Marshall Trading 35th Anniversary Feature

12-PAGE SPECIAL

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

2. SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL. SEPTEMBER 25, 2011. Marshall Trading 35th Anniversary

IT ALL BEGAN with an entrepreneur’svision and quest for financialindependence.

Thirty-five years ago John Marshall sawan opportunity in the local buildingmaterials sector that was not beingcapitalised on by the existing localbusinesses at the time.

“Business was done completelydifferent in those days compared to how itis done today. Back then customers had togo down to Bridgetown to the lumberyards, to purchase their materials. Oncethat was done, they would then have tocome outside and negotiate with theindependent freighters to get the goodshome. This would sometimes take up theentire day. The attitude of the big lumberyards was that the customer had to come to

Freedeliveryredefinedindustry

them. The customer had to do most of the work,including negotiating and paying to get theirgoods home.”

Having gone through this very frustratingand time consuming process many times, Mr.Marshall recognised the glaring need to offerthe customer a better overall service. Knowingthat this could be his chance to be his own bossand chart his own destiny, he decided to takethe plunge, and Marshall Trading with FREEDELIVERY ISLANDWIDE was born.

Operating from his home at East Point in St.Philip, the business was very much a one manshow. Mr. Marshall said “for the first few yearsI would go out on the road, take the orders,come back in, pick the goods and then deliverthem myself”.

With the personalised service, things quicklybegan to grow as customers became moreaware of the new FREE DELIVERYISLANDWIDE service.

“At first people couldn’t believe it. Theythought there was no way that the prices did notinclude delivery. They could not believe they

were getting such value.” Once they realised itwas real though, they became hooked and by1978 the business had grown so much that hiswife Betty joined the business, on a full timebasis managing the office and accounts.

They had originally opened an office inDunford House, Fontabelle, Bridgetown,where customers from that side of the islandcould come in and place or call in their ordersfor delivery, but soon moved to UpperCollymore Rock as they required additionalaccommodation. Marshall also began to havemultiple sales reps selling on the road.

Among the first items stocked were doors,galvanized sheets and lumber, which werepurchased from local suppliers, marked up andsold to customers in the area. Soon Marshallwas importing lumber and steel, and two largewarehouses were built on the land in hisbackyard at East Point. “People were gettingpermission to build on the land in St. Philip inthose days because the soil was not as fertile asin other parishes”, and Marshall was able totake advantage of that because the warehouse

was right in their backyard, so to speak. Even in those days, the company strived to

make deliveries “next day”, thus allowingbuilders to ensure that work sites always hadmaterials to work with. This high level of“reliability” is what has helped maintain thesuccess of the company through the years tothis day.

In 1985, Marshall Trading opened a secondoutlet in Wildey, and began to expand more intothe hardware side of the business. The businesswas big enough to be importing most of theinventory from overseas, and manufacturers’representatives of hardware items in theplumbing, electrical and sanitary warecategories came calling, looking for localrepresentation on the island.

Mr. Marshall recalls that he was pleasantlysurprised that they were chosen to be the localrepresentative for brands like Shires SanitaryWare and Teka sinks. “They could have gonewith one of the bigger hardware stores, but theywere so impressed with what they saw us doingand chose Marshall Trading instead.”

By this time of course, the landscape of thelocal building materials and hardware sectorwere rapidly changing. The older, moreestablished businesses that refused or had beenslow to adapt to the changing needs of thecustomer, were beginning to struggle or get outof the business. Marshall Trading however,was flourishing, and had become one of themajor players in the business. By this timeother companies were beginning to followMarshall’s lead offering FREE delivery andputting salesmen on the road, so competitionwas on the rise.

The challenge was to always keep one stepahead of the competition, and to do this Mr.Marshall said he regularly did lots of researchfor the best and most innovative productsavailable on the market. He also insists that tomaintain the competitive edge, he constantlylooked for ways to cut costs without cuttingquality, coming up with efficient ways tomaximize on shipping and buying when the

FOUNDERS John (left) and Betty Marshall with CEO of MarshallTrading, Hugh Blades. (GP)

• Continued on next page

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WHEN AUTOMOTIVE ART acquiredMarshall Trading from John and BettyMarshall in 2006, Hugh Blades, a co-founder ofAutomotive Art, found himself with yet anothernew and exciting challenge.

He says: “We were looking to diversify ourbusiness and were very excited at theopportunity Marshall Trading presentedbecause there was a huge opportunity toleverage each other’s strengths. Here was acompany with a solid 30-year track record, acompliment of staff who had been with thecompany for much of its life and a very loyalcustomer base, looking for new ownership totake it to the next level. We felt that ourdynamic growth culture, combined ouroperational experience and technologicalstrength, gave us a competitive advantage.”

