LEADING indigenous logistic courier company, Red Star Express marked its 20 years of operations in Nigeria.
The celebration, which took place in Lagos, was the climax of series of events put together by the company to host members of staff, partners, customers and other stakeholders in commemoration of the event.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of Red Star Express, Dr. Mohammed Koguna, said the company experienced difficult times during its teething years in the country.
“There were challenges due to the business environment. The main crisis occurred when a Presidential Task Force was set up to investigate the activities of banks in the early 1990s. This was followed by a disruption to our business when our erstwhile foreign affiliate, RSE International of London seized packages sent for delivery over a period of two weeks on the grounds that we owed them,” Koguna recalled.
The event also witnessed the unveiling of the book “Building an Entrepreneurial Brand: Red Star Express”. The book chronicles the life, challenges and successes of the people of the organisation since inception. It is a guide for entrepreneurs, business managers and students of business who desires success especially from ground zero. Mrs. Ejine Olga Nzeribe, a former employee and pioneer company secretary, wrote the book with the assistance of kind-hearted staff.
Speaking on the book, Kaguna said: “It is good for companies to record experiences, reflections and lessons learnt which form part our collective memory and
intellectual capital. This book contains the story of the life of the company, and how it was able to overcome its challenges. It is necessary read for entrepreneurs, business managers and students of business.”
Managing Director of the company, Mr. Suli Bichi, also spoke on the journey as well as projects for the future. He said: “We attribute the growth to our resolves as a logistics company to remain customer focused at all times, offering not just logistics services but also peace of mind through quality and innovative services that deliver real solution to our customers. The last 20 years has been a worthwhile journey with our customers and other stakeholders.”
Red Star Express started operation on October 12, 1992, and has grown from a humble beginning of a share capital of about N3 million with less than N30 million revenue to a N5 billion company in terms of revenue; transforming from a private company to public limited company with shares quoted on the Nigeria Stock Exchange.
