22 - Sunday, December #0, 1989 - North Shore News IN TH ~ DRIVERS CL Motor Cars owner Henning Brasso is in many ways similar to M the luxury automobiles on his showroom floor. On the exterior, the West Van- couver resident is all fine lines and restrained elegance, but not far below the surface lies an inex- haustible storehouse of dynamic energy. Since teaming up with partners Jack Povie and Bob Lee to pur- chase MCL in july 1988 (Brasso has the majority share), Brasso has channelled this energy into putting his personal stamp on the jaguar, Porsche and Saab dealership. About a quarer of a million dollars nas been spent renovating and redesigning the buildings at 1730 Burrard St., and most of that money’ has been channelled into the service end of his business. “We've certainly made a lot of changes in our service depart- ment,” Brasso says. ‘‘We’re cur- rently very happy with the effi- ciency of that operation. It’s grati- fying that almost 100 per cent of. our customers are very, very, very happy. That’s taken a lot of work.” Living the good life. 'NORBURN LIGHTING centae HENNING BRASSO OF MCL MOTOR CARS Brasso reflects back on the days when, working at the ‘bottom end” of the car business, he would become discouraged by customers taking their cars elsewhere as soon as their war- ranty ran out. “What ! found when | was in that business, when the car war- ranty expires, typically what they do is they just go to the cheapest place where they can get the car serviced... It didn’t seem to matter how well we serviced them, they would typically leave. But with this kind of car, if you give them good service, they will stay every time, because the car is a lot more sophisticated and they have a lot more pride in the car.” Brasso may be selling the cream of the crop now, but there’s no denying he paid his dues in the car business, beginning with his used car dealership that opened the same day he finished writing his last exam for his U.B.C. commerce degree. Later he was to buy three Nissan dealerships and capitalize on the zooming popularity of japanese cars in the Canadian market. in BRASS _ s99|| Santa wants you to spend e 4600 EAST HASTINGS ST.. BURNABY 299-0666 FREE CATALOGUES AVAILABLE Come browse in one of the most fascinating stores in B.C. 2 INFLUENCE ‘ae 7 Se = photo Mike Wakefield West Van’s Henning Brasso tries out one of the luxurious autos showcased at his elegant dealership, MCL Motor Cars at 2nd and Burrard. 1981, however, Brasso sold these businesses and took a seven-year break from the business, during which time he and his wife Kam developed and launched the high-quality line of Geneve cosmetics. That unlikely career switch, he says, came about “by sheer ac- cident. We thought we could in- vent a better mousetrap, and we did that. It was a very ambitious thing. | really thought it was time for me to get on the world stage, | guess, for whatever reason.’’ The Brassos, while maintaining a 15 per cent interest in Geneve, have since sold controlling interest to a Hong Kong company, which in turn has just concluded the sale of Geneve to an even larger com- pany that owns 600 steres in China. Kam Brasso still manages the Park Royal and Oakridge Geneve shops, and is responsible for overseeing the manufacture of the products in Canada. But her hus- band is back on the turf he knows best — albeit a much greener turf than he left behind. His $50 million per year business allows him to indulge his passion for fine autos, travel through Europe attending the launch of new car lines, meet with LLL Holt Rentrew C special late night shopping hours t | Ces iy | | night. This Christmas season, the Four Seasons Vancouver and Holt Renfrew offer you Christmas treat you'll want 2 Then came spend the night with us, Four Seasons style. Unwrap our special Christmas shopping packave, oO Complimentary gitt [rom Holt Reafrews 0 bree git. rapping af purchases made at co Soothing muint-faciaband celour nike over ' yt a eres ee the perfect shopping experience. A special to share witha friend. a other Jaguar dealers three times per year in the United States, and, of course, seil cars to many of Vancouver's most influential high-rollers. All this doesn’t leave much time for relaxation except the occa- sional boating excursion or walk on the West Vancouver seawall. And retirement is definitely not in the picture for this 56-year-old: “Vd never do that,” he em- phasizes. “1 guess that’s the ad- vantage of always being your own boss. | find it very stimulating — you're always on the edge. You get hooked on that.” - Peggy Trendell-Whittaker Perfect Body Shaping at your Fingertips Sit back and relax while electronically sophisticated machines give any chosen part of your body concen- trated exercise which will improve muscle tone, tighten, lift and firm the body exactly where it is needed the most. Ask about other beauty treatments available Bellisima 138 &.14th Si. N. Vancouver, B.C. 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