Page 117 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

GEOFF
Geoff and I had a particularly close relationship as I actually lived on his patch and could
be called upon to help out with problems and public relations jobs at short notice. The area
as you might realise was almost all agricultural and Geoff’s clients were either all farmers
or engaged in industry allied to farming and transport.
One particular example was during the winter months, he created a series of talks for
Young Farmers clubs where he and I would 'pole up' complete with “Indianapolis 500” race
films from Firestone and full size projector on loan from the local County Council through
my offices as a local Scout Leader.

A venue had been arranged, normally a local pub with a sufficiently large back room to
house the equipment. Drinks and nibbles began the evening, followed by the film and then
it was my turn to entertain by explaining just how a tyre was actually made. The subject on
reflection may appear to be outwardly uninteresting, but at that time I drank Bacardi and a
few of these oiled the vocal chords and stopped the evening becoming too serious!
I just can not remember how many of these events we put on but they seemed to go on for
years. I do remember managing to obtain from the factory, cross sections of all types of
tyre to illustrate the talks and ensure that the audience, which was not always “all male”,
never became bored.

Geoff Fossitt started his own tyre shop in Boston using his exclusive management skills
and reputation. Before he died at an early age in about 1983 he had added a petrol station
to his business.
New style managers were introduced to F & T South Lincs. but none were Geoff’s equal.

KEITH
Keith Roe at Lincoln stayed in post during the Uniroyal times and then left F & T to set up
his own tyre company in the city. This quickly grew into a multi branch organisation
dwarfing and gradually strangling the original F and T operation.

Harry Thorne died in about 1990 and Fossitt and Thorne were taken over by a national
tyre retailer who “asset stripped” the company utterly and mercilessly.
Today the company exists but much smaller and run by a “buy out” team from the original
employees.
Incidentally, so close was the tie with Firestone, developed and nurtured by my old boss
Fred Popham that as Firestone closed their depots in Lincoln and Nottingham just before
their demise in the UK, Harry Thorne took them over for retail outlets.

INTERVENTION
If I did not mention the fact before, the sole reason Ruth and I were appointed as the first
Uniroyal stocking point in the UK was that Uniroyal wanted Harry Thorne’s business.
Firestone were totally out of the way and the door was open for a manufacturer of
premium tyres to take their place in supplying Fossitt and Thorne.

Fortunately for us Harry Thorne was asked
how he thought the tyres could best be
supplied to his depots.
He actually said, “If you want my business,
then Keith Sanders will handle the
distribution.”

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