#BestOfBallito: Service excellence drives success at Engen Ballito

With the mindset that one should always strive to improve oneself to inspire others, it becomes clear why Engen Ballito won three categories in The North Coast Courier Best of Ballito Readers’ Choice Awards.

The fuel station was founded by the late Mike Airey and Mark Jason.

It took vision and determination to see to the success of the fuel station which was originally built in the middle of nothing more than sugarcane, but under the firm management of Rajesh, the garage still grows from strength to strength.

It all started a mere six months after the fuel station opened, when Rajesh spotted an advertisement for the manager’s position in The North Coast Courier.

He told his wife he would really like to work there. Unknown to him at the time, she applied on his behalf.

The rest is history, and Rajesh has ensured the fuel station remains one of the top performing stations in the group countrywide ever since.

“It’s about empowerment and providing purpose and guidance to staff so that they not only look forward to coming to work every day, but do so with a smile. When an employee is happy, the service they provide to a customer makes that customer feel like they really are the top priority, which is how it should be in every business,” he said.

“Our biggest achievement was establishing lasting and positive relationships between our team and the customers,” Rajesh said, adding that he owed the success of the fuel station to the support of clients.

Equally important though is that employees are also allowed to grow and develop themselves.

Couple this with the foresight to choose the prime position it would one day occupy and the fuel station has the recipe for continued success and growth.

“I put these awards down to one factor – our staff. We are who we are because our people put us and keep us there. Our team is our priority and once they buy into the culture of passion and excellence, the rest is self-fulfilling,” he said.

There are huge challenges doing business Rajesh said, but the trick is to realise that such challenges can be turned into opportunities.

“It’s about staying ahead of whatever comes your way to meet clients’ needs. We recycle waste, harvest and recycle waste water and have large solar banks and a powerful generator to ensure our service is never interrupted.

“We have washed cars through droughts, served hot meals during loadshedding and continue to try and remain a refuge during challenging times,” Rajesh said.

The fuel station was one of the few stations to provide fuel to emergency teams during last year’s unrest.

Engen Ballito boasts a Barcelos Chicken outlet, Barista Coffee and Bakery, Woolworths Food Stop, Engen Quick Stop, trailer hire services and a car wash.

“Your readers’ votes made us and our 85 employees feel like the best of the best. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts.”

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