Volvo Buses
UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND
(L-R) Sandra Whitelaw, Managing Director of Whitelaws and James Hyde, Retail Sales Director for Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, pictured with one of the company’s new Volvo B11R 9700 vehicles. The bus carries a special tribute to Mike Ball, the former Managing Director of Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, who passed away in November 2016.
Michael (Mike) Ball, who was a former Managing Director of Volvo Bus UK & Ireland and a Vice President of Volvo Bus Corporation, passed away in November 2016 following a period of illness.
Whitelaws of Stonehouse in Scotland has taken delivery of two new integral Volvo B11R 9700 coaches and has included a dedication to Mike on the bodywork as a lasting memorial to his name.
Sandra Whitelaw, Managing Director of Whitelaws, explained: “Our company had enjoyed a long relationship with Mike and like many people across our industry, was shocked and saddened to learn of his passing in late 2016.
“He was a great friend to the Whitelaw family and our business, as well as Volvo Bus and the UK coach industry as a whole. In addition to being a lovely gentleman, Mike was also a very good businessman and always had his customers at the heart of everything he did.
“As our family business has had such a long association with Mike and in turn Volvo Bus, when we bought these two new Volvo B11R 9700s, we decided to name one of them after him as a permanent memorial.”
One of two new Volvo B11R 9700 vehicles delivered to Whitelaws of Stonehouse in Scotland. The bus carries a special tribute to Mike Ball, the former Managing Director of Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, who passed away in November 2016.
The wording ‘In memory of Michael Peter Ball – 1959 – 2016’ is shown on the side of the vehicle which also carries the simple name ‘Mike’ on the front.
Nick Page, Managing Director for Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, said: “This is a lovely tribute from Whitelaws to Mike, who was liked and respected by so many in our industry, both here in the UK and overseas.
“The business world today is dynamic, fast moving and often pressurised and the coach and bus industry is no exception. It is the people who make our business special and this tribute shows the strength of relationships and real value customers place on people such as Mike and the impact he had over the years.
“We all miss him and seeing his name included on this new 9700 is totally fitting for someone who dedicated his life and had such a passion for the coach and bus industry. It is great to see this lasting tribute to his name made by our customer, who is one of the UK’s most successful bus and coach operators.”
Mike Ball passed away on 2 November 2016 and is survived by his wife Katrina and children Carl, Hayley, Robert and India.
ENDS
1 June 2017
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