By RACHEL ANG

WITH the number of cars you can count on one hand in their first shop in Katong Mall, and only four staff on their payroll, Valerie Tan and her husband Larry Teo returned from a business trip one day in 1996, to find their shop locked. All their staff had gone to work for a competitor next door.

Mr Teo, 39, the company's chairman, juggled both the front line sales and developing the business before finally being able to find suitable help. The two then hired mainly from outside the car trade where they felt, fewer comparisons would be made with their competitors - the reason their staff had abandoned their company at the start.

'Don't expect a smooth sailing path set in front of you. There will be a lot of challenges, embrace the problem and be focused,' says Mr Teo, recalling the obstacles the company faced when first starting up.

This 'never-say-die' attitude was what the duo needed to survive in the highly competitive and lucrative industry.

Pinnacle Motors was established in 1996 specialising in sales of new and used cars. The company soon expanded and became known as Pinnacle International, with business portfolios in after-sales service and maintenance, financing and the export of used cars.

With a mission statement which aims 'To build a dynamic team that works hard and smart in a healthy environment towards personal, professional and organisational growth', the company has done just that.

Pinnacle currently has four subsidiaries under its belt. Pinnacle Motors, Pinnacle Energy, Pinnacle Pre-O, and Pinnacle Export, employing over 200 staff.

In less than 12 years, it has grown from a 170-square -foot showroom to six outlets island-wide, and now exports to over 40 countries. It estimates to have chalked up about $250 million in sales last year.

It was also the first automobile company in Asia to be ISO 9001:2000 certified as well as the car industry's pioneer recipient of the Singapore Quality Class this year.

Believing in corporate social responsibility, Pinnacle International recently committed itself to the World Vision Phuket School Beach Project which aims to help save children from the flesh trade.

The company raised some $20,000 in a charity event this July, involving all their staff members. Every year the company would set aside a budget for such CSR activities.

'The purpose you're in business is not for money alone, the staff need to know that as well. You should be able to impact lives positively,' explains Ms Tan.

Pinnacle's birth

But don't be mistaken, the husband and wife team weren't born into success. CEO Valerie Tan, 34, the eldest in a single parent family, spent most of her teenage years helping to support the family while her mother worked three jobs.

'When most people my age were concerned about going to a JC or getting good grades, we were more concerned about putting food on the table,' she says.

Her husband and co-founder of the company Mr Teo, worked as a computer salesman after his national service, earning $500 a month for about a year before deciding to switch over to car sales. That was when the couple met, when she was 19 and he, 24. Soon after getting hitched, Pinnacle Motors was born.

With complementary working styles, Ms Tan mostly answers the sales calls, while her husband occasionally steps in to fill the gaps. But when asked about their differing roles in the company, they look at each other and smile. The lines are often blurred, but if you really had to draw the lines, Mr Teo handles the overseas business while Ms Tan looks after the overall management.

Juggling family and work does not seem to be an issue for them. With two daughters aged seven and one, Ms Tan says that it is a misconception to think that you can't have both. 'I think it's possible to excel in both and it's possible to balance out.' She doesn't think her daughters feel short changed, but doesn't have any plans to have more children in the near future.

For Pinnacle, exploration of overseas markets started to bear fruit by 2002, with much credit going to its capable staff for the success. The company believes in recruiting experienced people from multi-national companies and in different industries. Some of their staff members hail from companies such as Cold Storage, Shell and Standard Chartered.

When asked why Ms Tan chose to plunge into the automobile industry, she candidly says: 'I'm sure you don't want to hear that it's because of passion.'

While it is a fact that it's a trillion-dollar industry and has much room for exploration both locally and abroad, Mr Teo adds that it was a passion for cars that made him go into the automobile business.

Currently, exports make up about half of the company's revenue with the bulk of its business coming from the Caribbean. To date, their subsidiary, Pinnacle Export, has delivered over 110,000 used vehicles. It operates from a 500,000 sq ft facility in Tuas to store used cars for the export markets.

Even with the economic situation looking gloomy, the couple is optimistic.They say that they will continue to explore yet untapped overseas markets. 'Looking ahead, we're trying to grow our export business and expand local retail as well,' says Ms Tan.

While listing the company on the stock exchange has crossed the couple's mind, that may have to take a back seat for now.

This article was first published in The Business Times on 24 November, 2008.