Television presenter Quentin Willson - who spent over a decade presenting BBC TV's Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson - hosted a special Commemorative Dinner in Exeter in March 2007 to celebrate The Exway Group's 25th Anniversary.
During his presentation, Quentin Willson said: "I have spent a lot of my career lambasting shoddy service and products, but it really is a pleasure to celebrate one man's dedication to excellence in the motor trade. Trevor was the first person to offer a lifetime guarantee on body repairs. What is there not to love about that?"
He added: "Trevor has toiled like a Troglodyte to get where he is today and all the insurance companies now see Exway as a top quality repairer."
Pictured left to right are: Trevor Barefoot, Lynda Barefoot and Quentin Willson.
Three decades of doing it the right way ... "the Exway"The Exway Group is one of the UK's largest collision repair chains, with eight state-of-the-art car accident repair centres across the South West. Exway is a recommended repairer for most leading insurance companies. It is recognised by all major vehicle manufacturers and is a member of Mercedes-Benz’s nationwide network of approved vehicle body repairers. It also specialises in vehicle repair solutions for corporate clients. Exway's customer-focused repair teams are highly skilled in their own areas of expertise and are experienced in dealing with the wide range of problems which can arise after a vehicle accident. That's why Exway's 260-strong workforce now repairs some 30,000 cars a year. But things were very different in March 1982 when The Exway Group's current managing director Trevor Barefoot first opened his doors for business. He started with a single site in Pinhoe, Exeter and a staff of one ... himself. The company even derived its name from the location of that first site in Exhibition Way ... "Ex-Way". Since then, the original site has doubled in size and capacity - and the company itself has seen immense growth. Exway has significantly increased its geographical coverage by acquiring bodyshop businesses in Plymouth, Newton Abbot, Kingsteignton, Barnstaple, Paignton, Newquay and Marsh Barton, Exeter. All of these repair centres are close enough to each other to enable them to share resources and balance workflows. Although the company has grown substantially, Exway is proud of the fact that it is still a family-run business. Trevor Barefoot's sons Gavin and Simon perform key roles - and two brothers, a sister-in-law and several nephews are also currently employed within the Group. Exway's policy of recognising and rewarding the achievements of its 'extended family' - its highly-trained and conscientious workforce - means it has one of the UK automotive industry's highest rates of staff retention ... resulting in vital consistency in the high quality of its repairs. Exway believes its success is due to its longstanding emphasis on quality of staff, quality of equipment and stringent quality procedures and workshop controls - resulting in a high level of customer satisfaction. "We will continue to invest heavily in staff training and the latest ecologically-friendly equipment - and we will add new sites as the right opportunities come up. Our ongoing plan is to remain at the forefront of the UK car accident repair industry." |