James Blakemore

[Leon Sumter]

Hi all
Congratulations to Jame Blakemore for winning the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year award.
Some of you may know that James started ZEST Electric Motors, sole importer of WEG electric motors from Brazil, in 1980 and has grown this company into an enormously successful company which now has 7 branches all over SA.
Leon

[SandyB]

Mmm .. interesting  ...  we have used them before  for  motors .. did not know that  he was an owner .. 

[Leon Sumter]

 
Hi Sandy
James started the company himself from what I can recall at the time. There may be other partners by now in addition to the obligatory BEE partner, see below.

ZEST distributes, markets and supports a wide range of transformers, switchgear, variable speed drives as well as low voltage, high voltage, direct current and special motors in sub-Sahara Africa.

Zest is committed to business development in South Africa and while an industry charter applicable to our business sector is still under discussion by Government, management proactively chose to seek a value-adding BEE partner at the earliest possible opportunity.  In the light of this decision, Zest has been part owned (26%) by Medu Capital, a Black Enterprise in terms of the Department of Trade and Industries' BEE Guidelines, since March 2004.

This year, we celebrate our 25th year in the electric motor business. During this time, we have set new standards in the industry and our customers have enjoyed unmatched service and quality.

Zest has also received accreditation as a South African Mining Preferential Procurement Forum (SAMPPF) Supplier.

With a Head Office in Johannesburg, a country-wide network of branches and distributors, ZEST offers unparalleled pre- and post-sales and support.

Leon

[SandyB]

Thanks for that info  Leon...

[Leon Sumter]

here's current pic of James. There's no way in a thousand years that I would have recognised him from 28 years ago.

[SandyB]

Damm right . but then  thats from a picture ..  suppose if one  bumped into him somewhere  one would pick up threads that would get  bells ringing ?

[Leon Sumter]

whilst on the subject of the Blakemores....where the hell is Charlie these days. I bumped into him and Hendrieka about 10 years ago in Blaauberg somewhere. At the time he had a business that installed automatic lubrication systems on trucks or something to this effect.

[Leon Sumter]

see what I mean Sandy.

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

Charlie and Hendrieka are still staying in Table View. Down the road and round the corner than down another road from me.

[Leon Sumter]

Diana, if you happen to see Charlie again, please give him our regards and ask him to drop us a line or two on this site.
Leon

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

Will do, I don't see Charlie that often but bump into Hendrieka from time to time.

[Alfred Boehme]

And I will second my sister Charly stays down the road from me to!

over the bridge, right at Stienkopf, through Springbok, futher along and a bit further all the way to Cape Town, right, left, right again, arround the small circle, over the bumps, past fruit and veg and you are there walla