18/12/2019
End of Year Message from Don Malcolm, Owner and Managing Director:
As is my custom at this time of year (and after being prompted) I have put a few thoughts together below....
.. With less than a week until Christmas Day, it is safe to say that 2019 has come and nearly gone and the business community continues to do fairly well, although the problem of finding qualified and competent people remains. Each of our respective businesses has suffered at the consequence of the inability to find the right people, and based on the undeniable fact that the right people are the foundation stones on which any successful and reputable business is built, this is not a good thing. Having said that, we’ve had a very good year. We’ve worked on becoming more efficient, and rather than increasing our charges to clients, we’ve realised that the clients will pay for the work we do, particularly that “extra” work attributable to Customs, MPI, carriers, etc. as long as they understand what it is we’re doing. Rather than become engaged with what competitors may be doing, we’ve focused on what our clients want (and need) us to do, and in so doing often find ourselves in a market place of our own. I’d liken this year to a test match – high intensity, a well-trained and motivated team, solid support staff, well coached and with a plan that allowed the flexibility to exploit opportunities and minimise the consequences of the odd “dropped ball”. We are looking forward to 2020, primed and ready to start at a pace that increases with each passing year, but safe in the knowledge that we have the right people doing the right things.
As always, we thank our clients for the opportunities they have entrusted to us, and our people for having the care and commitment so many others lack. We’d also like to set an example within the community as punching well above our weight when it comes to supporting those worthy charities that do so much for so many, and suggest that other organisations follow our lead.
Donations and support have been provided to the following:
- The Burn Support Group Charitable Trust
- Harbour Hospice
- Totara Hospice
- Franklin Hospice Charitable Trust
- Starship Foundation
- Cancer Society New Zealand
- The Salvation Army
- Stroke Foundation NZ
- Muscular Dystrophy Association – Northern Region
All the best for the festive season, enjoy, recharge the batteries, love and be loved, and be kind to yourself!
Don Malcolm
Owner and Managing Director