NEW YORK CITY (TIP): 25 years, since 1989, and Bolla has grown from just five employees to almost 500.
Bolla has grown from just one gas station in Brooklyn to many locations throughout the region: from Staten Island to Brooklyn; Queens to Manhattan; Nassau to Suffolk; Westchester to Connecticut, and to New Jersey.”And Bolla has become a leader in the industry and a company with vision. That vision is to provide customers with unexpected luxury and the best buying experience. And we have done that every day since 1989″ said Harry Singh Bolla, speaking on the occasion of the silver jubilee celebrations of Bolla at Cipriani Wall Street on December 6.
Harry Singh recalled the days when he struggled for a foothold. He recalled nostalgically the days of struggle: ” Along with my wife Kamljit Kaur, we bought our first gas station on Kings Highway and Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn. We faced many challenges throughout the years, but we always knew that with hard work, we could build the trust and the loyalty of our customers. Kamljit and I worked very hard, day and night, seven days a week. She did everything she could that was needed for the business: Bookkeeping, Landscaping our stations, Hosting our business partners. And she did all of this while raising our son Jay and our daughter Tarnjit.”
Harry spoke of the bold ideas that they thought of. He believed “You have to be bold and brilliant to be successful”.
So, in 2007, Singhs had the bold idea to create “our own brand”. In came Bolla Market.
“And today, after seven years, we have more than 30 Bolla Markets”, said Harry.
Harry had another bold idea. It was to launch Bolla Construction, to build new stations themselves.
“The next bold idea we launched Bolla Transport, to keep our sites fully supplied and cut costs”, said Harry.
Harry continued in his speech to outline further bold ideas. “All of these things have contributed to our success, and tonight, I am happy to announce another Bold & Brilliant idea.Just six weeks ago, we were approved by the Federal Trade Commission to franchise Bolla Market. This opportunity will help us continue to grow, deliver our value proposition and share the rewards.”
“Throughout the years, we have shared our good fortune by supporting many organizations in our communities. And today, I am proud to announce that we are launching Bolla Charity Foundation.Working together, we will give back even more, and help change people’s lives. Tonight, I am honored to announce the Foundation’s first three gifts.”
The first of the three gifts Harry announced was a $50,000 donation to Wounded Warrior Project for one wounded warrior’s college.
The second was a donation of $10,000 to Medical Mission International builds hospitals to serve the people of El Salvador. The third gift of $50,000 was to the Suffolk County Village of Islandia for a Memorial Park building that honors the first responders who died at the World Trade Centre.
On the occasion, Harry Singh recognized some of the employees of the company. They included Dalbir Singh (Harry Singh life time achievement Award ); Devanand Gopaul ( Automotive Repairs Operations); Mr. Narender Singh (Store Operations) and Harvir Singh
(Territory Manager).
Present on the occasion , among others , were Congressman Steve Israel, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.
The celebrations were attended by a large number of people drawn from various walks of life.