6 | OBITUARIES
Passing of two stalwarts of the Irish Truck Industry
W
ithin two weeks of each other, two stalwarts of the Irish Truck Industry passed away. The founder and owner of the Harris Group, Robert ‘Pino’ Harris passed away 10 days after the burial of his Sales Manager, Patsy Kealy.
Pino Harris
Patsy Kealy
Pino Harris was one of the most iconic figures in the Irish commercial vehicle industry, holding a big property portfolio while also a generous philanthropist. Pino Harris’ success in business is noteworthy. The Harris Group, the Naas Road headquartered company, currently imports/ assembles and distributes Hino trucks, Isuzu trucks & Pick-ups, SsangYong cars, more recently Higer buses and coaches, LDV vans and Sinotruk construction trucks. Born in England in 1940, the son of a Limerick born scrap dealer, Pino’s early days in the trade stretch back to the 1960s when he began selling Guy trucks, which was once part of Jaguar. It was the Hino truck brand that put Harris on the road to nationwide sales success and beyond. In 1968, he began a business relationship with Hino, now part of the Toyota Motor Corporation, that continues to this day. Over the years Hino multi-axle trucks and tractor-units were produced from knockdown kit form on a dedicated assembly line, focusing on the construction sector. Hino was the name in the sector, commanding over 40% market share annually.
Hundreds gathered from all over Ireland to pay their respects to Pino Harris at his funeral at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dalkey, and to sympathise with his wife Denise and his family within the Harris Group. Dealers, customers and business leaders from the Irish commercial vehicle industry assembled to join the celebration of Pino’s life. Fr. Bryan Shorthall from the Capuchin Day Centre in Church Street, Dublin was the chief celebrant, assisted by Br. Kevin Crowley and two other priests. In his homily, Fr. Shorthall praised Pino’s hard work ethic, family values and dedication to his customers. He called him a visionary, in that his entrepreneurial spirit was based on good networking and seeking opportunities. “His business relationship with Asia, particularly with Hino in Japan was ahead of its time and lasted well over forty years.”
Dovetailing the business momentum was the acquisition of the importation franchise for Isuzu trucks and Pick-ups, together with distributing Iveco trucks and vans. Pino's modus operandi was to have trucks specified for certain sectors, particularly construction, facilitating customers to drive away ready for work. Th is eliminated the habitual 1218 week delay within the industry for new truck supply.
Pino’s close friendship with the Capuchins goes back decades and he was an ongoing generous benefactor to their fundraising activities, caring for the homeless and families in need in and around Dublin’s city centre. A man of strong religious faith, one of Pino’s last requests was for Br. Kevin to bless his latest truck to market – Sinotruk, as the first model came off the production line on the Naas Road.
Despite suffering ill health in the past decade, Pino continued to strive forward, adding to the Harris Group’s product portfolio. Renowned for his hands-on approach, Pino kept an eye on all aspects of his business through a small number of loyal generals, long serving staff members sharing decades of dedication and commitment to ‘the Boss’.
Denise Harris spoke before the final blessing, expressing a special word of gratitude to all members of staff at the Harris Group who helped build up the leading commercial vehicle business and requested that all staff members continue on as per Pino’s wishes and ‘make him proud’. “He was the most wonderful man to have ever known, and I will miss him dearly,” she said.
FLEETTRANSPORT | SEPTEMBER 17
Patsy Kealy’s passing after a long illness on 17 July was met with great sadness throughout the commercial vehicle and road transport industries. Patsy dedicated his working life to the Harris Group and especially to the Hino brand of trucks. He entered the business in his mid-teens and learned the trade under the watchful eyes of Pino Harris. Together they succeeded in elevating the Japanese truck brand to number one in the construction segment for decades, also achieving high sales numbers in the ultra-competitive UK marketplace. Patsy bravely batt led cancer for the past number of years and while in remission took on another project that gave him the strength and enthusiasm to continue on. He was pleased to see the progress of Sinotruk, the Harris Group’s latest truck franchise from China and seeing many of his loyal customers take interest in the new brand sporting their corporate colours, as they were prepared and ready for operation from the company’s prominent Naas Road headquarters. A man true to his word, a deal was a deal with Patsy, mostly done verbally with a strong shake of the hand followed by a beverage or two for good luck. Old school tradition it may be but it stood the test of time with Patsy, both in his relationship with customers and long-standing members of the Group’s dealer network. One of nature’s true gentlemen, Patsy always greeted life with a smile. From Cloghran, Swords, he will be sadly missed by his sons Stephen and Alan, Joyce, family members, Harris Group colleagues and a wide circle of business friends.