Having spent 16 years implementing thecomplex systems and operational proceduresrequired to run a successful franchise aroundthe region, Blades was the obvious man for thejob. Neither was he a stranger to the buildingmaterials business, having worked with hisfather and uncle, Barry Blades, at Blades &Williams, after having finished a successfulcareer as a local and regional jockey.

Blades remembers: “Job No. 1 was toimplement new procedures and computersystems, which would streamline the business,allow for greater operational efficiencies andposition the company for future growth. It is

never easy learning a new system, but the staffquickly embraced it once they realised howmuch easier it made their job.

“With our IT systems we can check stockand sales in real time. This allows us to greatlyimprove customer service, as the team doesn’thave to waste valuable time searching for stockand making sure that the right quantities arethere. Customers can receive accurate answersto their questions quickly and make theirdecisions in real time. Time is money foreveryone these days, and as the technologicalinfrastructure continues to develop locally, weplan to maximise the use of our IT resources toimprove customer service even further.”

Five years on, Blades is confident thecompany has reaped tremendous benefits fromaccomplishing “Job No. 1”.

“Nobody could have predicted the gravityof the recession we currently find ourselvesin,” he said. “Our systems and procedures haveprepared us well, and is a major contributor to us having weathered the storm so wellthus far.”

With the systems in place, it was time toemploy strategies for growing the business. Thelocal building materials sector has become avery competitive landscape during the lastbuilding boom, and to grow it is very importantto maintain your competitive advantage byidentifying the opportunities and running with them.

Marshall Trading was the first to offerFREE DELIVERY ISLANDWIDE, and hasalways looked to satisfy its customer’s needswith products and services that are innovativeand superior in quality and value. Thecompany has introduced its own SUREBUILDbrand to the market and it has been wellreceived as customers trust Marshall Tradingto provide quality products of superior value,even with commodity items like nails.

As the economy becomes tougher,customers continue to search for ways tostretch their limited dollar further. MarshallTrading’s promise is to continue to find waysto deliver value, without compromising qualityand service.

So, what does the future hold for Marshall Trading?

“We are very excited about the future,” saidBlades. “We fully recognise that as the pace oflife continues to increase, consumer habits aresignificantly changing. Customers have no timeto waste, they need to be able to satisfy asmany of their needs in one space, as fast aspossible. We have begun adapting our model tomeet those needs.

“In the past five years we have significantlyincreased our product offering and we continue

to make additions every day. We have morethan doubled the retail store space at ourWildey location, and in March of this year, weopened another retail store and lumber yardnext to Automotive Art in Welches, St Thomas.

“So, in addition to our ability to deliverorders islandwide, we now have three locationswhere customers can come for their homeimprovement and maintenance requirements.And, we remain committed to delivering thisconvenience with the value that MarshallTrading is known for.”

Blades feels confident that “with thededicated team we have in place, when meshedwith our strong operational structure, MarshallTrading will be able to achieve the goals weset for ourselves now, and well into the future”.

Marshall Trading 35th Anniversary. SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL. SEPTEMBER 25, 2011. 3.

price was right.When asked what kept

Marshall Trading in the gamewhile the majority of thecompetition failed, Mr.Marshall replied: “We kept ourbusiness lean and mean!”

Mr. Marshall is proud thathe was able to diversify thelumber business away and outof Bridgetown, thus givingseveral St. Philip residents theopportunity for steadyemployment close to home.

In December 2006, Johnand Betty made the decision tosell the business and fullyenjoy the fruits of their manyyears of hard work. At thattime the shareholders of

Automotive Art, havingsuccessfully developed a chainof retail stores in Barbados andthe Caribbean, were looking todiversify their businessinterests into other segments ofthe local market.

Hugh Blades, one of thefounding partners of theAutomotive Art franchise, andnow CEO of MarshallTrading, said: “We were veryexcited when the opportunityto purchase Marshall Tradingcame along. We felt that withour dynamic growth cultureand strength in usingtechnology as a competitiveadvantage, we would be able tocapitalise on the legacy theMarshall family had built overthe first 30 years.”

In the past five years,despite the significanteconomic challenges, themanagement team hascontinued to forge the Marshall Tradingof the future.

Mr. Blades added:“Marshall’s reputation wasbuilt on offering customers thebest service at the best value,and we work hard to maintainthat every day in this highlycompetitive environment,where costs are alwaysincreasing.”

