16-PAGE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL AUGUST 30, 2015
2. SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL
AUGUST 30, 2015
WILDEY in the early days.
H
ugh Blades and Dereck Foster had long been good friends by the time fate threw them together at the same workplace, but working at the same company added a new dimension to their friendship and prompted an even greater level of mutual respect. Outside of their jobs, the two shared an interest in cars. Hugh, who at the time was a champion jockey in Caribbean horse racing circles, always enjoyed sprucing up his car with the latest accessories, while Dereck’s full-time hobby was buying wrecked cars, fixing them up, and then selling them. Given Dereck’s passion for car bodywork, it was no surprise that one of his main roles at the company was managing the automotive paints division. Burning with enthusiasm and new ideas, Dereck was keen to push the development of his department, especially with regard to adopting new polyurethane and two-stage technologies that were just then emerging on the international market. Unfortunately, his boss was reluctant to invest more money into what he perceived to be an expensive and risky new undertaking. He preferred to focus on the company’s main core business and keep car paints as a relatively small sideline. Disappointed but not disillusioned, Dereck remained convinced that the latest advances in technology were destined to revolutionise the car paint industry and he soon started to dream of starting his own company to capitalise on the new and exciting opportunities he saw on the horizon. When Dereck shared these ideas with Hugh, he was delighted to discover that his friend shared the same vision and was even willing to take the plunge with him. In true entrepreneurial pioneering spirit, the two fledgling businessmen resigned from their jobs and started to scratch together whatever funds they could muster HUGH BLADES AND to finance their DERECK FOSTER (GP) new start-up. By giving up their secure jobs, complete with guaranteed income, pension plan and company car, and committing every cent they owned to the new business, they literally put their lives on the line. It was the ultimate leap of faith. Hugh Blades recalled: “If we had failed, we would literally have lost our houses. When we started out, Dereck and I had to share an old, beaten-up Suzuki delivery van as our company car. I’d collect him from his home in the morning on the way to work and then drop him off again at the end of the day. It was a ridiculous situation really, but that was what was necessary, so we just made it work. “Fortunately, after about six months, we’d made enough money to buy a second old, beaten-up Suzuki delivery van. So then we had one each and at that time it felt like a luxury.” Dereck’s wife Theresa came up with the appealing and instantly understandable name Automotive Art, a logo was designed, and in August 1990 they set out on their journey to revolutionise how automotive paints and products were manufactured, marketed, and sold in Barbados and beyond. In their previous jobs, Hugh and Dereck had worked with Glasurit, a division of the German company BASF that produced, high quality automotive paints, but that relationship had been based on the old, outdated technology. So now the two partners were determined to launch their own business on the back of the new Glasurit technology. However, that would require much more financing than they had available, so the next step was to secure some investment. Today, both Hugh and Dereck are keen to acknowledge that deciding to approach Ralph Johnson and Andrew Phillips at Harris Paints was one of the key factors to their future success.
Those two very experienced and successful businessmen immediately saw the value in what Automotive Art had to offer and shrewdly concluded that it made much more sense to work alongside the vibrant new company instead of competing head-on. This resulted in the establishment of Harris Automotive and Technical Coatings Inc., a joint venture between Harris Paints and the Blades/Foster team. With the new investors having the confidence to let the young entrepreneurs run their own show, the partnership meshed well, with Harris Parris focusing more on manufacturing and Automotive Art more on retailing. From a very modest start-up, operating in extremely
(GP)
limited premises on Tweedside Road, Automotive Art very quickly proved to be a successful business, recording healthy profits by year two. Much of that early success can be credited to Hugh and Dereck’s commitment to investing in the new Glasurit technology, since it was that bold step that rapidly spearheaded Automotive Art to the top of the ladder in the automotive paints retail market. Having been granted the regional distribution rights to the Glasurit brand throughout the Caribbean, Automotive Art rapidly brought about a revolutionary change in the body shops in Barbados and, in doing so, firmly established Glasurit
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AUGUST 30, 2015
SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL. 3
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n just the same way that when you repaint the walls of a house, it usually makes you think you also need to repaint the doors and windows, so it is with cars. As soon as a car gets new bodywork and a respray, it is glaringly evident that it would look even more impressive with some new tyres, rims, and other extras. Based on that simple scenario, as evidenced by increasing requests from customers and further encouraged by the growing success of their paint retail store, Automotive Art decided to expand into selling car accessories. While continuing to develop its range of brands in the refinish market, the company also started to diversify into other related automotive categories. As an obvious first step, this involved retailing industry-related paint product items such as sandpaper, spray guns and compressors, which were naturally complimentary to the refinish business. However, the company’s ultimate goal was to diversify into broader automotive categories such as tyres, wheels, car accessories, automotive chemicals, additives, waxes, and polishes. At this point, the partners started to build a professional management team to assist in driving growth, and putting systems and controls in place. Dereck Foster, executive chairman of Automotive Art, said that “throughout the years, Automotive Art has maintained a policy of attracting good management, often from much bigger companies than ours, and that has made us stronger at the strategic level. “In fact we have been very fortunate to find really good people to work with us at every level of our business. We believe in employing people who can help us grow and grow themselves at the same time.”
STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT used by Automotive Art in the beginning. Inset top, the first tyre centre which opened in 1996. (GPs) The company then set about consolidating seemed to be the area where we heard most the good reputation the retail store had complaints from customers, which we already earned itself while selling paint naturally interpreted as a good opportunity products, by adding new car accessory lines for us to step in and get involved. In the end, and further developing the quality of the it was a major coup for us when we client’s shopping experience. introduced the island’s first tyre service In days gone by, the vast majority of car that was built around the customer’s own accessory retail outlets were essentially addpersonal comfort, complete with an ons to garages and mechanic workshops, not air-conditioned waiting area. specialist retailers. So when Automotive “We transformed the whole system of Art launched its new model of a very clean, changing tyres literally overnight, making it carefully laid out store with a modern, quick and hassle-free. We progressed from welcoming feel, it proved to be a real being the smallest tyre outlet to the biggest game changer. in less than two years, by which time we Automotive Art customers soon had bought out Barbados Tyre Centre. That started to recognise that their business was acquisition in 1998 really shook up the truly valued and shopping for car products market because as well as getting their became a pleasure. superior tyre brands, we also took over Current Chief Executive Officer of their top-quality tool lines. Automotive Art, Doug Armstrong, “After that it was almost an inevitable step explained: “We merely changed a difficult for us to start also selling wheels and rims, buying experience into a simple pleasure. then car batteries, all with the same focus on We quickly recognised that many vehicle providing a quick and easy service to ensure owners, especially women, found buying car maximum customer comfort. products to be an uncomfortable ordeal, “By the time we expanded our product so we set out to make life easier for them. lines to include car cleaners, waxes and “We started with tyres because that accessories, we knew we had a well rounded
store that offered an enjoyable shopping experience. “Today, our latest store at Welches can be considered world class by any standards and it has become a popular destination store for browsers. I think that people in Barbados really appreciate what we are doing because cars are so expensive to buy here that owners need to really look after them properly to protect their investment. “With that in mind, we always try to work with the world’s best brands. And I’m pleased to say that those leading brands are generally happy to work with Automotive Art.” Along with the expansion of the retail store and the revolutionary introduction of the Glasurit computerised paint mixing systems, the other extremely successful move for Automotive Art in those relatively early days was the provision of technical training and product and equipment demonstrations for their clients. At its own considerable expense, Automotive Art invested in the future growth of its clients and potential clients by inviting them to attend workshop presentations and training sessions to enhance their knowledge base and expertise. Since many of these bodyworkers and painters had never really had any previous formal education and training, this represented a totally unprecedented level of support. They instantly appreciated the golden opportunity that had been placed before them and readily understood that this forward-thinking step could help them to become more professional and grow their own business enormously. Inevitably, the response to the free training on offer was overwhelming, and Automotive Art eventually held hundreds of these sessions in the first few years, essentially every time it launched a new product. At the same time that Automotive Art was busy developing mutually beneficial relationships with many small to medium-sized workshop clients, the company also forged long-lasting alliances with bigger clients such as Simpson Motors and McEnearney Quality Incorporated. The bodywork shop at Simpson Motors,
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4. SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL
AUGUST 30, 2015
• From Page 2.
Reflections from Chief Executive Officer Doug Armstrong. t’s hard to believe 25 years have passed since we first opened our doors.
