We bid a fond farewell to Pete Major, one of our Senior Account Managers, based in our Aberdeen office. He heads into retirement after nearly 35 years in the office equipment industry.
Pete Major – The early years
Pete attended Edgware Secondary Modern School in London. He joined the RAF as soon as he left school. Working as an air electronics operator he was based all over – including Yorkshire, Cornwall, Northern Ireland and Sharjah in the Middle East before moving to Kinloss in 1972. He’s lived nearby in Nairn ever since.
After the RAF, he retrained as a welder but realised that it wasn’t for him. Then he went into selling insurance products and found he had an aptitude for sales and interacting with people.
Pete Major – Office equipment expert
In 1979 he joined Rank Xerox (now Xerox) in a sales role and started to learn all about the office equipment trade. 1982 was when, along with three partners, he started West End Business Systems in Aberdeen.
In the Autumn of 2009 Capital Document Solutions acquired the local Konica Minolta dealer West End Business Systems.
Pete said, “These days it is incredibly difficult to survive as a single operator. It requires a certain level of infrastructure, something Capital has in abundance, to make sure products operate reliably, efficiently and that people are trained properly on how to use them.”
Pete Major – Action man
Whilst at West End Business Systems, Pete joined the BNI (Business Network International) and continued with this during his time with Capital, eventually giving up his membership after over 14 years when his reduced working week made it impossible to attend. He enjoyed the business opportunities and the personal development it has given him. It was with the BNI that Pete did a sponsored skydive in aid of Befriend a Child. You can view the video below.
Last year, with the BNI, Pete abseiled 60 feet down The Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital to raise money for The Archie Foundation.
Pete and the BNI Skydivers
“Archie are now part of my BNI networking group so I’m keen to do the abseil to support them. I also like to challenge myself every now and then for a good cause” Peter said.
He also took part in a fundraising disco for Maggie’s and a 24 mile walk for Cash for Kids.
Peter will be missed by staff and customers alike. His final advice:
“Don’t be afraid of a new challenge or to try new things. There have been a lot of major differences in the office equipment business since I first joined the industry but it’s important to embrace change. It has certainly kept me young at heart!”
Peter Major and Alison Edwards-Smith of Konica Minolta at Granite PR Expo 2012
Skydive picture courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/skydiveandes
Slideshow from Pete Major’s Alternative Virtual Tour
Posted in Aberdeen
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