About Me
David Karabetyan
David started working for his father in their hardware store in Istanbul, Turkey in 1972. At the time, their store mainly focused on general hardware and plumbing supplies, but due to their location, they received a lot of customer traffic. In 1974, a customer came in asking them for a chainsaw. David had never seen a chainsaw before but he felt obliged to meet the needs of this customer because they were important to him. David reached out to Stihl to see if they can carry the line and was initially rejected. After many conversations, his persistence paid off and Stihl agreed to let them buy seven chainsaws at a time. After the first few days Stihl was surprised to find that all seven chainsaws had been paid for and sold and that the Karabetyans wanted another seven, and thus the relationship with Stihl had begun! By 1979, the Karabetyan family had become the largest Stihl wholesalers in all of Turkey.
In 1980, the Karabetyan family left Turkey and came to the United States. After arriving, they started searching for a new business in California and settled in Salinas where they purchased a small outdoor power equipment business that was for sale. Over time, Valley Saw became the largest outdoor power equipment retailer in Monterey County. In 1999, David started to become more involved in the tree care industry, initially developing relationships with Yale Cordage and Weaver arborist supplies. Today, he carries much more, including Teufelberger, Petzl, ISC, DMM, CMI, Rock Exotica, and more!
David is now approaching 50 years in the industry. He is affectionately called the “walking encyclopedia” by his customers when it comes to anything on outdoor power equipment. He is a mentor to all of his employees and helps them become the best possible version of themselves both personally and professionally. The quintessential entrepreneur, David is always looking for the best way to meet the evolving needs of his customers. He instills that same “can do” culture in his staff.
Favorite machine to sell: Lawnmowers and String Trimmers
Favorite Hobby: Dancing
Best part about working at Valley Saw: The customers– he thinks of them as his family.