Good service
secret of success

From page 29

Plymouth Cheyster in North Van-
couver, and in 1988 he had built
his North Shore Mazda dealer-
ship.

In the same year he purchased
the Kingsway Awo Group and
sunk $2.4 million into overhauling
its Kingsway site,

But perhaps Ahamed’s best deal
was landing the Lexus Toyota
franchise.

“That was a very good acquisi-
tion for the Kingsway group."
says Ahamed.

The Lexus and Infiniti cars,
which are aimed at the upper end
of the automobile market, are the
newest fuxury cars produced by
Toyota and Nissan.

Both Lexus and Infiniti offer
two models: a luxury performance
sedan in the $50,000 to $60,000
price range and a compact sports
sedan in the $25,000 to $35,000
range.

While Canadians are bracing
themselves for the latest predicied
recession, Ahamed says he
believes B.C. will be able avoid
the worst aspects of the current
economic slowdown that has hit
the country.

“We started to feel the effects
of the recession during the last
couple of weeks,’’ he says. ‘But }
think B.C. has a= stronger
economy than the east, and I
believe B.C. will not go into a
very deep recession.”’

Competition for the  driver’s
dollar is fierce, admits Ahamed,
who recognized the value of pro-
viding top-notch customer service.

“The industry is extremely
competitive. We work on such low
margins. Between one and two per
cent net income of total sales

ACE TOYAMA (left) and Amir Ahamed toasted the
opening of Ahamed’s Infiniti of North Shore car

deatership, which opened

means we are doing a good job,.”’
says Ahamed. ‘It's (industry) that
tight.’*

When Ahamed first started in
the auto industry in 1983 he
employed 19 people. Today he has
a staff of close to 240.

And what does Ahamed himself
drive? A top of the line Lexus
400, of course.

its doors in September.

Sunday, November 11 ,

AFFLUENCE & INFLUENCE

IN BS OWN WORDS

Ahamed ona
dealer’s life

What tine of work were sou in
while living in Renya?: ' The fam-
ily was in the new tire business,
the manufacturing of rubber. tn
fact, Fm a graduate of the rubber

industry."”

Why did you decide to move to
Canada?: “I was Jooking for

more of a challenge."

What is a routine day like for
you?: “It’s very hectic. I'm a
hands-on dealer, 1 like to get in-
volved. I have an open door poli-
cy with my managers and that
helps me in the day-to-day opera-
tions. | visit the North Shore
deaterships the first thing in the
morning to gel daily operating
reports. Most of my afternoons
are spent on Kingsway and that
takes me to 8 p.m. It’s a 12-hour

day for me.”’

What do you like to do to relax?:
“I ski and | golf a little. Very lit-
tle. { don’t get much time to
relax, I"m involved in the business

a lot.”*

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KEN WALKER

929-3277. > _ 929-3277

ROYAL LePAGE =

(EN ERGY-SAVING FRIDGE |

$50 REBATE REMINDER
Clip and save this reminder
| toask your appliance dealer
| which fridges qualiiy for the
| $50 rebate. Or call B.C. Hydro
toll-free 1-800-663-0431.

* Offer vahd on purchases made june I.
through March 31, 1999. Onty ref

It’s you who counts the most
SHARE IN SUCCESS

If you are licensed or soon to be licensed with a sincere
desire for early success and would like an opportunity to
be part of our North or West Vancouver Saies Team.

When your aging fridge finally
quits, B.C. Hydro will rebate you
$50 on the purchase of an energy-
saving one.

It’s. a move that will save you
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road, with significant savings on
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tics show that the new energy-
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the life of the fridge compared to
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REBATE

Plus, your purchase will help
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Here’s your chance to be approved EnerGuide numbers ya!
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brings, for years to come. L

We invite you to investigate the TRAINING, REWARDS
and SUPPORT offered by Roya! LePage.

CALL:
Ron Bailey, Manager, West Van. 925-1441

BGhydro &% Satnam Sidhu, Manager, North Van. 988-2022