Around here the name Jon Bradley
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| Jon and his kids |
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| Kaelna State Park |
Having recently returned to Australian soils, we sat down and had a chat about the beauty of Hawaii, I have never been but Jon told me to think movies like 50 First Dates and Jurassic Park as well as the TV show Lost. My head filled with images of relaxed island life set to the backdrop of dramatic cliffs, volcanos and dusty roads surrounded by sparkling turquoise water as I listened to Jon tell me about his favourite part of their trip...
They were feeling a bit lost and a bit like tourists when they came
across a shrimp (prawns to us Aussies!) truck convention- Jon said it was
awesome- all these old Bedford Trucks selling jumbo shrimp- in true Bubba Gump
style! They got some food and got talking to some people and all ended up
sharing their feasts. These new friends invited them for lunch the next day and
then took them past the resorts and beaches to a beautiful secluded bay where they swam
with turtles and were treated to a back catalogue of the history of the North
Shore. Jon said that suddenly they felt tapped in- they had some local
knowledge and no longer felt like tourists. He said that they have kept in
touch with their new friends and are planning on visiting them again. Jon told me that for this reason, the beautiful Waialua Bay on the North Shore of O’ahu was
his favourite part of Hawaii. Being “tapped in” as Jon calls it, I think, is
the reason he is so damn good at his job- he really takes an interest in his
customers, he genuinely cares about their stories and their needs. A very
worthy recipient of the Employee of the Year award!
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| Jon getting into his Hula lesson! |
I fired 8 more questions at our reigning Employee of the Year and his answers are as follows…
1. Were you surprised when your name was called out as Employee
of the Year or did you secretly think that you had it in the bag!?
Haha! You can always dream! It was a surprise!
2. How did your wife and kids react to the news?
Darren had called them during the day to let them know. They were all
being extremely nice to me when I got home and I couldn’t work out what was
going on!
3. Had you ever been, or thought about going, to Hawaii?
Ever since I could walk- always-
it just never felt achievable. Ever since I was a kid I had cousins who toured
professionally for surfing who would send me post cards from Hawaii, I had
posters on my wall from Hawaii, I watched the Elvis movies, I had a surf shop
where the whole focus of the surf business was Hawaii. I was going to get to
Hawaii, but I just didn’t know how.
4. How would you describe Hawaii in 5 words to someone who has
never been there?
Laid-back, Aloha, Welcome Home,
Picture Postcard, Surf’s Up!
5. Apart from winning trips to Hawaii, what is your favourite
part about working at Sunshine Toyota?
There is variety in each day.
The highs and the lows- it’s never the same thing when you walk through the
door.
6. Have you got a favourite or had a really memorable
experience with a customer?
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| Hanauma Bay |
I have heaps. I had a lovely
lady who purchased a pink Yaris from me as a sign of her strength for defeating
breast cancer. I’ve had mums who have survived car accidents who will only buy
Toyotas for their family’s safety. I have had people buying cars for new jobs,
their first cars, the last car before they die, a person’s 50th
Toyota, I’ve had cars that have been around the country 3 times, everyone’s got
a story. I like to tap into everybody’s adventures.
7. What is your favourite car of all time?
I’ve always had a real soft spot
for the Mustang convertible.
8. Fill in the blank:
I wish…I were drifting on the
deep blue...in Hawaii right now.
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By Georgie Lazarus
