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When Naushad “Jim” Jiwani left his Ugandan
home for England in 1971, he could
not have imagined he’d end up a successful
businessman half a world away in Calgary.
The ambitious young man left everything he knew far
behind to seek an education in England. Originally intent
on taking aeronautical engineering with the British Air
Force, Jiwani soon found out he couldn’t join beause he
was not a British citizen.
Undaunted, he quickly modified his plan and —
because he was as passionate about cars as he was about
planes — began training as an automotive technician.
A bright and hard-working student, Jiwani took to
his apprenticeship with an aptitude and enthusiasm that
would lead him to excel in his field.
He was still in the midst of his training when he learned
his family was moving from Uganda to Canada to escape
political unrest.
He decided to follow his family once he’d finished his
apprenticeship in 1974 and he joined a FIAT dealership
as a technician in Vancouver.
It was a small dealership with only three service bays
and being the fourth technician hired, Jiwani had to do his
best while working outside, often in the cold and the rain.
He endured this for a time before moving to Winnipeg
to further develop his skills in the automotive industry.
While in Vancouver, Jiwani pursued his passion for fast
cars by entering the Rally circuit. He started competing
in the Western Region of the Canadian Auto Rally and
building his own rally cars.
In 1978, he married his wife, Navroz, in Winnipeg and
a year later the couple decided to make the move to Calgary,
a city they have now called home for three decades.
Jiwani began working at T&T Honda, where his work
ethic and natural leadership abilities shone, allowing him
to work his way up from shop foreman to assistant general
manager.
When the store came up for sale in 1991, Jiwani purchased
it — a move that required withdrawing his life’s
savings, cashing in his RRSPs and re-mortgaging his
home.
“It was kind of a ‘make it or break it’ situation — it was
very scary,” Jiwani says, noting he had to think of his children,
Natasha and Shahid, as well.
The gamble paid off, however, and the dealership was
successful enough that in 1993 High River Toyota was
added to the portfolio.
In 1998, Jiwani sold his shares in T&T Honda and
headed north to purchase Mayfield Toyota in Edmonton.
In 2003, he also sold High River Toyota, to build a
brand new Toyota dealership — Country Hills Toyota.
With current additions, this dealership will have nearly
95,000 sq. ft. of show space and service bays, making it
the largest Toyota dealership in Canada.
Jiwani’s Mayfield dealership and his Country Hills
location have had consistently high sales: The Mayfield
location is the largest volume retail store in Canada,
while Country Hills is the number one volume dealer in
Calgary.
Mayfield Toyota has received Consumer’s Choice honours,
while both businesses have earned several President’s
Pride Awards from Toyota — the most prestigious
award given to a Toyota dealer.
Between the two stores, Jiwani now employs about 300
staff members, who hope to reach a new sales goal of
10,000 vehicles this year.
JimJiwani
COUNTRY HILLS TOYOTA
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Ever busy, Jiwani is opening another Toyota dealership
in Calgary’s Douglasdale area, as well as taking on several
new projects with business partners, including the
newly opened Park 2 Go valet service at the Calgary Airport.
When asked how he feels about his success, Jiwani
replies: “It has been a very humbling experience. When I
left Uganda, I was 17 years old with a one-way ticket to
England. I was responsible for my education and daily
expenses and, although it was challenging at the time,
that experience was very valuable in developing independence
and a good work ethic.”
Jiwani credits “a lot of hard work and an understanding
of the business” for his success.
“I’ve worked my way up from the service department,
so I know the parts and services really well,” he says.
“Just treat people the way you’d want to be treated and
focus on the long-term, not the short term.”
Finally, he says, it’s important to love what you do.
He’s stayed very involved with his dealerships through
the years, refusing to become an “absentee owner.”
“This is my passion, it’s what I love,” he says, “and
that’s why I don’t mind the long hours.”
Jiwani is also an avid golfer and an ardent fan of the
Calgary Flames: “I think about eight of the Flames players
are driving our vehicles,” he says with a smile.