While the constructionindustry continues toexperience serious challenges,Mr. Blades feels that thebusiness is well positioned tocontinue into the future.

• From Page 2.

CEO sees brightfuture for company

Strong legacy on which to build

HUGH BLADESCEO, MARSHALL TRADING (GP)

THROUGHOUT its 35-year history MarshallTrading has been very fortunate to have hadmany of the same people on its team.

Winston (Erick) Grazette has been withMarshall Trading for the past 31 years. Hehas visited work sites and businesses sellingMarshall Trading’s building materials andhardware products around the island. “Sellinghas been my life,” Erick said. “I love meetingpeople and dealing with customers, and beingable to satisfy their needs.”

Erick recalls “we were the first to offer freedelivery, and it really shook things up. Itchanged the way business was done”.

He insists though: “Once other companiesjumped on the band wagon and began to offerfree delivery too, our customers still remainedloyal to us because of the level of customerservice we were able to maintain”.

Erick believes his friendly and affablepersonality has won him many loyal customersover the years, along with the fact that he willalways go the extra mile to satisfy hiscustomer’s needs.

“My customersknow they can call meanytime – day or night– and I will do my bestto make sure wedeliver what they needin as timely a manneras we can, and I feelcomfortable that wehave a team that candeliver on thosepromises.”

He also adds thatwith his many yearsof experience in the building industry he iswilling and able to provide valuable advice andrecommendations to home owners and builderson the best way to accomplish their objectives.

“There’s nothing I feel more proud aboutthan seeing a finished project, and knowingthat even in some small way, I helped acustomer to achieve their dream of having ahome to call their own.”

Eustace “Dick” Forde joined theMarshall Trading team on January 6, 1984as a bond/truck assistant. Determined toclimb the ranks within the company andimprove his lot in life, Dick focused on whatwas necessary to get to the next level.

“I realised that if I wanted to progress, Ihad to show I was capable of moreresponsibility,” he recalls.

“The orders used to come in requirementsfor lumber by the square foot, and it wasnormally the more senior staff members whohad to work that out. I was able to do the matheasy and then load the lumber on the truckmyself without having to wait on anyone togive me the details.”

Once the management team recognised hewas consistently using his initiative, he wasgiven more responsibility and promoted totruck driver in 1987.

However, knowing he wanted to go further,Dick continued todemonstrate to thecompany’smanagement teamthat he could handlewhatever tasks wereassigned to him. He remembersvividly the days when“we would start outearly by having to godown into the port to

collect lumbershipments, and thenhave to come up

and offload the stock, reload all the trucks andgo out making deliveries to customers aroundthe island. Many days it was well after darkwhen we arrived back at East Point, and thenwe would get up the next morning and do it allover again.”

Knowing he had the potential to take onadditional responsibility, Dick was promoted to

bond assistant in 1989 and eventually to thekey position of East Point warehouse managerin 1993, a position which he currently holds.

East Point accounts for the lion’s share ofMarshall Trading’s deliveries daily, and soDick’s role is critical to ensuring that customersget their orders on time.

He says: “I enjoy dealing with people andbeing able to satisfy their needs no matter whatthe challenge.”

Desmond Hunte joined Marshall Tradingin 1983 as a truck bond assistant working in theyard and loading trucks.

During his 28 years with the companyDesmond has pretty much done everythingasked of him. He has worked in the yard,organising stock, driven pretty much any pieceof truck or mechanical piece of equipmentthat came through the gates, whether it wasthe forklift or the heavy duty Hiab truckused to move containers.

Desmond has even assisted in thebuilding and maintenance of the bonds andbuildings at East Point. His manager, DickForde, recalls: “It’s always good to knowthat you have people like Desmond on theteam who can be counted on at short noticeto help solve a problem in the yard or makean emergency delivery to a customer. Youcan count on him to get whatever task he isgiven to be done.”

Another senior member of the MarshallTrading Team is Adrian Stuart.

Adrian joined thecompany 27 years ago asa van driver. He wassoon able to obtain hisheavy goods licence andafter three years with thecompany he waspromoted to truck driver,a job that he alwaysthoroughly enjoyed. “I loved driving thetrucks because I likedinteracting with thecustomers, and it alsoallowed me to move all

throughout Barbados. There isn’t a place inBarbados I don’t know how to get to, and thisis important to make sure the customers gettheir deliveries in a timely manner.”

Adrian has always been willing to do whatwas asked of him, and coupled with awillingness to learn about the many otheraspects of the business, he was soon promotedto bond supervisor, a key role he currentlyoccupies.

While he deals more with the managementof inventory today, Stuart still helps out inmany other areas when required, and has beena mentor for manynew employees.

