This year’s mid-summer solstice was a longest day that Tom Walker says he will never forget. For it was 21 June that he decided it was time to retire after “42 fantastic years that I really enjoyed, with some ups and downs on the way”.
It all began when Walker met Jimmy Aird, a professional motocross rider and director of manufacturing company TT Leathers at the motor cycle show in London. “At that time I was in the Royal Signals motor cycle display team, The White Helmets,” says Walker. “I found that Jim was based in Barnard Castle, very close to our base at Catterick, so I invited Jim across to do some fitness training and enjoy some riding fun on Catterick tank training area to build him up for the International Moto Cross season he accepted.
“At the time my sport was off-road riding, competing in Army enduro trials and later International Six-Day events. I mentioned this to Jim when he visited us and a week later he offered me a job as the first sales rep at TT Leathers. After discussing the offer with my wife I accepted the job and left the Army in my 12th year.”
Walker said his career in the bike industry went from strength to strength. “As senior rep (the only one!) I was asked to build the TT leathers sales team, which I did. TT was a bigger company then than Dainese in Italy.
“Eight years later I needed a change and was offered a job at Euro Helmets. Learning about the helmets industry, along with the clothing aspect, put me in good stead for the future.
“Having learned about the helmet industry, I became sales director of Ava Europa in Scotland. I then had a year with Frank Thomas without any specific job, and a year with Peter Gleave Distributors. When the owner of Ava, George Thompson, sold out to Hein Gericke I was contacted by the German company and offered the position of MD, which I accepted.
Walker says he left that position 12 years later, having established a shop chain for the German company, and then took some time out to source products and suppliers to establish his own company. “Things were going well until I was asked to be the new distributor of the emergent NAVA helmet range. This decision was wrong. It brought the company down and I had to liquidate the operation.”
After an ill-fated attempt to set up Polo UK – the administrator was called in at the Germany HQ and the UK development was halted – Walker has been working as a consultant to various companies. “However, I just thought that 21 June was a good date to remember so gentlemen and friends a big thank you for all your assistance and co-operation over 42 years and especially all my dealer friends who purchased the product ranges I was working with.
“I will still be around if my good long-term friend Jim Aird of Scott Leathers needs help.
“Thank you to the motor cycle industry for some great years.”