Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) has announced plans to hire an unspecified number of Amateur Electronic Supply (AES) employees, when AES shuts down its four locations in late July. In addition, the current AES Headquarters store in Milwaukee will become HRO’s newest location later this summer, following renovation. On July 1, AES announced that it was going out of business and ending retail operations at its Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Cleveland, and Orlando locations. With the approval of AES management, HRO senior managers visited each AES location to interview staffers in hopes of “acquiring some of the Amateur Radio retail employee talent in each of the current AES locations,” an HRO news release said.

“Together with this interview process, HRO examined what it would take to perhaps acquire one or more of the AES store locations. At the time of these interviews, many opportunities were explored with current AES senior management,” the release continued. “We are very excited to announce that HRO was successful in providing offers of employment to a number of soon-to-be-former AES employees, and that to some, we have offered positions that involve HRO-sponsored and funded relocation.

HRO announced that once AES shutters its Milwaukee location at 5710 W Good Hope Road on July 28, Ham Radio Outlet will undertake an extensive remodeling project to create a new HRO Milwaukee store at the same site, which will open at the end of August.

“It is with great pleasure that we are able to continue Terry Sterman and Phil Majerus’ legacy of providing a fantastic Amateur Radio store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” HRO President Robert Ferrero, W6KR. “It is our immediate goal to have the largest, most well-stocked Amateur Radio retail store in North America and perhaps even the world.” HRO National Sales Manager Steve Gilmore, W4SHG, said the Milwaukee location will be “a showplace that all must come see!”

After AES closes on July 28, all former AES locations’ direct and toll-free telephone numbers will be redirected to the closest HRO location, and the AES website will be directed to HRO’s website.

A family-owned business, HRO is the world’s largest Amateur Radio dealership, with locations from New England to the West Coast. It opened a new outlet in Plano, Texas, in February 2015 and is relocating and expanding its Portland, Oregon, store, which will open on July 25 at 14405 SW Pacific Highway.