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I joined Automotive Art on June 1, 1992, in what has turned out to be one of the pivotal decisions of my life, and what I still vividly remember to this day is how powerful I felt that we could make the company a real success in the future, and how hard we all focused to make this dream a reality (…and still do to this day). We worked very hard in those early years, six days a week every week, and most days late into the night due to unstuffing containers, recovering from occasional computer system crashes and searching for new product and category opportunities. While our hard work paid early dividends in terms of growth, I think one of the first cultural tenets that matured into part of our DNA in those initial years was that we always saw that our destiny lay outside of Barbados. This is not to say Barbados was not an important part of our early success, but as far back as I remember there was always this focus of going beyond Barbados – a dream of becoming first a regional and then a global player. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER This belief is really Doug Armstrong (GP) something that not only defined who we were, and what we wanted to become, but also really made us a bit unique in the landscape of corporate Barbados. I have so many fond memories of working to grow our company across the Caribbean in our early years. Little did I understand that those early adventures would create a broader corporate mindset for trade and growth outside of Barbados, as well as develop and refine our business outlook for much bigger global undertakings down the road. While the first 25 years were spent developing our business model, and refining our corporate culture and values, the next 25 will be all about execution and leveraging all that we have built on a global scale. Our focus is rapidly shifting to managing geographically diverse sales teams, developing distribution and logistics infrastructure to support our expanding geography, accessing new forms of capital to fund our growth, as well as investing in quality control, technology, and plant and equipment. It will be about pulling these variables together into an equation that will deliver innovation to our business, create sustainable competitive advantage for our company, and differentiation for our brand. It’s no surprise that we continue to focus on innovation since it is what allowed us to grow from strength to strength from our humble beginnings. While many of these initiatives will be new to the organisation, one thing that will remain the same is
• From Page 3. in particular, is a truly world-class facility, servicing leading global brands such as Mercedes, so it is a huge compliment and very powerful endorsement that it exclusively uses Automotive Art products. It is fair to say that Automotive Art has been instrumental in the development of every major bodywork shop in Barbados and many more throughout the wider Caribbean. Consequently, while other companies were hesitant to invest in new technology and more expensive paint and accessories, Automotive Art forged ahead, and that bold approach paid huge dividends for it as its new lines of business exploded. The simple Automotive Art philosophy has always been ‘if we can help our customers, then they will be loyal to us”. Over the years, the key aspects behind the ongoing success of Automotive Art are that the company has resisted falling into the trap of resting on its own laurels, instead it has embraced innovation, and enjoyed accepting new challenges. All three of those essential entrepreneurial strengths were soon to be put to the test by the next stage of Automotive Art’s strategic development and rapid growth.
our focus on the development of the team members across the company. Relative to our size, we have always invested heavily in our people in order to deliver exceptional service experiences to our customers, as well as enhance the skill sets required to take the company to the next level. This focus will be further enhanced going forward, as we have invested in new trainers, a new training centre for our United States operations in West Palm Beach, and a new Learning Management Platform that will enable us to warehouse our collective knowledge and training resources, and deliver them wherever and whenever we need them across the globe. In short, our success in the immediate future will depend heavily on achieving alignment between our human, financial and operational capital, and successfully leveraging this on our customers and prospects. That said, our team looks eagerly to the future, and savours the challenges of growing the company for the next 25 years, this time with the world as our canvas.”
as the leading refinish brand in the market at that time. Quite soon after the launch of the company, Automotive Art relocated to bigger premises in Wildey, St Michael, and took over the manufacturing of all the automotive paints from Harris Paints, which enabled them to significantly expand the Harris and Glasurit portfolios in Barbados and around the Caribbean. In later years, by using technology and production facilities made available by Harris Paints, the company was also able to start developing its own Automotive Art branded products. After just five years in business, Hugh and Dereck had already achieved their first ambition of revolutionising the automotive paint business in Barbados and the wider Caribbean. Thanks to a vastly improved manufacturing process, superior products, a modern retail outlet, and a strong emphasis on providing efficient and polite service, Automotive Art had forever transformed the paint buying experience from old-fashioned behind-the-counter shops to a highly professional, customer-friendly environment.
AUGUST 30, 2015
KINGSTON, JAMAICA. (GP)
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t was quite apparent from early in the company’s existence that Automotive Art had very good potential for exporting paint throughout the Caribbean. It was an entirely logical step to establish the first new markets in Dominica and St Lucia, where Harris Paints already had a physical presence in the form of manufacturing plants, but bigger markets were also beckoning. Trinidad and Tobago, despite the fact that it was a very competitive environment with many local brands and manufacturers, was the next island to be targeted, followed by Jamaica, which rapidly grew into a huge market for Automotive Art. Due to distribution restrictions included in the agreement with Glasurit, Automotive Art was only allowed to sell its products in the English-speaking Caribbean, so
GUYANA. (GP)
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ANTIGUA. (GP)
once that market was saturated there was no further room for expansion. In a benign twist of fate, it was that contractual roadblock that served as the catalyst to propel Automotive Art into launching its own private label paint, produced at that time at its own factory in Barbados. Having successfully taken that major step, Automotive Art was then free to expand throughout the entire Caribbean. Such was the success of this new venture that the company was soon represented in just about every CARICOM territory. One of the natural offshoots of this regional expansion was that the Automotive Art product demonstrations and training sessions started to attract an increasing number of clients from all around the Caribbean.
