Keeping service is key to success
Greytown is home to a luxury long forgotten by many New Zealanders – the good, old-fashioned service station - ‘service’ being the operative word.
R & B Motor Services Ltd is owned and operated by cousins Brian Dennes and Ross Linton, and their wives, Helen and Eileen respectively. The four have been in business together for nearly 20 years and aren’t afraid of hard work.
Helen, who is responsible for office administration and also relieves on the forecourt when needed, says that everyone involved in the business works very hard to ensure it runs smoothly.
Ross is a mechanic and runs the workshop, offering customers all types of repairs, while Brian looks after the lube bay and tyre puncture repairs.
Being a service station the business operates long hours. Brian and Ross keep their hands in, taking early shifts on the forecourt during the week.
“We are a true service station,” Helen says. “Every customer is served or at the very least acknowledged and that people contact is enjoyed by both us and our customers.”
The business employs three full time and two part time staff, plus eight college students who do part time hours to provide service on the forecourt. A second mechanic and an apprentice keep the workshop service prompt and effective.
For the first eight years of their partnership the group owned the Caltex Service Station in the middle of town, now the site of the White Swan Hotel, until moving to the present site on Main Street. A few years ago the business rebranded as Challenge.
The business has a very loyal customer base and much of their business is repeat, with a lot of referrals coming in through the workshop.
“Most of our workshop customers are Greytown-based but the service station itself gets a lot of people who are passing through.”
Helen adds that the strength of the business is the personable service they provide each and every customer. “In the workshop communications are clear and clients know where things are at. We have a wealth of knowledge across the business and nobody is afraid of hard work.”
R & B Motor Services has been with Markhams since 2001. Eileen herself works for Markhams and handles compliance and financial statements for the business with support from Markhams’ directors as required.
“It’s a team effort from every angle,” says Helen. “Our business is part of the community.”
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| Some of the friendly R & B Motor Services Ltd - Challenge Greytown team: (left to right) Nev (mechanic), Brady (apprentice mechanic), Brent (forecourt attendant), Ross (The Boss), and Lance (forecourt attendant). |
Published Summer 2010.
