BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – STRATEGICALLY located just off the Kim Collins Highway and in vicinity of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the F&H Frisco Service Station has been providing much-needed service to its customers from across the island for almost three decades.
The family business - which is currently in its 28th year of existence - is operated by trained mechanic Sylvester Fraser.
The entity has faced several challenges over the years and each was used as a stepping stone for growth and maturity of the establishment.
“I was given the business to run about 26 years ago and the operation has been here for about 27 years, it was Shell before it turned Sol,” Fraser explained
He revealed that over the years the company has made large investments in upgrading the standard of operation at the service station and today those upgrades - he noted - have paid off .
“A lot of work in terms of structure was done. You have electrical switches on to this, electrical wires onto the pumps and electrical switches onto the pump.”
Fraser recounted that the company was previously owned and operated by his mother and her now late husband - Peter Clarke - but after his death and after facing a number of challenges related to the business, she decided to return to her adopted country.
“My mother and stepfather were in fact here some 26 years ago. That caused the death of stepfather; he was stabbed with a knife, he went to hospital and he was a diabetic and he never did recover from it and because of that my mother had decided that the memories were too much for her so she has gone back to England.”
He explained that some of his fondest memories of being at his current location surround serving his customers and seeing the smile that is generated on their faces. That - he says - brings him joy.
Th trained mechanic said his training in that field is an advantage both for the company and for his customers .
“One of the things I enjoy about here is serving the public … I’m a mechanic by profession. I was trained at the St. Kitts Sugar Factory... I left the factory and went and work with LesMike Auto Parts and this I felt was a good turnover from being a mechanic to a sales person in a service station.
“You can come in (to the service station) if you got a problem with your vehicle and I could advise you about what to do in terms of taking it to a mechanic… it gives me pride in knowing that I can assist people.”
Fraser revealed that he is a ‘people person’ who also loves sports and enjoys helping and working with athletes whether they feature locally or regionally.
“I can safely say that I am one of the guys who managed all the national teams for football in St. Kitts, whether it is Under-12 (or) the national senior team. So I have a close relationship with the young people. I played sports up until I decided to go into management.”
He noted; one of the dreams of his late step father was to serve the people of St Kitts and that dream is bearing fruits through the service station.