CAYMAN ISLANDS. (GP)
This resulted in a steady flow of overseas distributors passing through the Barbados headquarters and, more often than not, they would be hugely impressed by the size and quality of the retail store. Not surprisingly, many of these distributors wanted to have access to the same kind of comprehensive product range to retail back home in their own country, so there was a constant barrage of questions and requests for information. At first, in the true Automotive Art spirit of doing everything possible to help customers, somebody would find the time to provide answers to their queries. However, as these requests grew to overwhelming proportions, it was clear that Automotive Art could not continue just giving away all of its hard-earned acumen and
ST KITTS. (GP)
CASTRIES, ST LUCIA.
experience, not even to its own clients. In trying to discover a workable solution to the problem, it became increasingly apparent that this potentially ticklish challenge was in fact a good opportunity. Instead of trying to curtail the flow of requests for information about its products, it was decided to try to take full advantage of it by turning that natural demand into a new revenue stream. It was time for Automotive Art to launch a franchise network throughout the Caribbean. Glenn Camacho was recruited specifically to establish the Automotive Art franchise department and manage the arduous, year-long process of developing and documenting the structure, before actually signing up the first franchisees in 1999, the vast majority of which
SURINAME. (GP)
were former product distributors. By far the biggest challenge in structuring and managing the Automotive Art franchise system is that it requires a very complex process to franchise a retail model that stocks such a wide variety of different products. Most automotive retailers will specialise in a single area, such as tyres or batteries, so it is a huge undertaking to teach a new franchisee how to run a multifaceted Automotive Art store. Nevertheless, the management team embraced the challenge and today the company has 17 Automotive Art franchise stores successfully operating in nine different Caribbean territories: Antigua, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts, St Lucia, Suriname and Turks and Caicos.
TURKS AND CAICOS. (GP)
6. SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL
AUGUST 30, 2015 AUTOMOTIVE ART staff in front of the Logicar warehouse. (GP)
n the early days, Automotive Art was able to get a good start in the paint retail business by having its own production facility in Barbados, and that competitive advantage undoubtedly played a key role in the company’s successful entry into the wider Caribbean market and eventual expansion throughout the region. That initial competitive advantage, however, was gradually lost as a result of an unfortunate combination of detrimental circumstances. At the same time that it became increasingly expensive and difficult to import raw materials and export the finished product, the World Trade Organization also changed a number of rules and tariffs that removed the basic level of protection that Automotive Art had previously benefitted from within CARICOM. All of a sudden, international competitors could bring in extra-regional car paints at very low prices, thereby making it unviable for the company to continue manufacturing in Barbados. To compound these challenges, Automotive Art was already fully committed to retailing its own private label brand, so there was not even the relatively easy option of bringing in some of these cheaper lines from overseas. The harsh reality was that Automotive Art had no choice but to find a new manufacturer to produce its own paint brands, which eventually turned out to be a company with operations in Europe. Having solved the problem of getting its products manufactured, Automotive Art then discovered that its next big challenge was how to efficiently and cost-effectively distribute them to its many clients located in diverse locations around the Caribbean. It was impossible to run that kind of operation out of Barbados, due primarily to inadequate inter-island routes and expensive shipping. Automotive Art needed to find a better location for their ever-expanding distribution centre. After giving due consideration to leading candidates such as Puerto Rico, Panama and the Dominican Republic, the team decided to explore the potential of the United States, especially the Miami area. Straight away it was clear to see that relocating to this part of the world would provide a very attractive package of benefits and competitive advantages, including the capacity to outsource the manufacturing of its products and easily ship them around the region from Miami, the gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America; the freedom to consolidate shipping and offer better prices to clients; and the widespread availability of very efficient third-party warehouse storage facilities that could pick, pack, and ship any size order at extremely competitive rates. All in all, Miami provided a compelling argument as the optimum choice for the location of Automotive Art’s new distribution centre. As Dereck Foster explained: “What really finally convinced us to relocate to the United States was when we went to see the head of United States Customs in Port Miami. He was a government official but he dealt with our application like somebody from the private sector. He told us that his department would love to help us move our business to Florida and that all he needed to know was what we wanted to do and how could he help us. “The Customs department saw us as a customer and treated us like one. Provided we were willing to follow their rules, they wanted to help us become successful – simple as that. I’d never experienced anything like their approach towards business facilitation anywhere else in the world, and it certainly made our decision a very easy one.” The then general manager for Barbados, Doug Armstrong, relocated to Florida with his family to launch Automotive Art in the United States and the new distribution centre and international sales office were officially opened in 2002. Doug was also highly impressed by the support that the United States authorities provided for Automotive Art. “When we first moved the business to Florida we didn’t know how things operated, so we had to start from scratch and learn everything. One of the first things I did was to meet the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, a public and private nonprofit agency whose mandate is to attract businesses to Miami
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and help them to get established and go on to succeed. “They helped us enormously, saved us lots of time, and made life so much easier for us. Relocating to Miami allowed us to act like a big player without having to make a big investment, and that enabled us to grow very quickly. ”
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We congratulate our friends at
for achieving 25 Years in business, and we wish them continued success.
