Photo by Fred Connors Waiting out the effects of a slow economy, Kennedy Hardware and Outdoor Power Equipment president Tim Teufel says his company’s service department is doing well because a lot of people are having equipment repaired rather than replacing it.

    WHEELING—Coming off a dismal 2008 sales year, Kennedy Hardware and Outdoor Power Equipment is braced to wait out the current economic decline until better days return.
    The company’s president, Tim Teufel, said he cutting back on expenses until things pick up.
    “We are like a lot of other businesses,” Teufel said. “We are cutting back on inventory and watching daily expenses. We won’t be doing any major capital improvements to our buildings or adding any new trucks to our fleet.
    He said 2008 showed a decline in consumer and contractor sales.
    “Things usually dry up for us in June, but last year the economy dropped at about the same time,” he said. Our service department has been pretty steady because people are having equipment repaired rather than replacing  i.