 Glentel inducted into Burnaby Business Hall of Fame, business excellence awards nominees announced at luncheon
It's a deceptively simple philosophy, and following it has turned a small local business into a global enterprise. "Understanding clientele, that's the mystique of retail," said Thomas Skidmore, president and CEO of Glentel. On Thursday, Glentel became the sixth annual inductee into the Burnaby Business Hall of Fame at a luncheon co-hosted by the City of Burnaby and the Burnaby Board of Trade. It was something Skidmore, speaking in an interview before the ceremony and luncheon, said reflected well on how the company - and the people who work there - does business. "I look at it that you don't go out to achieve awards," he said. "But it means that you must be resonating, your team must be resonating, that you must be doing something right. "That, to me, is an awesome thing." From its headquarters in Burnaby, the company's reach extends across the continent, providing wireless services to people and businesses from more than 250 locations. Its retail division offers communications products and services and a selection of cellphone brands through its own three store brands: Wireless Wave, Tbooth/la cabine T and Wireless etc. Through a presence in shopping malls and Costco warehouses across the country, it is one of the largest multi-carrier retailers in Canada, according to its website. In the interview, Skidmore explained that carrying the different store brands, each of which is geared to a different segment of the market, has been important to Glentel's success. "If we're going to expand in the malls where we are, we have to cater to the people who shop in that mall," Skidmore said. "(Mall) landlords want to see that you are attracting a different demographic." While Wireless Wave stores cater to tech-savvy teenagers, the Tbooth stores are for those a little older, in their 30s maybe, who are less comfortable with every change and development in the industry. "We know that when people come in, they're on a journey to understanding the product," Skidmore said. The company also has a business division that has wireless products designed for governments, public safety organizations and businesses. In 2007, Glentel was named the Business of the Year at the Burnaby Business Excellence Awards. All this in a company that can trace its roots to a small glass shop opened in New Westminster in 1946 by two brothers, Art and Herb Skidmore. Eventually taken over by Art's sons, Allan and Thomas, it grew over the years into one of the largest auto glass dealers in Canada.  |