His extensiveknowledge about thewide range of productsMarshall Tradingstock, is constantlytapped by teammembers andcustomers alike, andhe is always willing toshare with thosewilling to learn. Adrianis another one ofMarshall Trading’svaluable assets.

Cardon Thomas joined Marshall Tradingas a truck/bond assistant at Wildey in August1987. Having worked in construction before,Cardon had some knowledge of the products

Marshall Trading sold, but always took a keeninterest in learning more about products thecompany sold.

He credits Adrian Stuart as always being amentor to him, taking him under his wing andsharing his knowledge about products.

This willingness to learn lead to Cardon’spromotion to bond assistant, then shortly afterthat to hardware store clerk in 1991 andeventually to sales representative in the Wildeystore in 2003, a role he has performed for thepast eight years.

He has continued to expand his knowledgeof the wide range of hardware items thatMarshall Trading stock, and has himselfbecome the person whom customers and teammembers turn to for information on solving

their plumbing, electricalor other homemaintenance issues. “I love working withcustomers and enjoybeing able to help themfix their home andbuilding maintenanceissues.”Sonia Barnett performsthe very important roleof managing theaccounts of MarshallTrading’s manycustomers, a position she

began preparing for 24 years ago when shejoined Marshall Trading as an assistantcashier at the Wildey office.

With her strong leadership and interpersonalskills, Sonia was quickly given additionalresponsibilities which saw her fulfillingmultiple roles in sales and accounts during hercareer with the company.

“These different positions allowed me to getto know many of the customers, and I likeinteracting with people.”

When the company was acquired byAutomotive Art in 2006, Sonia was given thekey role of managing customer accounts, a jobthat is not for the faint hearted.

When managing customer payments andcredit limits, not only is there a hugeresponsibility in safeguarding the company’scash flow daily, there is also a need to beextremely sensitive to the customer’s needs and issues.

There are a lot of balls to juggle at one time,and communication iscritical to success.

She says: “I feelproud to know that 24years later I am stillworking with the samecustomers I met whenI first joined MarshallTrading. It meansthat we at MarshallTrading are doing theright things to keepthem coming back”.CEO Hugh Bladesnoted: “We trust Soniaimplicitly with this huge responsibility becausewe know she has strong relationships with ourcustomers and will always recommendsolutions that are in the interest of both thecompany and the customer at all times.”


Long servers‘prized assets’

WINSTON ‘ERICK’

GRAZETTESONIA BARNETT

DESMOND HUNTE

CARDON THOMAS

ADRIAN STUART

EUSTACE ‘DICK’

FORDE

THIRTY YEARS AGOMarshall Trading changedthe way in which the localbuilding supplies sectoroperated by offering FREEDELIVERY ISLANDWIDE.While this helped thecompany to significantlygrow its business, it wasn’tlong before its competitorsstarted to offer the sameservice.

To keep one step ahead of the competition, MarshallTrading had to ensure thatthe FREE delivery was alsothe best delivery.

Throughout the years, thecompany has been proud ofthe on-time delivery recordit has been able to maintain,and the thousands of

customers who haveremained loyal to thecompany throughout theyears is testament to that. For this to happen it takes a

dedicated team who all sharethe same goal – alwaysdeliver on what we promiseand do not promise what wecannot deliver.

“We have built up a solidtrack record of being able todeliver goods ‘next day’, andwe aim to keep it that way inorder to stay ahead,” saysDick Forde, East PointWarehouse Manager. “We arenot always perfect, but whenwe make mistakes we learnfrom them and look not torepeat them again.”

Deliveries are made from

both the East Point andWildey locations. Thewarehouse at East Point takesup more than five acres ofland, and accounts for themajority of deliveries thecompany makes around the island daily. Wildeywarehouse handles the balance.

Both locations are staffedby dedicated teams of bondassistants and truck drivers,many of whom have beenwith the company for morethan ten years, so they haveintimate knowledge of the

Barbadian road network.Deliveries, of course,

cannot be made withoutcustomer orders. In additionto customer salesrepresentatives who taketelephone orders from ourthree locations, MarshallTrading has an experiencedteam of four road salesrepresentatives who visitcustomer’s building sites,offices and hardware storesaround the island.

Collectively, they averagemore than 20 years ofexperience in the business,

and they have willinglyshared their vast knowledgeand experience withMarshall Trading’scustomers over the years.

Winston (Erick) Grazettehas covered the western sideof the island for 31 years,while Bernard Waithe looksafter the eastern and southernareas. David Mason managesthe company’s larger keyaccounts and the company’scontainer rentals, whileShaun Alleyne covers themultitude of hardware storesaround the island.


