#18: Stroll on, Alan Sugar‪!‬ Passionate about Cars

In today's show, Steve has become Alan Sugar and showed me his new board room! Also - some great news on a new community venture Steve has piloted - all coming up in Passionate About Cars...



Andy: Irsquo;m with Steve from 1st Class garage. Today Steve is looking like Alan Sugar because hersquo;s in his manager clothes, hersquo;s not in his normal shop floor clothes and hersquo;s got a new office havenrsquo;t you, Steve.

Steve: Yeh. Irsquo;ve got the new office now sorted and yes, I have a collar on - Irsquo;ve stopped short of putting a tie on yet. Irsquo;ve gothellip;

Andy: You can tell from the rustle of his shirt

Steve: Yes. Itrsquo;s well starched. Thatrsquo;s the old ex-army training.

Andy: Hersquo;s already pointed his finger and fired me. Your fired!

Steve: Well I did think, because this office is on a couple of levels I did think about moving the desk to the edge of that upper level, and have the other chair below that so that people have got to look up - but no, no, no. Some people might say Irsquo;m a bit of a control freak at times anyway.

But this is the new office which is quite nice because where I had a desk in one of the front offices there, that was all well and good but it doesnrsquo;t allow you much in the way of privacy. So wersquo;re expanding a little bit, Irsquo;ve now taken this office. Wersquo;ve got a yard there which can get about 15 vehicles in which will go quite a way towards our parking issues which wersquo;ve constantly ranted about in the pasthellip;

Andy: Wersquo;ve spoken about this so many times havenrsquo;t we, the parking issues.

Steve: Yeh, anyone with a business in Brighton would know the problems faced with trying to park vehicles. Itrsquo;s extremely difficult. Because we are a garage and we work with vehicles, thatrsquo;s what our business is, we need to have somewhere to put vehicles. Particularly when theyrsquo;re waiting for parts - wersquo;ve got a vehicle in there at the moment thatrsquo;s waiting for a part from America, I think we spoke about it before, itrsquo;s waiting for the part. So the vehicles get sidelined but you need somewhere to put them. The yard will certainly help in that aspect. Itrsquo;s something wersquo;ve been looking at for some time and itrsquo;s very convenient because it adjoins the main garage - so thatrsquo;s perfect.

The other thing of course, it gets me a nice little warm office so this time of year when itrsquo;s quite chilly in the garage I can come in and have a little warm up in the office and the boys can freeze their rocks off in the workshop.

Andy: Talking of the workshop, shall we go and see whatrsquo;s going on? Are you still in touch with whatrsquo;s going on, Steve? Can you remember whatrsquo;s going on?

Steve: Well Irsquo;ve got a bit of a clue whatrsquo;s going on round there - we can have a look and see what sort of jobs wersquo;ve got in today. I guess wersquo;d better have a wonder round to the workshop and see whatrsquo;s going on.

Andy: Is there a shortcut through from here, Steve or do we have to go back round the front again?

Steve: No, wersquo;ve got to wonder out through the front door and then up the street.

Andy: So wersquo;re walking out Steversquo;s specially heated and humidified office - Irsquo;ll leave my bag there.

Through the front office - past Kathleen - hello Kathleen.

She was on the phone. Oooo, wind, horrible wind - hang on a second.

Steve: Montague Place is renowned for itrsquo;s windiness because of the block of flats.

Andy: Oh yes because yoursquo;re right next to a block of flats, thatrsquo;s where all that wind was coming from. Apologies to our listeners for that horrible noise of the wind.

So whatrsquo;s going on, Steve, here on the shop floor?

Steve: Well wersquo;ve got the taxi van here, itrsquo;s been with us now about 3 or 4 weeks waiting for various parts. This is one of the vehicles where it never got much in the way of maintenance, it...