CELEBRATING TWO OUTSTANDING AUTOMOTIVE CAREERS

Two of BAPCOR’s valued staff members are celebrating career milestones

BAPCOR says it is proud of its people – two of which have recently reached impressive milestones – and their dedication to their customers and their fulfilling careers.

Ian Carlsson recently celebrated 45 years of service; starting out with a company that became a part of Burson Auto Parts – Motor Traders (Adelaide) – back on the 11th of January, 1978.

Ian’s career started at the Wakefield Street Motor Traders store 45 years ago as a packer and as with all newbies, he was the morning tea person. Within five years he was transferred to the Holden Hill store and became 2IC there, clearly showing his talent and dedication to the business and its customers very early.

Ian then moved onto a long and rewarding career at the Kilkenny store where he went from 2IC to Store Manager. He then progressed to the Kilburn store as Front Counter Manager and once Motor Traders was acquired by Burson Auto Parts, he became the Wingfield store 2IC.

Still proudly working with the company after 45 years, Ian is now the Storeman (and handy jack of all trades) at Wingfield, South Australia’s largest Burson Auto Parts store.

According to Ian, his career has seen him meet some fantastic people along the journey, especially his good mate Joe Brosz – who recently marked 50 years of service – with whom he has spent the majority of his outstanding 45-year tenure. He describes the integration of Motor Traders to Burson Auto Parts as a breath of fresh air that the business needed.

Joe’s 50-year career started with Motor Traders on December 4, 1972. His first day saw him start at the Wakefield Street store, although it was a very short stint before moving across to the Kilkenny store.

The manager at the time was Max Mooney and Joe, being a junior, had to call him Mr Mooney. Joe recounts that it took four years before Joe, by then a senior parts interpreter, was given permission to call him Max.

Joe spent the next 14 years at Kilkenny before he was transferred back to the Wakefield Street store as the General Department Manager, followed by a move to the Ford department, spending just over 22 years there. Joe went from using price books, then to microfiche and eventually to computers.

Joe spent 38 years at Motor Traders before it became a part of Burson Auto Parts in 2011, with the veteran parts interpreter moving from Kilburn to the current Wingfield store.

Joe has and continues to enjoy his five-decade career with this proudly Australian company, which says it is Australasia’s largest automotive aftermarket specialised company, and considers the great friendships that he has made along the journey as being the main highlights. He is also adamant that he wouldn’t have changed a thing about his career choice.

All at BAPCOR congratulate both Ian Carlsson and Joe Brosz and thank them for their multidecade commitment to the company and more importantly, to its trade customers. For more from Burson Auto Parts, visit www.burson.com.au