Having just been awarded the Grand Master’s Chairman’s Awards for Isuzu Heavy and Holden Dealerships could be deemed a great reason for the respective teams at Smallbones to rest on their laurels. Think again. As any great sportsperson will say, ‘you’re only as good as your last performance’ and this mantra certainly runs true for both dealerships. And they practise what they preach. Isuzu Heavy has won this award three-years on the trot and Holden is a first time winner, but the great news is that both dealerships are leading their respective categories for the 2016 awards.  Smallbone General Manager, Gary Clement, and Smallbone Holden Dealer Principal, Roger Harper, along with their partners, travelled to Barcelona to accept the awards, for the 2015 calendar year, in May. “We were the ones fortunate enough to travel, but these awards are a complete team effort. You are as strong as your weakest link and these awards demonstrate that we have no weaknesses across the team,” Gary said. The purpose of Holden / Isuzu Heavy, Grand Master’s programme, is to measure performance across key operational areas that drive success – sales achievement, after sales performance, staff development, customer care, financial analysis and disciplined processes. While in Barcelona they attended two Black Tie events. The first was in conjunction with New Zealand and Australian dealers where the presentations were made, and the second was a gala dinner hosted by the Vice President of General Motors International, Stefan Jacoby. “We also attended a business meeting that gave insight into the future model line up from General Motors. While this information was embargoed, I can say that the future for General Motors and Holden dealers is exciting. The first of the new models, being the Holden Colorado, will arrive here in the last quarter of this year and will start a steady stream of new vehicles over the next few years,” he said. Gary did comment that the prestige of the awards is reflected in the way that he, Roger and their partners were treated. “Everything from travel to accommodation to food was five star and we have to ensure that quality of care is reflected in our respective businesses,” he said.