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Brothers on the Goh(New Straits Times Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) HARD work, long office hours combined with strong business acumen have paid off for the Goh brothers. Kenny and Henry, who are 29 and 26 years old respectively, recently bought two brand new BMW 325i Sports while the youngest sibling Chee Seng, 23, has a Fiat Coupe 2.0 Turbo for motoring thrills. The three brothers, who grew up in Subang Jaya, are the founders of Macro Kiosk Bhd - a mobile messaging technology enabler with 100 employees in Malaysia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Through its locally developed Global Mobile Messaging Network (GMMN) etracker, Macro Kiosk has links with 364 telecommunication companies in over 115 countries worldwide. Also, the etracker is connected to 60 mobile operators in more than 15 countries with an accumulated total of over 900 million mobile subscribers. The company is a Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific 2005 winner, and has been ranked as the fifth and 25th fastest growing technology company in Malaysia and the Asia Pacific region respectively. Both Kenny and Henry were winners of the Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur Award 2006. The company, with revenue amounting to RM38 million for the 2005 financial year, was set up nine years ago when Kenny was a student at Metropolitan College in Subang Jaya. "The company began as a hobby. Back then, we were a partnership powering paging networks. We also traded computer hardware, reformatted computers and ran a community website", said Kenny, who was using his father's Nissan Sunny 130Y at that time. However, after a few months, the Nissan Sunny was traded in for a Proton Wira 1.5 (M). A new Perodua Rusa Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) was also bought at the same time. "The Rusa was a seven-seater van that I used to go to college and transport electronic hardware for the business. It had a distinctive bright red colour, and also used for recreational outings with my family and friends," said Kenny. The Rusa was sold six months after Kenny left for Perth, Australia for his final year of undergraduate studies. Meanwhile, Henry was regularly driving the family's Wira to University Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) in Bangi where he was an engineering undergraduate. However, in 2000, Henry had to stop his studies in order to focus on the company and a Proton Satria GTi 1.8 (M) was acquired. "Business was growing. We needed our own car for the company. The Satria GTi was the first car that was paid for by me and Kenny - it was a turning point in our lives," said Henry. In 2002, the brothers decided to buy another car, namely a Proton Waja 1.6 (A). "We needed two cars as often, Kenny and I had separate appointments. We chose a Waja with automatic transmission for convenience during traffic jams," sid Henry. The Satria GTi was fitted with enhancements that included a performance air filter, strut bars and steel braided brake lines. Unfortunately, the Satria GTi was stolen in early 2003. "We never saw it again. It was a fun to drive and was used for outings to places like Getting Highlands and Ulu Yam," said Kenny. A few months later, Kenny bought a Mitsubishi Airtrek Turbo 2.0 while Henry got himself a BMW 318i. The Airtrek Turbo was modified for a slightly higher power output. "Only the air filter in the 318i was changed. More modifications would have been expensive," said Henry. The Waja was driven regularly by Chee Seng to go to college and help his brothers with the company's activities. However, Chee Seng traded in the Waja for the Fiat Coupe after graduating from Curtin University of Technology, Perth two years ago. Since then, the Fiat Coupe has been modified with performance components such as a Garrett Hybrid ball bearing turbo with external wastegate, induction and exhaust system as well as electronic boost controller, piggyback engine management system (EMS) and upgraded brakes. "I want my car to go faster. The next step is a nitrous system. The modifications will never stop on my car - it is a never-ending story," said Chee Seng. Meanwhile, both the Airtrek Turbo and 318i were traded in for the two identical 325i Sports last month. "Both the cars are titanium silver. We even asked Chee Seng to buy an identical 325i Sports but he is too attached to his Fiat Coupe," said Kenny, adding that the brothers always had a close-knit relationship with each other. "We hang out together and share our driving experiences. Our father was an automotive parts supplier. Naturally, we always had a great love for cars and automotive technology," said Kenny, who occasionally rented a Subaru Impreza STi when he was studying in Perth. "In Australia, there are lots of nice out-of-town areas for recreational drives," said Kenny. Chee Seng also rented a Hyundai Tiburon V6 for a month in Perth after taking his final year examination papers. "It was a powerful naturally aspirated two-door coupe that I really liked," said Chee Seng, whose dream cars are the Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. Powerful and sporty cars with high-tech gadgetry are also a passion for both Kenny and Henry. "We like new technological advancements such as run-flat tyres and GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation," said Kenny. Copyright 2007 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad. Source: Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Intelligence Wire. |