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YOU
always have that nice feeling stabbing your heart when
you see someone you haven’t seen for quite a
while—especially if that someone has always had a
special spot in your heart of hearts. Not necessarily
romantic, huh?
That
happened to me on April 8, when I bumped into George
Blaylock Jr., the nice car fellow I haven’t seen for
ages, I guess. George has lost that chubby look in his
face. The baby fat’s gone. He’s leaner now. No tummy at
all.
“Hi,
there,” says he. “How’s everything with you?”
Fine,
fine. Thanks.
After
the usual handshake, shoulder tap and bear hugs, comes
the real lowdown.
But
first, a little introduction.
I call
him a “car fellow” because I consider George one of the
original big time, honest-to-goodness dudes in the
automotive business.
This was
the ’90s. I was just barely starting the Motoring
Section of another major daily. I virtually knew all the
big shots and wannabes in the business.
In the
’90s, George was a Young Turk in the industry. Not yet
35 then I believe, his name was then already fast
catching fire as a future bigwig in the car sales world.
True
enough, George would climb the ladder of success in
stunning fashion. His Diamond dealership of Mitsubishi
vehicles would soon produce branches in the metropolis.
In no time, Diamond Motors would become a byword in the
car business.
But
until last Tuesday, I never knew George had
metamorphosed into a multivehicle dealer.
“I also
now carry Hyundai, Ford, Chery and several other
vehicles,” says George. “We have become a fast-changing
world. Business has become so different nowadays as the
industry has evolved dramatically the past decade.”
Oh,
well, what can I say?
Good
luck, buddy.
George
is dear to me because the first time we were
together—that was in 1993 during the Tokyo Motor Show—we
hit it right off.
He
struck me as a jolly fellow, and was likewise warm and
sincere in his dealings with people around him. I could
see in him then a person teeming with energy and with a
passion for excellence and success.
He has
achieved all that, I reckon.
And for
one to have also become president of the Manila Golf
Club—the most expensive private golf membership in the
land with a selling share price of P25 million each—why,
George Blaylock Jr. has come a long way, indeed.
“I wish
we could play golf one of these days,” George says by
way of unleashing his parting shot. “Been wanting to
have a real time chatting with you. We have a lot of
catching up to do, buddy.”
Anytime,
George. Just say when and I’ll come running.
Speaking
of golf, Toyota Motor Philippines is finally unveiling
its own blockbuster golf event this year with its Toyota
Golf Classic today at Santa Elena.
Among
the country’s car giants like
Toyota,
Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Volvo, BMW and Jaguar, golf
has always been a big thing in their calendar of
must-hold events offered yearly in honor of their valued
customers, allies in parallel business and friends of
distinction.
About 10
years ago, golf was not an in-thing in the automotive
business.
Not
anymore. Today, almost all car executives play the game.
In fact, it has become almost SOP for a car company
officer to pick up the game or face losing his job.
Alfred Ty alone, the vice chairman of Toyota Motor
Philippines, plays to a single digit.
Likewise, if an applicant for a key position in a car
company doesn’t play golf, he can kiss his application
goodbye.
Pee stop
Cheers
to Lincoln Lim (he’s a mean golfer, too, I tell you) and
his partners and staff for the recent inauguration of
the expanded Toyota Commonwealth (Quezon Avenue)
dealership, making it one of the country’s most advanced
in terms of in-house service parts and sales mechanisms,
display rooms and state-of-the-art technical shop and
service area.
Its
showroom alone has been expanded to 1,279 square meters,
which can now showcase 14 vehicles—making it one of the
biggest Toyota showrooms in the entire network. Aside
from car displays, the showroom also includes wider
parts and service counters which can accommodate over
six customers all at the same time.
In
addition to the Genuine Toyota Spare Parts, TCM also
offers Toyota Formula One merchandise for F1 fans.
Furthermore, customers will enjoy their stay at the
showroom with the new Customer Lounge that features a
business center with free Wi-Fi access.
Among
those gracing the occasion were Yuji Goto, executive
vice president, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP); Dr.
David Go, TMP senior executive vice president; William
Li, president, Toyota Commonwealth (TCM); Evelyn Li,
Pacita Li and Aldrich Kane Li, assistant general
manager, Toyota Quezon Avenue (TQA). |
