Bruce Lynton inducted into 2014 Hall of Fame

Written on the 3 December 2014 by Gold Coast PR Company Consulting Hall

Car dealership owner Bruce Lynton has been inducted into the Gold Coast Business Hall of Fame.

Mr Lynton, whose Bruce Lynton Motors prestige automotive business now spreads across more than 10 different operations, was first set up on the Gold Coast 40 years ago.

He was named as the latest inductee into the Hall of Fame at the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards gala awards at Jupiters Hotel and Casino on Saturday.

He joins eight other business luminaries in the Hall of Fame. Other inductees include Dreamworld founder John Longhurst, Sea World visionary Keith Williams, high-rise developer Jim Raptis, Billabong founder Gordon Merchant and bikini designer Paul Stafford.

The prestige automotive group that Mr Lynton first set up as a second hand car business at a service station in Southport, now has 10 motoring brands under its umbrella. This includes the Gold Coast dealerships for BMW, MINI, Land Rover, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Chery Tata and Ssangyong.

Mr Lynton said the secret to his success had been two things, honesty and terrific employees. He says he has never had an argument with a client and the employees love working with the company. And Mr Lynton said that looking back, he would not change a thing.

However, his business career was not all plain sailing. Not long after he had set up Queenslands first BMW dealership and bought a property on the corner of Nerang Road and High Street, he was bindsided.

Mr Lynton said an over-zealous bank manager at the banks Broadbeach branch broke an agreement and tried to foreclose on his property loan.

He ordered me to pay out the loan within 30 days and there was simply no way I could that, he said. I thought I was going to lose everything. I didnt know what to do.

Mr Lynton said that in desperation he travelled to Brisbane to speak to the banks state manager. He said he took all the paperwork and vowed to sit outside the managers office until he spoke with him. After a long wait the state manager met with Mr Lynton, listened to his case and examined all the paperwork.

Mr Lynton said the State bank manager then requested him to go to the Broadbeach bank branch the following morning.

As I arrived the next morning I discovered that the bank manager who had caused me so much grief had been given his marching orders. I have been with the same bank ever since.