Roadwarriorssecond to none

ON-THE-ROAD SALES REPRESENTATIVES: (from left) David Mason, Bernard Waithe and Winston(Erick) Grazette. (GP)

SHAUN ALLEYNEWHOLESALE REPRESENTATIVE

(GP)

GROWTH is something that every company is alwaysstriving to achieve. For Marshall Trading, the opening ofvarious locations throughout the island was one way tofacilitate this goal.

In 1976 when the company started, it operated out of ayard in East Point, St Philip. For the first nine years of thebusiness this was the only location Marshall Tradingoperated. As the business grew, the scale of the operationsignificantly expanded with the addition of severalwarehouses, and today is one of the island’s largest lumberyards under cover.

Eustace (Dick) Forde manages the company’s operationsat East Point, which still handles the bulk of the company’sdeliveries and is ably supported by 26 team members, almosthalf of the company’s total staff complement. East Point alsohas a small hardware store stocking a wide range of hardwareitems primarily geared towards contractors.

By the time 1985 rolled around, the company began to

IN MARCH of this year Marshall Tradingopened its new retail store in Welches, St.Thomas. Located in the building previouslyoccupied by Automotive Art, and now the thirdsales outlet for Marshall Trading, this latestmove has positioned the company more into themainstream side of the local hardware andhome improvement business.

When asked about the new opening, HughBlades, CEO of Marshall Trading said: “Theopportunity for Marshall Trading to open anew retail location in the busy Warrens areawas one that could not be missed. For 35 yearsMarshall has built its reputation by offeringexceptional value and customer service toBarbadians building and renovating theirhomes.

“We’ve traditionally been focused on thebuilding materials and lumber delivery side ofour business. With our new Welches retail storewe are looking forward to offering that samelevel of value and service to customers. Wewant our customers to feel that no matter thesize of the project, Marshall will work with

them to achieve their goals while saving themmoney. Every day we continue to stockadditional items in our store, so customersdon’t feel they have to shop around. Even if wedon’t have a product in store, we’ll work tosource that product and then deliver it to thecustomer’s home through our island widedelivery service.”

In addition to a complete range of buildingmaterials, plywood and lumber, the hardwarestore also stocks a comprehensive range ofplumbing, electrical, tools, doors, windows,lawn and garden and other hardware. The storealso has the capability to mix the full range ofboth Harris and Berger paints.

The store is headed by Trevor Applewhaiteand is supported by a dedicated team of eightsales and warehouse staff.

Marshall Trading Welches is open from7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday to caterto those customers and contractors who mayneed to do their shopping first thing in themorning or after work on an evening. The storeis also open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Location, location, location

Marshall Trading goes WestEAST POINT WAREHOUSE AND DELIVERIES STAFF (From left)Patrick Vaughan Snr, Alan Aker, Dave Brathwaite, DesmondHunte, David Hunte, Keith Waithe, Anthony Murrel, IrvinGittens, Jamar Crookendale, Shawn Brathwaite, UlricGoodman, Roger Inniss, Hugh Williams, Michael Mason andShane Belgrave. Missing are Austin Browne, Patrick VaughnJnr, Emmerson Garnes, Clarence Cummins and Peter Newton.

adopt a more retail focused businessmodel which found them opening asecond location in Wildey, St Michael.Moving closer to the central locationof Bridgetown would help drive morefoot traffic into their retail business,allowing for further development ofthe Marshall Trading name.

In January 2010, the companymade the decision to expand more intothe hardware retail operations, andmore than doubled the retail sellingspace at the Wildey location. “Werecognised that to maximise service toour customers, we needed tosignificantly expand our productoffering,” said CEO Hugh Blades.“The response from our customers tothe expansion has been fantastic.Previously, our customers only cameto us for cement, steel, lumber andplywood. Now they know that weoffer a much wider range, and thatthey can come to us and find most ofwhat they need for their homebuilding and maintenance projects.

“We’ve also significantly expandedour garden and outdoors sections aswe recognise this is a big area forhome care and improvement”. TheWildey store is headed by FrancinaMendes, and is supported by a salesteam of nine, many of whom havebeen with the company for over tenyears. Sherwin Massiah and AdrianStuart head up the warehouse and delivery side of the operation, and they are supported by a team of 15 dedicated warehouse and delivery staff.”

In addition to the core buildingmaterials, plywood and lumber, thehardware store also stocks acomprehensive range of plumbing,electrical, tools, doors, windows, lawnand garden and other hardware. Thestore also has the capability to mix the full range of both Harris andBerger paints.