AUGUST 30, 2015
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t is often said that “necessity is the mother of invention” and that certainly proved to be the case for Automotive Art when the company’s excellent start to life as a United States business entity was suddenly interrupted by an unexpected development. Perhaps a victim of its own North American success, Automotive Art experienced a severe setback in 2004 when the the company supplying its private label brands was bought out by an American multinational, one of the largest paint manufacturers in the world, and a direct competitor in the automotive paint sector. While this acquisition had no adverse affect on Automotive Art’s distribution network throughout the Caribbean, the United States company soon cancelled its contract for retailing in the continental United States and Canada. This decision now severely restricted where Automotive Art could and could not sell, and management chose to make a clean break and move on. That strategic denial of access into the North American market was a huge blow to the planned expansion of the Automotive Art private label brand but, true to
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its philosophy of “making lemonade whenever thrown a lemon”, the management team immediately set about looking for a new manufacturer. That task proved to be far more challenging than might have been anticipated, since some 90 per cent of that business is controlled by less than ten major companies, and as soon as somebody new appears on the scene with any new and worthwhile technology they are usually quickly snapped up by the big players. That being the case, it was extremely difficult to find a new manufacturer that satisfactorily
matched the Automotive Art needs. Finally, after three years of research and literally searching the planet, visiting every second-tier manufacturer in countries as diverse as Japan, South Africa, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Holland, Glenn Camacho, Chris Maloney and Doug Armstrong eventually found themselves in Poland. Dereck Foster recalled: “We initially went to see a Polish company called Multichem about the possibility of them producing our Automotive Art private label brands, but during the discussions it gradually started to
• From Page 6. Automotive Art’s new presence in the United States was instantly successful, as sales jumped dramatically and cash flow improved hugely, resulting in expansion after expansion. The first sales office shared space with a 7 000 square foot facility, but that was soon increased to 25 000 square foot of its own, and today the office occupies a 65 000 square feet warehouse facility. It was this extraordinary rate of growth, coupled with the security of knowing that the company was now operating in the same environment as the world’s leading companies in its sector, which really encouraged the management team to start truly believing that Automotive Art could be globally competitive. “Automotive Art is still a Barbados-based entity, but the truth is we could never have become a global company if we hadn’t taken the step to relocate our distribution operations to the United States, ” said Hugh Blades
THE MULTICHEM LAB TEAM. (GP) structure and organisation, and most importantly our existing, strong distribution networks outside of Europe. “As a result, the revamped company grew geometrically over the successive three years, which resulted in a complete upgrade of the factory. Our partner and chief executive officer of Multichem, Piotr Muszkieta, is absolutely delighted with the way the business has grown.” The successful acquisition of a shareholding in a paint manufacturing plant was the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle that empowered Automotive Art to really start targeting global markets. Now that the company was manufacturing its own products and no longer needed to depend on any third-party suppliers, Automotive Art was free to go anywhere in the world, with no contractual restrictions. For the first time ever, Automotive Art was now completely in control of its global destiny.
