Foley Trucks has come a long way since its “humble beginnings” as a small Auckland car yard 30 years ago.
Founding director Paul Church was a panel beater by trade when he decided to take a punt and buy a dealership licence for around $10,000 in the late 80s.
“That was a lot of money back then,” he says.
He was often telling his mates he would do well in the industry.
“They would say to me, ‘prove it smarty pants’.”
And so he did, putting everything on line and starting from the original site in Point Chevalier.
Paul didn’t sell a car in the first week, but business soon picked up.
He changed direction and focused solely on trucks around five years later.
It was around the time when imports were starting to get a “foothold” throughout the country. He saw a gap in the market for vehicles over 3500kg GVM and made the shift early on starting with a little box truck.
It proved to be a smart move and he started importing a few bigger trucks.
Needing more space, he shifted to a new site in Penrose in 1996. The business is now based in Leonard Rd, Mt Wellington and a new Christchurch site opened in April this year.
Around 140 trucks are on stock in Auckland and more than 50 in Christchurch, mostly ex-demo vehicles. There are eight employees across both sites.
The trucks mostly range from two to 10-tonne payloads of all major brands. They include everything from flat decks, box trucks, tippers, refrigerated trucks, cranes, compactors, buses, transporters and vans.
Forming a key relationship with dealers in Japan has been another key part of Paul’s success with over 150 trips to the country.
It was “hard work” at first, he says. Not knowing anything on his first visit, not knowing the language or how to read any signposts, but he made his way around and found the right contacts in the end.
He also developed a skill for knowing what to buy and getting the best deal in the market at the right time.
Paul says the key to his success is building a business customers have come to trust over the years.
“The whole business is based around trust. You’re not dealing with Joe Public, you’re dealing with business managers and people who are making decisions.
“These guys don’t have much time on their hands and they go to who they know and who they trust if they need a truck tomorrow,” he says.
Paul’s son Thomas joined the company five years ago as co-owner and director.
Thomas, a boat builder by trade, says he always wanted to join the business but wasn’t allowed until he “went his own way” and got some outside experience.
“I got there in the end,” he says.
Thomas says the business runs with a “good efficient system” in place.
“The guys here are not overworked or overstressed. The guys like it and we’re a tight team.”
