustomed to getting with other providers with iPhones, Samsung and other android options. T-Mobile allows customers who want to upgrade to new phones with regularity a pay plan that gives them an opportunity to trade in their phone after four to six months and they include equipment protection.
Van Maanen said T-Mobile lets people use the stores for replacements, instead of requiring them to ship phones for trade-ins through the mail.
"We handle everything in stores," he said, eliminating wait or potential concerns the trade-in credit may not be applied to their account. In addition, customers can go into any T-Mobile store across the country while other stores may not be able to do that even across the street because the stores are independently owned.
In addition to the mobile phones, the Baxter T-Mobile store includes other technology. One of Van Maanen's favorites is a 360-degree camera by Samsung. He said the images make a person feel as though they were there with the photographer. Van Maanen said he took the camera with him on a trip to Cuba and the images were stunning. Other items include Samsung's virtual reality headset, bluetooth speakers and headphones and items for technology connected cars, as well as tablets from iPads to android versions. The store is open seven days a week.
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Not a T-Mobile customer? Van Maanen pointed out the products in the store are open to anyone no matter who their current carrier is and if someone wants to make a switch they can see if their current phone would work with T-Mobile and what the coverage map looks like for the region and beyond. Van Maanen said T-Mobile is similar to Verizon in having a lower frequency that allows it to penetrate farther in terms of coverage.
A ribbon cutting event is expected at a later date. In the meantime, Van Maanen said he was looking forward to being involved in the community and part of the lakes area.
"We are just looking forward to getting going," he said.
Progress is steadily visible at the retail center going up in Baxter on the land off Elder Drive between Costco and J.C. Penney Co. with a crews and a crane lifting exterior walls into place last week. Tenants aren't expected to be there until fall of this year and spring of 2018.
The Brainerd Lakes YMCA recently let members know that longtime CEO Randy Klinger resigned. The YMCA stated a CEO search process will begin soon.
The Rodeway Inn hotel, on Fairview Road near SuperOne in Baxter, is getting a makeover. Hy-Tec Construction of Brainerd is currently working on the building as part of its conversion into an AmericInn Lodge and Suites.