WILDEY WAREHOUSE AND DELIVERIES STAFF:(from left) Evan King, Grantley Gardener, SwaneMayers, Jamal Thompson, Keion Harding, JeromeStraughn and Sherwin Massiah. Missing is Ezra Fenty,Adrian Stuart, Rudolph Smith, Joel Marshall andKiersten Denny . (GP)

WILDEY RETAIL TEAM: (from left) Paula Husbands,Cherry Ann Bailey, Cardon Thomas, Francina Mendes,Janelle Perch, Maria Denny, Carlyn Mose and PaulKing. (GP)

EAST POINT RETAIL STAFF: (from left) Tracey Miller,Tanya Nurse, Karen Trotman and Dick Forde.Missing is Jason Risbrook. (GP)


WELCHES TEAM: (from left) Carlton Gittens, LatoyaGardiner, Daniel Christie, Natalie Rochester, TrevorApplewaithe and Kendra Walton.Missing are Shawn Jones and Rommel Thompson. At right: The new Welches store. (GP)

Simpson Motors Ltd. Warrens, St. Michael, Barbados, W.I., BB22026 Tel: (246) 417-7777 | Fax: (246) 425-2889 | www.simpson-motors.com

and we wish them continued success

We Congratulate

Marshall TradingAnniversaryon their35th

We have had the honour to work with Marshall Trading over the years as both of our companies contributed to the quality of life in Barbados.

We wish the Management and Staff at Marshall Trading continued success.

Together through the Years

35Years


WHEN PEOPLE THINK of Marshall Tradingthey think of FREE DELIVERYISLANDWIDE or cement, steel and lumber on bright yellow and black delivery trucks.

Behind the products, services and freedeliveries, there is a small, capableadministrative team who keep things flowingsmoothly. The team pool their years ofexperience with their relevant area ofresponsibility to get the job done.

Grace Rowe joined Marshall Tradingin 2007 as inventory manager after spendingmore than 30 years in the inventory controldepartment of Dacosta Mannings.

Grace oversees inventory integrity, trackingshortages and adjustments, ensuring that systemreporting levels for inventory are accurate.

Marshall Trading operates a perpetualinventory stock management system so ouroperations are never closed to customers forstock-taking purposes. This accuracy of stocklevel is critical to ensuring that stock outs areminimized and that the correct quantities areordered by the purchasing department at all times.

It also allows sales representatives to communicate the most current inventorylevels to customers, so they can bettermanage their stock requirements.

The task of ensuring that MarshallTrading’s retail stores are always stocked withthe right amount of product at the right pricefalls to William Branch.

William joined the company almost twoyears ago. Previously he worked at AutomotiveArt for nearly 20 years as purchasing manager.

He has been intimately involved in developing the extensive tool portfolio which includes Draper tools, Black and Deckerand Dewalt.

Since joining Marshall Trading, he hassignificantly developed his knowledge of theother critical hardware categories, such asplumbing and electrical, and has assisted theteam in broadening the range of productsoffered in the expanded retail operations overthe past 18 months.

He works with the sales and inventory teamsto make sure Marshall Trading’s stores areadequately stocked with the products that

customers need for their home buildingand maintenance projects.

Before the products – which are importedfrom all around the globe – reach the storesthey first have to clear Customs andPort Authority.

To ensure a speedy arrival, MarshallTrading contracts the services of HendersonWilliams to manage the company’s numerousshipments.

Hendy has more than 25 years of experienceas a customs broker, and can always be countedon to make sure things go smoothly.

Joy-Ann Carrington manages all of theaccounts payables for Marshall Trading.

She plays a critical role in ensuring that thevendors who supply inventory, supplies andservices to Marshall Trading are paid on time.

Her role is important for the day-to-daymanagement of the company, ongoing vendorand supplier relations as well as the company’slong-term financial strength.

Sonia Barnett manages the customer

accounts for the company. Having worked withMarshall’s customers for the past 24 years,most of them are very familiar with her and sheworks very closely with them on a daily basis toensure payments are made in a timely mannerand that accounts are up to date and in order.

Every office needs someone to make sureeverything runs smoothly — a “Jack of alltrades” — and that responsibility falls to Lianna Maynard.

Having been with the company for about tenyears, Lianna is familiar with the ins and outsof the business and is called on to make surethat all the materials the company uses daily are up to standard and are kept in good supply.

However, her expertise goes farther than thatas she can often be found filling in for many of the other staff when they are out of office. She also supports the road sales team byinputting orders and assisting customers with stock queries.

Lianna is yet another one of Marshall'svaluable assets.

