This is the induction speech introducing Jim at the 2020 Hall of Fame function.
Our next inductee was born on New Year ’s Eve 1944 in Dunedin. He later became a big brother to Glennis and they grew up in the family home in Andersons Bay, Dunedin.
In 1968 he purchased his first home and then married Ann. The couple were blessed with two bouncing boys, Stuart and Arron, who both ended up as passionate as this inductee about the motor industry. This inductee’s sons work within the family businesses and are involved in kart racing and currently run 2 BMWs in the NZ Endurance racing series. That passion has also been passed on to this inductee’s grandson James, who is also involved in kart racing.
This inductee attended Tainui Primary School, before going to King Edward Technical College. Leaving school at age 15, he started work as a warehouse boy at Sargood Son & Ewing in Lower High Street, Dunedin but soon found wrapping parcels was not his game.
This lead to his move into the motor industry where he joined Volkswagen Motors as an apprentice motor mechanic in 1961. Nine years later he joined Kew Services in Hillside Road until it was sold, and then he moved to Holland and Bell.
Then began the start of what this inductee is renowned for, when he started in the tyre industry. Joining Firestone Tyre Services in Andersons Bay Road as a wheel alignment and underbody mechanic, he worked his way to Service Manager and ended up Otago Manager for 14 years.
If you haven’t guessed already Ladies and Gentleman, allow me to announce our next inductee this evening, James Black, or Jim, as he is known.
At one stage, deciding he wanted to do something for himself, Jim bought a taxi and did that in Dunedin for two years but the novelty soon wore off.
So, in 1976, Jim joined Cooke Howlison Andersons Bay as a new car salesman under Bert Gibb where he worked for 5 Years.
Jim missed tyres so, in 1982, he joined Bandag (part of the Freightways Group) as Area Manager Otago and Southland. He managed the Bandag Commercial Truck Tyre Retread Factory in Harrow Street and the sales area. He then decided he should own the place, so he bought the business from Bandag in 1992 and General Tyres Ltd was born in September 1992. This is now managed by his son Stuart.
In 1996, Jim joined with Alan and Ian Neumann from Ashburton and purchased the Bandag Retread Factory in Christchurch where they continue to retread tyres for the transport industry. They co-own 8 of the Tyre General Stores in the South Island.
In 1999, Jim Purchased a Mag & Turbo Franchise in Dunedin, which is managed by his son Arron.
As at 2020, Jim remains Managing Director of Mag & Turbo Dunedin and continues to be active in the running of the business, still going into Unfortunately, Jim Black is not able to be here today, but here today, to accept the award on his behalf, please welcome to the stage his son, Arron Black …