enter our minds that there might be an opportunity to actually buy into the company. “Multichem was then owned by two partners: a younger one who was keen to expand and develop the company and an older gentleman who had started to consider retirement. “We could clearly see that it was a very good small company, with excellent technology, so we were keen to partner with them. In the end, after some two years of tough negotiating, we successfully bought out the older partner and became significant shareholders.” So, having first started by manufacturing its own paint products in a small facility in Barbados, Automotive Art thereby became the proud coowner of a state-of-the-art factory in Poland, some 5 000 miles away from home. Doug said: “From the time we closed that deal, we have never looked back. We were able to optimise Multichem’s technical strengths by adding improved
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“W
hen we first established Multichem, on September 28, 1996, our aim was to set up our own production company so that we could be independent of large international groups and work for ourselves. Back then, we had just three employees, and our whole operation fitted into an area of about 250 square metres. It is interesting to note that the first machines we purchased were both second-hand, and both items are still used by the company today. We chose the brand name PROFIX, which is short for Professional Fix, because it is very easy to pronounce and spell in almost every language. Our original PROFIX products were clear, hardener and thinner, which at first we only sold in Poland. However, within a year, due to the popularity of our products, we were soon exporting to Russia, Denmark, Netherlands, Belarus, Ukraine and Germany. The biggest challenges we faced as a
start-up company were a lack of finance, limited contacts in the industry, finding qualified employees, an underdeveloped infrastructure in Poland, and the generally difficult post-communist period when corruption and aggressive competition were quite common. However, by expanding our product range and working closely with our business partners and customers, we were able to grow quite rapidly. We also made good use of promotional activities, such as car shows, including the world's largest, the Automechanika Fair in Frankfurt, as a means to find additional clients in new export areas. As our business expanded, so did the amount of equipment, the laboratory facilities, and the number of employees we needed. So, just two years after start-up we had to move to a bigger location and then, a few years later, we had to move again, to Luboń near Poznań, where we first rented and
eventually bought the facility which still houses the factory and offices of the company. Our laboratory, which is responsible for the consistently high quality of the products and their ongoing development, has been a very important part of the company’s success story. We also believe in high-quality training for all of our employees and our customers, as that is the only way that we can offer the very best service to our clients and keep them happy with our products. My philosophy in business is that we should build a strong and innovative company, capable of surviving in the global, competitive environment, consisting of educated, hard-working, professional people who are hungry for success. We are striving to be a global company, capable of competing successfully with the best players in all the markets around the world, through understanding our clients’ needs and meeting their
requirements. In many ways, we share the same philosophy and vision as Automotive Art, and that is why there is such a great synergy between the two companies. Our relationship is an excellent example of how two groups can work together to support and develop each other. I have been very impressed by the way our partners at Automotive Art have delivered on all of their promises. Since we have been working together, Multichem has easily reached double-digit growth rates, and we could never have dreamed of that when we first started out. And I think it is important to say that, as well as being very rewarding, our partnership has proven to be an extremely comfortable one. We have a great future together.” — Piotr Muszkieta, Executive Chairman, Multichem, Poland
Email: sewage.skip@gmail.com
PIOTR MUSZKIETA, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, MULTICHEM, POLAND (GP)
Keep on Motoring! Congratulations to
Automotive Art on your
Anniversary
VEHICLE REFINISHING TRAINING keeps the team on the cutting edge. (GP)
AUTOMOTIVE ART’S mission of “providing unparalleled customer services and exceptional products for an outstanding value” is grounded primarily through its continued investment in training and development. As a company, it believes in the maxim “hire for character and train for skill”. As members of Automotive Art, our staff are expected to complete courses (no matter the job title) on setting goals, managing time effectively, communicating with internal and external customers under pressure, and delivering unparalleled customer service. There are other strategically designed courses team members are invited, or recommended, to complete as they grow within their roles and are promoted up the organisation. The nine core values of the company are woven into the training material continuously to serve as the fuel that drives the team to achieve their own personal and professional goals as well as the mission of the company. The Training and Development team are the “pit crew of
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10. SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL
AUGUST 30, 2015
AUTOMOTIVE ART has been a great and supportive force behind local motor sport backing the likes of Sean Gill (left), and Mark Thompson (below, left) and Josh Read (below right) to name a few.