THEADMINISTRATIVESTAFF workbehind the scenesto keep thingsrunning smoothlyat MarshallTrading: (From left) LiannaMaynard, GraceRowe, WilliamBranch and SoniaBarnett. Missingis Joy-AnnCarrington. Inset: HendersonWilliams. (GPs)

Stronginternalfoundations


IT IS every company’s dream to haveemployees that fully believe and support the goals and values of the organization they work in.

Nothing is of greater value than a teammember who consistently exceeds expectationsand displays true commitment and dedicationto the company and their job.

There are several employees at MarshallTrading who have gone above and beyondwhat has been expected of them through the years.

David Mason joined the Marshall Tradingteam in 1991 as a Truck/Bond Assistant.

David notes that he was brought up to neveraccept the status quo, to always keep pushingto new levels and his story is one that showshow hard work, enthusiasm and drive can pay huge dividends and get you where you want to be.

“I have always realized that if I could showmy managers that I could do more, they would

give me more responsibility.” He has always shown a commitment to

do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer,because that is what is key to both his andthe company’s success.

Commitment to his job saw him promotedto truck driver/office sales clerk in 1995.Knowing that he had the willpower and driveto continue to grow in the company, he pushedand in 2000 was promoted to salesrepresentative at East Point, with additionalresponsibilities for backing up East PointWarehouse Manager Dick Forde.

This allowed him to interact with many of Marshall Trading’s customers and whenthe position of road sales representative for thecompany’s key accounts became available,he jumped at the opportunity and has never looked back.

“His energy and commitment to hiscustomers and delivering the best customerservice he can every time, has enabled David toconsistently grow his sales over the past threeyears,” remarked Sales Director, Philip Mayers.

“He has done this in an extremelychallenging business environment. David nevergives up. When one door closes, he goeslooking for another to open.

“He is excellent with his customers, andthey know they can depend on him to deliverfor them. If he has to go out on a weekend anddeliver the goods himself sometimes, he has

done that on occasion. With his willingness tonever settle for second best, I see nothing butcontinued success for David in the future. Heis truly a valuable asset to the company.”

Sherwin Messiah was employed byMarshall Trading on February 6, 1987. Initiallyjoining the team as a truck/bond assistant, hardwork saw him promoted to truck driver in1991.

Having demonstrated his willingness toconsistently go the extra mile, Sherwin waspromoted to merchandiser on the retail side

of the business in 2004. In 2006 Sherwin moved to the key position

of inventory coordinator, where his strongleadership and organizational skills werecritical in safeguarding the company’s assets.

There was also a three-month stint on theWildey Sales floor at Christmas 2010, whereSherwin put his product knowledge, gainedduring his 24 years in the company, to good use helping customers with their building andmaintenance solutions.

When one of the positions he truly covetedbecame available in March 2011, he quicklyjumped at the opportunity.

Hugh Blades remarked: “The position ofbond supervisor at Wildey became open due tothe transfer of team members to the newlyopened Welches Store and having seen what anexcellent job Sherwin had done with theinventory and on the sales floor, I felt he wasthe right man for the job”.

Sherwin is grateful for the opportunity hehas been given and is thoroughly enjoying hisnew job and the new challenges it brings. His“can do” attitude and strong leadership andpeople skills are sure to make him successfulnow and well into the future.

He is of great value to the organization andis truly an inspiration to many of his fellowteam members.

Employees havesecret to success

DAVID MASON (GP) SHERWIN MASSIAH (GP) • Continued on next page.

The Management and Staff

at Arawak Cement

Congratulate

Marshall Trading on reaching its

35th

Anniversary

ON JUNE 30, 2011, Richard Field retiredafter nearly 22½ years of service withMarshall Trading.

Richard joined the company as a roadsales representative responsible forservicing the numerous hardware storesaround the island. He sold the manyhardware brands which Marshall Tradinghad agency representation for over theyears, for example Shires Sanitary ware,TEKA sinks and in recent years he alsoplayed a pivotal role in driving thedistribution of the company’sSUREBUILD brand of nails, ladders andwheelbarrows.

At a reception held to celebrate hisyears of service, Philip Mayers, Sales

Director for Marshall Trading,remarked: “When I joined MarshallTrading two years ago, I knew nothingabout the building materials andhardware business, and Richard was oneof those people who taught me theintricacies of water closets, hinges andgalvanise pipe fittings. He was alwayswilling to share his knowledge to thosewilling to learn. For that I am mostappreciative.”

