2017 North Harbour Business Hall of Fame Laureate
At the age of 20 Eric Faesenkloet established Downtown Stereo Centre, 3 years later he entered into a partnership with Bill Belton to further the business. Importing and selling audio, video and televisions, Eric had a real ability to negotiate bulk deals and built the business into a sizeable operation. In 1984 Eric and Bill decided to go their separate ways. Eric continued to grow the store and by the age of 30 he was in a position to purchase Bond & Bond.
Ten years later the now well-known Bond & Bond had grown to be a retail leader in Auckland, and in 1990 Eric sold it on to Pacific Retail Group. After this time Eric became active in property investment on the North Shore and in Queenstown, and is still active in this area today.
Fast forward to 1995 and the Golf Warehouse started from very humble beginnings when a stand alone driving range located in Takapuna was purchased. Twenty years later the business has grown to become New Zealand’s largest and most trusted golf retail company in the industry with 10 stores and 3 driving ranges across the country.
The key to this continued growth is once again applying the unique formula of purchasing products in volume like a big box retailer, yet provide personal, professional and qualified assistance.
While Eric’s business continues to grow, his philanthropic work, while relatively private, is extensive.
Supporting over 100 charities this year including the Starship Hospital Foundation, North Shore Hospice, The Peter Jackson WW1 Museum, Sensible Sentencing Trust and The First Tee, Eric also likes to host golf tournaments involving dignitaries and other celebrities to attend, raising significant amounts of money for his chosen charities. Eric & Sue are substantial contributors to ‘Victims of Crime’. They sponsor The Sophie Elliot Foundation and were major contributors to the book “Sophies Story”.
In 2013 Eric became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business, golf and the community in the Queens Birthday Honours List, and tonight is a very worthy inductee to the North Harbour Business Hall of Fame.