Jost Australia, a leading supplier of innovative transport equipment, has welcomed Peter Allison (pictured) as Area Manager, WA; and Matthew Kelly as Area Sales Representative for regional Victoria. Warren Backers has moved into the role of Sales Representative, NSW and ACT; while Michael Garley has been appointed Product Manager, Agriculture & Razor.
The first addition to Jost Australia can draw on more than 15 years of hand-on experience in the industry. Recently holding the position of Branch Manager at the Truckline Spearwood facility, Peter Allison started his career in the trucking sector 1997 as a sales cadet for Truckline. “Some of the highlights of my early career with Truckline were as Regional Purchasing Officer, 2IC of Midvale branch, Western Region Hydraulics Specialist and Branch Manager of the Albany branch. These roles exposed me to many different aspects of the business and a variety of customers and suppliers,” he says.
After a four-year stint working as National Sales Manager for an aerosol spray paint company, Peter has now returned to the stability of the commercial road transport industry. “I have joined Jost Australia as the Area Manager for Western Australia and I am enjoying the challenges I face in this role,” he says. “I have been busy finding my feet and establishing myself in this role. I have had a general knowledge of Jost products from my years in the industry so I am now relishing the chance to focus my knowledge further and develop a greater relationship with our distributors, body builders, fleets and end users.”
The second new face within the Jost management is Matthew Kelly. Prior to Jost, Matthew worked as a qualified Heavy Diesel Mechanic – a position that has seen him working around Victoria and in the Northern Territory for over 16 years, including remote locations in far western Queensland. “More recently, I managed a heavy vehicle power steering workshop in Laverton that saw me undertaking all duties pertaining to the day to day running of the workshop, including management of staff, warranty evaluations and sales representatives,” he adds.
“Coming on board with the Victorian Jost Team brings with it a whole new set of challenges and experiences, and I am already looking forward to facing them. I hope to be able to share with my clients and colleagues the skills and knowledge of the heavy vehicle industry that I have gained over the years.”
Recognising future potential to develop the role to include South Australia and Tasmania, Matthew is enthusiastic to “continue to provide the best customer service I can.”
Matthew is succeeding Michael Garley, who has been with Jost for almost 11 years and now takes on the role of Product Manager – Agriculture & Razor.
Over the past four years, Michael has spent most of his time working as a Sales Representative for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Throughout this time he has been involved in a number of developmental projects that not only kept the Jost brand in good stead, but also provided the industry with reliable transport equipment.
As the new Product Manager – Agriculture & Razor, Michael is now facing an exciting new task. “Razor products are Australian-made and world class with key members of the industry using them as standard,” he says. “Whilst Jost is synonymous with the fifth wheel of choice for operators, it is the agricultural side of Jost that some are still unaware of. But, many are quickly learning that Jost has been developing agricultural components for well over 130 years in Europe under the Rockinger brand and it is still going strong.”
Completing the re-vamped sales team, Warren Backers is moving into the role of Sales Representative, NSW and ACT. “I joined Jost Australia in January 2004 as a store man with the idea of working my way into the sales side of the company,” he says. “As a store man, I gained as much product knowledge as possible including product identification, assembly, issues, and support.
“In 2007, I was offered an internal sales coordinator roll for Sydney so I jumped at the chance. This was quite a welcome change as I was again dealing with a variety of people including customers and the general public and enjoyed the parts interpretation side of this role.
“I now look forward to the new challenges that come with the role of Sales Representative, NSW and ACT. In particular, I look forward to the face-to-face interaction with my customers, getting to know them and helping them find solutions.”
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