Mr. Josué Martínez, owner and founder of Centro Llantero Del Sur |
Josué Martínez Quesada, owner and founder of Centro Llantero Del Sur, San Isidro de El General, is the youngest of 18 brothers. His father was a shoe maker and musician. When Josué was 9 year old he used to sell “life savior” candies in Moderno’s Theater main entrance, San Jose. This is a clear evidence of his dreams of becoming an independent businessman since he was very young.
Mr. Martinez remembers pretty well, as though it was yesterday, when Enrique Odio From Gallito Company lend him the candies that cost only one colon and fifty cents in those years. Mr. Martinez’s father died when he was only 6 six years old that is why he became such a hard worker because he wanted to help caring for his large family.
“I finished primary school, secondary, I took some courses, it was very hard. I worked as a regional manager for a transnational company in the tire business for 19 years. However, I always dreamed about being my own boss”, he said.
In April 16, 1984 Mr. Martinez Following his dreams of success started an anonymous company and opened Agrollantas and Services, a store that was located next to San Isidro’s River Bridge. Nevertheless, his illusions did not last.
This was a place in which cars received a complete check up, oil check/change, and grease change and tire reparation. These services were guided toward farmers and businessman from the South Zone who had tractors, farm machinery, trucks and others.
However, the company worked well for 3 years since there were misunderstandings that are common in these kinds of associations. Ever since such a break Mr. Martinez’s wish of owning an enterprise makes bigger and though he was born in Zapote, in front of the Presidential home, he believes he is another “son” from the south lands of Costa Rica.
Mr. Martinez rented a place that belonged to Mario Bonilla Ortiz in Texaco gas station. He paid 12000 colones monthly for the place and during a Holly Week he improvised a place, taking advantage of the fact that the Municipality was closed because it that moment he could not afford to pay taxes.
Very enthusiastically and wanting to go ahead Mr. Martinez started the Centro Llantero del Sur since he had only six-hundred thousand colones to start his own business.
“I inflated some tires so that the place did not look empty at all taking advantage the Municipality was closed, it was a Monday the day I started to make my dream come true”, says Mr. Martinez proudly, who confirms that his progress in his business has been by the law.
In that moment Mr. Martinez did not have plenty of money. However, he had friends as Javier Acuña who lent him money and using the car he had he bought the first merchandise and some tools. The total amount he spent was one-hundred twelve-thousand colones, money that he paid monthly to Miguel Aguilar Cantillano in payments of eight-thousand forty-five colones, as he said while he was dusting some albums in which he stores paper cuts, forms and documents that he keeps as treasures.
To the competition!
The company he worked for 19 years was now his rival, but good works and the attention the customers received made them prefer the Centro Llantero Del Sur which is located in San Isidros’ Y Griega, in the prosperous Pérez Zeledón canton.
“Thank God and good friends as Olman Vargas and Asdrúbal Carvajal who were my money guarantors several times we started to grow rapidly. ”During those years we have to fight with our strongest rival who was the company in which I worked for almost two decades, we had to fight against that”, he said.
Josué did not want to hurt anyone in his way to have a successful tire repair shop. His only desire was to fight for his goals. That is why he worked at the beginning from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM because the coffee crop was in its best days and they were in charge of the machinery maintenance.
Working very hard gave them the money to buy the land where the Centro Llantero #1 is now located. They bought the land in one-hundred thousand colones to Alberto Morales in thirty-four monthly payments.
Some of the reasons why people have preferred this placed along the last 14 years are the security, honesty and low prices. Besides, because we make several manual and computer check ups to cars such as brakes, tune-up, oil changes, new tire changes, gases computer check up, shock absorbers, among others.
Still growing
As years pass by and due to the fact that customers prefer us, as Martinez said, they decided to open Centro Llantero del Sur # 2 located 200 meters south from the Red Cross behind Mega Súper supermarket. It means that our business have been going well since the number of customers have been growing fast.
Notwithstanding, based on a research performed by the same company (Centro Llantero) there is a huge number of customers in the Costanera Sur Highway and that is why it is necessary to open Centro Llantero # 3.
“We bought brand new hydraulic and electric machinery. We can just thank God for everything he has given us and also thank people from the South Part of Costa Rica for their kindness that make it possible to give direct economic support to 24 people and 63 indirectly”, stated Mr. Martinez.
When Mr. Martinez was asked about his success he said that there is not any secret but hard work, latest technology, honesty and special attention to the customer’s needs.
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Danny Martínez, Son of mr. Josué and sub-manager from Centro Llantero del Sur.
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He said also that the help of his son Danny has been very important since he studied computer science and that makes him be updated in market innovations and that has helped a lot in our business.
El Centro Llantero del Sur is a 36-year-experienced company that has gained its success because of many other enterprises in the zone that have trusted on us such as Grupo Delji, Hospital Fernando Escalante Padilla, ICE, Fábrica de Hielo Azo and others. We hope we will return to these companies their confidence by continuing giving them good works and prices in order to have good friendship ties that are better than any other thing in life.
The past... very important tool in the present
When we remember about the beginning of the company, the owner has a lot experiences to say such as the fact that the company started with a digital calculator that made Mr. Martinez’s fingers to be painful by the end of the days.
“All of our machines were not the latest ones, but at 136 kilometers from the capital we had to work using what we had”, he said.
They were pioneers in the building of the Interamericana Highway, giving maintenance from 6:00 PM to 4:00 AM to the machinery that worked on it because the machinery had to be in perfect conditions as the sun started to rise. It was a time remembered as a very hard one but that was very important to mark their beginning.
Mr. Martinez affirms that at the beginning all the works were very hard but because they had very good workers everything went well motivating them to continue working harder and harder day after day.
At the beginning the Centro Llantero started visiting rice farms. These journey were very difficult taking into account that the roads were hard to go through so that they had to be brave in order to go working. All this without mentioning the adverse weather conditions that are normal in those places.
“Sometimes working in places as Villa Mils in the early mornings we felt as though we were going to get frozen. This because the machinery had to start working very early in the morning. However, we did our jobs very well”, remembered Martinez.
Therefore, first Josué Martínez Quesada thanks God and then he thanks all of his friends who helped him in bad times, the banks that have been always ready to lend him money, and of course to all the customers that have visited his company in the last 14 years since he says everything he has reached has been thank to them.
Likewise this businessman trusts and guarantees they are going to keep giving honest and high-standard work, and the customers need to take for granted they are going to receive what they are paying for. Besides, they are not going to find anywhere else good services and low prices because the Centro Llantero Del Sur was born to help in the progress and development of the region.
Centro Llantero del Sur # 1
Located in the Y Griega, Pérez Zeledón,
Telephone: (506) 2770-3131
Centro Llantero del Sur # 2
Located 250 meters south from the Red Cross, P.Z
Telephone: (506) 2770-3535
Centro Llantero del Sur # 3
Located 75 meters south from the Uvitas bridge.
Telefax: (506) 2743-8383
