Friday/November 14, 2014/WEEKEND NATION SPECIAL 16
PETER MARSHALL IN 1985 (GP) PETER MARSHALL has many fond memories of the Barbados Bottling Company Limited (BBC). The retiree’s contribution is etched on the pages of the manufacturing plant’s history as he deftly managed the plant from 1975 to 1985, and assisted in cementing the legacy of the organisation that proudly stands today. Marshall describes the turning point in the plant’s history, as the expansion of its Roebuck Street location. This was the foresight of the late Sir Kenneth Hunte – a Board Director at the time and one who Marshall describes as “an extremely forward thinking gentleman”. A.R.E. Bob King was also instrumental in this business decision which saw the company acquiring the land on which the current Insurance Corporation of Barbados now stands. Marshall vividly recalls that there were several initial
reservations surrounding the purchase but the move proved supremely successful and eased the congestion of their previous location, easily accommodating 21 trucks and additional warehouse space. While the plant physically made the move to greener pastures, what remained was the staff’s unwavering commitment and dedication to its customers. This was heightened at Christmastime and Marshall fondly remembered having to place restrictions on the enthusiastic sales team who would stop at nothing to service their customers and close those all-important sales. “We had one employee whose route was in the north of the island and he would think nothing of returning to the plant at 10 p.m. to reload and go back out to customers. On the whole, the salesmen were that passionate. We had to put certain restrictions in place or they would just keep working well into the night.” Marshall himself also lived that passion and of the numerous stories
which abound in his memory of personal sacrifice, one in particular always comes to the fore, painting a true picture of those early days. “We had just installed what are referred to as post-mix units for fountain drinks in what is now Harbour Lights and the owner called me at 11:30 p.m. to say that he was experiencing a problem with them. I went down to Roebuck Street myself and with the help of security personnel loaded up a truck with drinks and took them down to him.You just did what you had to do.” Marshall’s tenure not only saw an unmatched level of tenacity, but a level of innovation that was unparalleled in the industry. A partnership with Plastic Containers gave way to the introduction of the PET bottle. More than just packaging, the PET bottle meant that the sales team would now have a lighter package to transport and storage burdens of bottles would be a thing of the past. Barbadians responded favourably to the introduction. Next came the introduction of the
post-mix units and this particular innovation helped to cement BBC as a market leader in the beverage industry. “The beverage industry was changing and we embraced the changes. When I introduced post-mix, the competition downplayed it. We were the first to introduce post-mix on the island and from there schools and other establishments requested them and they just took off.” The saying goes that the true test of leadership is how one manages challenges and Marshall’s management of BBC certainly had its fair share. As with any business, a strategic and sensible pricing mechanism can signal success or spark failure and the former manager further said that BBC was forced to increase its prices, which prompted a personal call from the late Prime Minister of Barbados, the Right Excellent J. M. G. M. Tom Adams himself. As the story goes, Prime Minister Adams had not long before delivered a budget speech which would see
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