After more than forty-four years operating the WIOC Friar’s Hill Road service
station, the company has bid a ‘fond farewell’ to Larry Gonsalves, described as ‘an
institution among service station operators in Antigua and Barbuda.
West Indies Oil Company held a social event on Thursday after as a show of
appreciation to Gonsalves, his staff, and his family for their outstanding work over
the past 44-plus years.
WIOC Chief Executive Officer, Gregory Georges, said the event is a token of the
high regard with which WIOC holds Gonsalves and all that he has done for his
customers and the industry for almost five decades.
“I am here to say thank you to Larry Gonsalves, a stalwart in this industry,
someone who has provided exemplary customer service to many for many, many
years. As an example, people would come from all over the island to the Friar’s
Hill station to purchase their fuel. Now fuel is a commodity that you can purchase
anywhere, but they chose to come to Larry, because of the customer service. We
want to say thank you to him; he’s been a good operator over the years; always
paid his bills on time and we just want to say ‘thank you’ to him.” Georges
explained.
He also expressed appreciation to Gonsalves for the staff members that he
developed and trained, as well as the administrative staff for the role they played
over the years.
The WIOC CEO also singled out Gonsalves’ wife, Jonette, noting that she has
been like a backbone, supporting him in this endeavor.
Asked about the recent legal issues between the company and Gonsalves, Georges
indicated that all is well between the two. “The relationship has always been
excellent. However, towards the end, there was some friction, but I am happy to
report that all that is behind us, and as Shakespeare said, ‘all’s well that ends well.’
The Friar’s Hill service station officially returns to WIOC on October 16. Georges
was tight-lipped when asked about the company’s plans for the station.
