July was a very special time of year for On The Deck. No, we weren’t celebrating Christmas in July, it was something even better than that.
We at On The Deck decided to honour our contractor customer base and take 36 business owners away from their everyday work lives to spend time with us in Dullstroom for an all-inclusive 3 day event.
This was our way of showing our appreciation to the guys that are at the fore front of the industry, grafting on site and working with our products daily. We understand the value each contractor adds to the industry, and to us at On The Deck, without their support, wouldn’t be able to support their businesses either.
Our mid-week getaway started off with all the contractors meeting at the On The Deck office for a quick tour of the warehouse and a run through of all the product offerings we supply to the outdoor lifestyle industry, comparing the various brands and highlighting the new innovative products we have in stock.
Then we all hit the road, trailers full of golfing and fishing gear, eager for the days ahead.
Our 1st stop was the famous Anvil Ale House and Brewery for a well-deserved beer tasting and some good old fashioned drink and grub; man, did the cheese and German sausage go down well. This is where those that hadn’t met in the industry yet began to make acquaintances, slowly let their guards down and become friends.
We then headed off to our home for the next three nights. What spectacular views we had from these ever so comfortable houses set in Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate. They guys dropped their bags off and we kitted them out in our On The Deck support gear from head to toe.
We kicked the evening off with the formalities and a quick introduction: “Who is On The Deck Actually?”. Warren introduced the team and how we all fit into the picture; followed by a brief on “Why have we taken you away?” We got into a quick discussion of the industry and how On The Deck and the contractors all play their part. Then like a support group, each contractor got the chance to introduce themselves and their business, just to get to know who everyone was going to be spending their time with.
To break the ice, On The Deck arranged for a “best photo competition”, where the winner walked away with a R2 000 cash prize and everyone got to show off their handy work!
Congrats go out to Peter Dorsett from Dorsett Decking and Byron Dillon from BD Timber Construction for walking away with the first awards of the trip!
Then settling into the evening, we did what we all do best here in South Africa – we lit up a decent braai and charred a few fillets, drank a decent amount of beer, and spent the evening discussing, comparing and rating the industry on all levels.
It was an early start the next day. Hangover or not, the fishermen headed out to collect their gear and spent the day trying to lure anything that would bite. The beautiful dams at Laverpa either enticed the fisherman to stay and keep casting or it resided them to napping on the banks in the warm winter sun. Mavungana hosted us wonderfully and kept the fishermen who weren’t there as professionals, learning and focused to try and get a bite. And oh boy, did some of the guys get some bites!
On the other side of Dullstroom, the golfers had a bit more of a relaxed start to the day and made their way to the putting green and driving range at Highland Gate to warm up for the much anticipated and rivalled war, proving whose handicap wasn’t in fact the entire game of golf itself.
The gents partnered up into their four balls and were allocated their penalty cards – Monkey, Marlin, Mole and Snake, for the afternoon’s game. Not only was pride on the line but also the need to dodge the fines due to the gents with the penalty card in hand when he arrived at the 19th hole. This course is infamous for the number of balls you can lose in a round and how it can cut a golfer down to size within the front 9.
When the main activities for the day wrapped up, everyone met up at the main house to carry on with the festivities. Those brave enough enjoyed a whiskey tasting in our private cellar for the week, hosted by the very knowledgeable and industry recommended Wild About Whiskey. General socialising and soaking up the gorgeous views was in store for the others.
This jam packed 3 days per group didn’t end there, more was still in store for our contractors that evening. On The Deck paid tribute to the contractors with an awards ceremony and dinner arranged for them in the club house.
Congratulations to the following contractors for receiving their awards:
Riaan Wentzel
Deckworld
Chris Griffin
Kiwi Timber Decking
Riaan Langeveld
RLWA – RL Wood & Alu
Big Impact
Dirkie Reed
Tshukudu Decking
Carl Klingenberg
Elegant Decking
Cobus Van der Walt
Deck Squad
Best Project
Pepe Olivotto
Pepe Construction
Vincent Cant
Earthbound Timber Designs
Ryan Kriedemann
Timbermann
Vincent Cant
Earthbound Timber Designs
Brad Jansen
SWA Decking
Byron Dillon
BD Timber Construction
Callum Dorsett
Dorsett Decking
David Townsend
Mastercraft Flooring
Warren Graver
On The Deck
Riaan Langeveld
RLWA – RL Wood & Alu
Peter Dorsett
Dorsett Decking
Chris Griffin
Kiwi Timber Decking
Most Demanding Customer Awards 😉
HJ Ferreira
Dynamic Decking
Brad Jansen
SWA Decking
Gentlemen’s Award
Pieter Myburgh
Artisan Trading
David Bergman
CT Designs
Thank you again for the time you spent with us. On The Deck looks forward to hosting this type of event yearly as we move forward together.
And thank you for your enthusiasm to spend some time with us; some of your RSVP photos were fantastic.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! WE WANT A WINNER!
On The Deck have opened a competition to their contractor’s to WIN AN ALL EXPENSES PAID TRIP TO LAS VEGAS, valued at over R150 000,00.
The winner will join On The Deck on their visit to the NAHB International Builder’s Show 2020 (21-23 January), to meet our international suppliers and experience the USA’s exceptional Las Vegas. Travel dates for the full trip to be confirmed closer to the time. Entrants are automatically entered based on a combination of turnover spend, growth and their sales product mix.