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rom the very beginning, Automotive Art has been synonymous with motor sport in Barbados. The company has always maintained a very close association with the Barbados Rally Club and has sponsored many rally events over its history, as well as many of the drivers who have competed in them. Events sponsored over the years include Barbados
Rally Club Driver’s Championship, the Valvoline Stages Rally, and, more currently, Sol Rally Barbados, an event that, to date, has hosted more than 380 participants representing nearly 30 countries from around the globe. Over the years, Automotive Art has sponsored a lot of the top drivers, many of whom started their sponsorship association with the company as a rookie. To this day the company still sponsors the Rookie Of The Year Award at the Barbados Rally Club’s annual awards ceremony. Automotive Art’s list of sponsored drivers over the years includes: Roger and Barry Mayers, Edward and John Corbin, Josh Read, Sean Gill, Andrew Mallalieu, Trevor Manning, Neil Barnard, Brett Clarke, Mark Hamilton, Barry Gale, Geoffrey Noel, William Branch, Steve King, Mark Thompson, Jamal Braithwaite, Roger and Dane Skeete, and Ian Warren. In the early 1990s, in addition to the Barbados Rally Club, Automotive Art also invested in the Bushy Park Racing Association, under the management of Brian Freitas and Ward Simpson. During those exciting years, many a lap was finished along the Automotive Art/Harris Paints Straight to the screams and chants of 15 000 race fans. In 2014, the company continued to invest in the legacy
Bushy Park by sponsoring the Automotive Art Pits in the newly developed Bushy Park Racing Circuit. Indeed, Automotive Art credits motor sport as one of the main pillars that has supported its brand – building initiatives over the years and we now look forward to enjoying all the thrills, spills, and passion associated with the sport for many more years to come.
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THIS SEMA Show attendee is getting an autographed Automotive Art poster. (Below) Information sharing at the Automechanika Trade Show in Germany. (GPs)
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utomotive Art showcased its state-of-the-art refinish system at the Automechanika Trade Show which is the world’s leading trade fair for the automotive industry in Frankfurt, Germany, September 2014. Automechanika hosts over 4 000 exhibitors with more than 150 000 visitors from 176 countries, and is the largest trade show for the automotive industry in the world. Automotive Art has also exhibited at The SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, in November 2013 and 2014. This show draws more than 60 000 domestic and international buyers in the industry.
12. SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL
AUGUST 30, 2015
J
ust in time to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary, Automotive Art Wildey has just completed a major overhaul of its retail store, service centre, and administrative offices. The Wildey branch was born in 1991 when Automotive Art moved from its original location in Tweedside Road to Wildey St Michael. The store was then completely redesigned and renovated in 1995, and was opened by the then Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Owen Arthur at an official opening ceremony. While the store has gone through several changes in layout since then, this is the first complete re-design of the store in many years. The inspiration for Wildey’s design is borrowed from the state-of-the-art retail concept that is demonstrated at the company’s Welches branch that was launched in 2011. The chic, modern design features dark overtones highlighted with splashes of colour and inspirational automotive graphics, giving the store an edgy, street-like feel that is tastefully presented. In speaking to what customers can expect at the new and improved Wildey store, Jonathon Hart, general manager for Automotive Art Barbados says that in addition to meeting the new retail standards in terms of look and feel, the store layout will be much easier to navigate which will allow the company to enhance the signature customer service for which it is known. “In addition, our service bays have been brought forward to face the entrance and to be immediately adjacent to the retail store and customer lounge. This will enhance our
A NEW LOOK with the same excellent service and friendly staff await you at the Wildey branch. (GP) service delivery and allow customers to quickly enter and exit the retail store and service centre,” Hart continued. He went onto say that a new customer lounge concept was being introduced that would offer customers the comfort akin to being in their own living rooms. In addition, the company’s administrative offices and wholesale division are being given a full revamp which will not only enhance our professional image but also “enhance the productivity of our employees due to the newly decorated and furnished environs”.
