Working Life: Engines of the company; Motor firm pair rewarded for clocking up some 15 years' service each

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), May 1, 2008

Byline: GARETH DEIGHAN

TWO members of staff at JenningsFord Direct have been rewarded for their loyalty to the company.

Gavin Moffatt, 47, from Longhorsley, Northumberland, and Ray Maitland, 46, from North Shields, have more than 30 years' service between them.

Gavin joined JenningsFord in 1992, when he was appointed as a sales executive at the group's former Washington dealership.

Within three years, Gavin was promoted to sales controller and transferred to the Newcastle Road dealership in South Shields. 2000 saw another promotion for Gavin when he took on the role of sales manager at the dealership.

He is currently responsible for the day-to-day running of the Ford Direct dealership in South Shields, which entails overseeing a team of sales and administration staff, in addition to ensuring sales objectives set out by the Ford Motor Company are met on a quarterly basis.

He said: "I'm delighted with the vouchers. It's good to have your hard work recognised and acknowledged."

Ray has also been loyal to the company for 15 years and joined as a parts sales representative at a branch in Morpeth.

After four years, he transferred to the sales department and took on the role of sales executive.

The following year, he was promoted to Motability specialist and transferred to the group's Newcastle Road branch in South Shields.

For the past 10 years, he has been building a portfolio of Motability customers and is currently responsible for providing a service to more than 365 customers living in and around the South Tyneside area.

Customers who are eligible for the scheme can take their pick from the whole Ford range.

Everything from the Ford Ka, Fiesta and Fusion to the Focus, Focus C-Max, Mondeo and Galaxy is available to test-drive at the branch in South Shields.

CAPTION(S):

LOYAL WORKERS - Ray Maitland, left, and Gavin Moffatt of JenningsFord Direct in South Shields