EBU Oversea Hardware (COH) celebrated its 70th founding anniversary alongside Cebu Home & Builders Centre’s (CHBC) 20th anniversary on June 11, 2022 across all its branches in Manila and the Cebu province.
The simultaneous celebration was led by the Banilad branch of CHBC at the Bright Academy gym in Banilad. Attending the event via Zoom were CHBC’s other branches from Mactan, Consolacion, Minglanilla and Labangon.
During the event, CHBC honored its bronze and silver retirees with retirement awards to thank them for their years of service in the company. It also awarded a posthumous award to the husband of the late Annabelle Sales.
COH was established in 1952 by brothers Co Tiong and Co King Ting to address Cebu City’s need for access to raw materials, and aid in rebuilding the city after the American-Japanese war. Together with their driver, there was a total of three employees in the company. Seventy years later, the number of employees has gone from three to almost three thousand nationwide. A total of 380 employees across all branches received an award in recognition of their dedication to serving the company and helping it grow.
In a short message addressing the COH and CHBC staff, chairman of the board of directors Napoleon Co thanked them all for their continuous support. Employees who had been in the company for 10 to 19 years received a bronze service award, while employees who had served 20 to 30 years received a silver service award.
“Authority doesn’t come from your position. Authority comes from the respect you garner,” CHBC chief executive officer Michael “Mike” Co said as he and his brother James Co, the CHBC chief operating officer, surprised Napoleon Co with a lifetime service award to recognize his lifelong contributions to the family business.
The company also awarded James a gold service award, with Mike.
The brothers live and operate the CHBC through four main points: Hard work, honesty, integrity, and fair treatment of its workers; being there for their employees when they’re needed the most. They give credit where credit is due, and that’s why COH and CHBC raffled off home makeover coupons worth P50,000.
While it’s clear that Cebu Oversea Hardware and Cebu Home & Builders Centre started—and remains—a family business, it’s clear that the family has only grown since then to accommodate its entire staff. Through its pledge and toast, the corporation reaffirmed its pursuit towards developing its vision without sacrificing the “development of employee welfare and the attainment of quality customer care.” (PR)