Email: corbinsgarage@caribsurf.com
AUTOMOTIVE ART carries an extensive range of products for your vehicle. (GP) Hart closed by saying that “I would like to thank our customers for the patience and loyalty they displayed during the renovation process. We at Automotive Art Wildey are now re-opened and our retail and service centre team look forward to serving you soon in our new state-of-the-art retail facility.”`
AUGUST 30, 2015
DERECK FOSTER, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN (GP)
SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL. 13
HUGH BLADES, DIRECTOR OF INVENTORY CONTROL & WAREHOUSING (GP)
CHRIS MALONEY, VICE-PRESEIDENT, FRANCHISING & FINANCE (GP)
HUGH WALKER, GROUP IT MANAGER
ANITA DA COSTA, DIRECTOR – FRANCHISE TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT (GP)
JONATHON HART, GENERAL MANAGER, BARBADOS (GP)
TIMMI MARK, HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER
MICHELLE DE CAIRES, MARKETING MANAGER
BRIAN TOPPIN, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (GP)
DOUGLAS ARMSTRONG, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (GP)
(GP)
(GP)
(GP)
14. SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL
AUGUST 30, 2015
WELCHES RETAIL TEAM: (From left, back row), Jamal Williams, (Centre row), Malcolm Cox, Ryan Archer, Marcia Pilgrim, Tiffany Bonett, Roemell Campbell, and Geoffrey Bellamy. (Front row, from left) Sonia Cadogan, Aquinda Greaves, Diana Thorpe, Mitchell Waithe, Shawn Sobers, and David Best. (GP)
WILDEY RETAIL TEAM: (From left, back row) Dywane Harding, Linley Quintyne, Mario Gill, Negas Alleyne-Browne (Centre row) Brenda Beckles, Nikita Archer, Kimar Boyce, Seth-Ross Turney, and Xavier Bradshaw (Front row) Keisha King, Alicia King, Dario Haynes, Carol-Ann Alleyne, Julia Rogers, and Juliette Holness. (GP)
WELCHES SERVICE CENTRE: (From left) Claude ThornhillSpringer, Justin Sobers, Ian Alleyne, Terry Hall, Renee Dawson, Suliman Shaw and Dwayne Holder. (GP)
WILDEY SERVICE CENTRE: (From left) Kevin Mckenzie, Winston Burrowes, Andre Browne, Heather Mitchell, Adrian Layne, Dwayne Mitchell, Jamar Williams, and Bradley Stockley. (GP)
SIX ROADS RETAIL AND SERVICE CENTRE: (From left) Rodny Stoute, Tricia Crichlow, Matthew Davis, Kristan Robinson, Kenrick Baptiste, Sabina Grant, and Fabian Hoyte. (GP)
WAREHOUSE TEAM: (From left) Michael Clarke, Mark Kelawan, Ricardo Alleyne, Wendy Nurse, Anthony Jessamy, Icerline Greene, Otis Layne, Vidal O’Neale, and Kimar Goodman. (GP)
BRAND MANAGER AND SALES TEAM: (From left) David Neblett, Justin Harrison, Alvin Blades, Peter Gibson, Mark Gay, Nicholas Branker, and Philip Bryan (Missing is Jamon White). (GP)
ACCOUNTS TEAM: (From left) Lionel Baksh, Cherice Goddard-Holford, Maurice Hope, Andrew Eastmond, Theresa Foster, Janeir Boyce-Francis, Melissa Hope, Neils Brathwaite, and Tana Gordon. (Missing are Ronnie Mascoll and Melissa Burrowes).
HUMAN RESOURCES AND ADMINISTRATION TEAM: (From left) Marie-Claire Lyder, Sheena Norville, Kelly Rawlins, and Catherine Harper. (Missing is Timmi Mark). (GP)
PURCHASING TEAM: (From left), Suzette Griffith, Shontelle Padmore-Taylor, Arlene Gibson, and Gillian Blades (Missing is Julianne Hutson). (GP)
IT TEAM: (From left) George Hinkson, Jabarri Harper, Hugh Walker, and Marcus Beck. (GP)
MAINTENANCE TEAM: Anson Griffith (left) and Bob Spencer. (GP)
MARKETING TEAM: (From left) Lester Best, Endomo O’Neal, Michelle de Caires, Adam Taylor, Christina Warren, and Mario Knight. (Missing is Vanetta Loncke). (GP)
(GP)
AUGUST 30, 2015
SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL. 15
CCUSTOMER SATISFACTION and Human Relations training participants. (GP)
Prime SOME BEND THE RULES. focus WE CHANGE THE GAME. is to develop All New MAZDA 2 staff
$846
• From Page 9. culture�, providing guidance and support in exhibiting the Automotive Art way. The focus of the training is immediate application to the team members’ role. Skills, techniques, and frameworks are taught and demonstrated so that once the employee can see that it works in the training room, they can take it and use it in the real world. Staff are encouraged to share what they have learned with other team members who have gone through the training as well as a way to support and strengthen what information was shared. Automotive Art understands that it must continue to set the pace for its team as it integrates technology into its learning environment. The Training and Development Department continues to expand its offerings for personal, professional, organisational, and technical skill development that its team members will be able to access the material (all or various aspects of the training) across multiple devices (PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones) through its interactive cloud-based learning management system. As the company grows and evolves, the future of the training and development division will be to ensure our team is always ready to meet the multifaceted challenges that lie ahead on a global scale. – Brian Toppin, Training and Development Officer.
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