Shaun Alleyne has been recruited tofollow on where Richard left off, and heknows he has some big shoes to fill, butis more than up for the challenge. Hebrings prior experience in the businesshaving worked at Tuleja Lumber for the

past few years.Richard has retired from Marshall

Trading so he can answer to anothercalling. While others might delight at thethought of going home and relaxing aftera lifetime of hard work, Richard hasother plans to fill his day. He will now befocusing all of his efforts full time onGod’s work, continuing to spread theWord and help those more in need thanhimself. For this we commend him andwish him all the best with his futureendeavours. We would like to thankRichard for his many years of dedicatedservice. Richard will be missed by all atMarshall Trading — staff and customersalike.

Richard moves on to higher calling


Karen Trotman joinedMarshall Trading on October18, 1993, as a sales clerk atthe East Point Warehouse.

Shortly thereafter, she waspromoted to salesrepresentative, the position shestill holds today.

In addition to taking phone-in orders from customers,Karen also plays the key roleof supporting Dick Forde incoordinating the dailydeliveries at East Point.

She has excellent peopleskills and loves the challengesthat come with this very

important support role. For all of the road sales

representatives and manycustomers, Karen is the “go-to” person for helping tocomplete any challengingtasks. She has excellentorganizational skills and willnever make a promise shecannot keep.

When issues arise, sheapplies her soundcommunication skills toquickly resolve them.

“It is quite amazing to seehow many balls she managesto juggle on a daily basis”,said CEO, Hugh Blades. “I amconstantly amazed at how she

gets it all done, and I canalways count on her to helpme with issues.”

Karen says she loves thedifferent challenges that herjob brings every day, and sheenjoys working with the manyloyal customers with whomshe has dealt with over her 18years at Marshall Trading.It’s what drives her to deliverher best every day.

When asked about thesesuccess stories, Hugh Bladesremarked: “Our people arewhat make our companystrong. Their many years ofcommitment to helpingBarbadians from all walks of

life achieve their dreams ofhome ownership have beencommendable. Their drive anddedication will firmly positionMarshall Trading forwhatever challenges oropportunities that may comeour way in the future.”

Quality staff company’s core

FROMLEFT: HughBlades,CEO,RichardFields andPhilipMayers,SalesDirector. (GP)

KAREN TROTMAN

• From Page 9.


THE KITCHEN is always one of thecentrepieces of a home and also accounts for one of the more significant costs whenbuilding a house.

It often reflects the personality andlifestyle of the homeowner and so attention to detail is key when designing this area.

Always looking to createnew value propositions forits customers, MarshallTrading has recentlyintroduced the SUNCO lineof kitchen cabinets to thelocal market.

Available in toffee or traditional white, thequality of the cabinetis Sunco’s main selling feature.

Using a selection of onlythe finest woods andmaterials, the cabinets are then manufactured andassembled using traditionalcraftsman techniques. Theresult is a high-quality all-wood box cabinet at anexceptional price that willexceed your expectations.

Marshall Tradingstocks cabinet boxes in many differentdimensions, which allowshomeowners the flexibilityto customize their kitchens.

In the past two years thatMarshall Trading has beenselling the kitchens, the company has yet tofind a customer who has not been satisfiedwith the finished quality and amazing value of the final product.

Marshall Trading’s team of CharlesAllen and Krystle Mendes work tirelessly to ensure that customers receive the kitchenof their dreams.

From layout and design to installation,they work closely with customers to ensureeverything goes smoothly.

Charlie has numerous years of experiencein the building industry – having owned hisown contracting business and managed oneof the island’s largest woodworking shops.

He brings a wealth of experience in themanufacturing and installation of kitchencabinets to our business.

Krystle works with customers on thedesign and layout of their kitchens, using thein-house design to bring life to their plansand specifications.

This software can produce a renditionusing the dimensions specified by customersso they can have an idea how their kitchenwill look and make any adjustments priorto installation.

Sunco cabinets are modular, come pre-assembled and can be easily installed by any experienced carpenter.

Marshall Trading can also supportcustomers’ installers or, should the customerrequire, manage the installation of the kitchen cabinets. The team can also providerecommendations on the sourcing andinstallation of countertops for the kitchen cabinets.

Team can cook upyour dream kitchen

CHARLESALLEN andKrystle Mendes(far left) workwith customersto ensure theirkitchenspecificationsare met. At left,Krystledemonstratingthe in-housedesign softwareto provide arendition of akitchen basedon acustomer’sspecifications.(GPs)

Printed and Published by THE NATION PUBLISHING Company LTD., Nation House, Fontabelle, St. Michael, Barbados. Telephone (246) 430-5400

Marshall Trading 35th Anniversary Feature

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