ARC’s 10th year: A celebration of valuable relationships

MANILA, Philippines - “Today is a day of thanksgiving,” said Alfredo M. Yao, chairman of Asiawide Refreshments Corporation (ARC), while addressing his ARC family during its 10th-year celebration as the licensed bottler of RC Cola in the Philippines.

“We owe this firstly to God, and secondly to our customers who continued to believe in us and in our products. I also commend members of the ARC family. We would not have reached our 10th year in the business had it not been for the support of our employees and our business partners, the dealers.”

True to the company’s adherence to valuing partnerships and fostering strong ties, the gathering was also an occasion for ARC’s management team to reflect on its decade-long journey and accord due recognition for the faithful support of a few that made the company’s sparkling history.

“Filipinos love friendship, and ARC’s history is all built on friendship,” shared Gerry T. Garcia, executive vice president and chief operating officer of ARC. “You wouldn’t trust a group of people who’d just come to you and say we’re putting up a softdrinks company. This would mean competing with the giants and others were saying, ‘Are you kidding?’” Garcia then recounted how ARC’s supplier/friends supported them during the company’s first year of operations by providing the crown, marketing materials, and even small orders of the bottle at no cost just to jumpstart the business.

“What could be a deeper determination than making arrangements to fulfill both company and family commitments?” Garcia said. “We actually have employees who forego other important events in their personal lives just to fulfill their commitments to the company. This is pure dedication/commitment.”

Commemorative plaques of appreciation were conferred on pioneer employees and business partners. One of them is incumbent vice president for Manufacturing and Technical Services Butch Aves, ARC’s first employee.

“Being at ARC is probably the best time of my life,” Aves proudly remarked. He also lauded the support provided by the company saying, “When we were still starting out, we literally had a kitchen-table blueprint and Mr. Yao believed in our plans. The support he gave us then was tremendous, and this is even more evident up to this day. When you have this kind of support backing you up, you become more inspired to work and deliver.”

ARC is now looking forward to celebrating the next 10 years with its partners, further highlighting one of the most important aspects of ARC’s existence in the Philippine softdrinks industry — its valuable partnership not only with consumers but more so with its employees and dealers. “We are definitely looking forward to the next 10 years and more to come,” concluded Yao.