These are the attributes that nicely sum up Manu Otene, Arizto Ashburton's newest acquisition—the multi-talented, hat-wearing, flashy-shoe-rocking salesman.
Since joining the brand in September-October, Otene has already secured half a dozen sales in what is unquestionably a growth market in the heart of Canterbury.
And he has literally seen it grow, having had a varied and successful career across multiple professions—all from working his way up in each of them.
The father of two loves his adopted home, though his easy-going sense of humor shines through when asked whether Ashburton or Rotorua has the right to the contested ‘Vegas' moniker.
"To tell you the truth, I'm from Invercargill, and our place was called ‘Inver-Vegas.'
"It was only when I moved up here that I started hearing ‘Ash-Vegas' and ‘Roto-Vegas'—so I think Inver-Vegas has the win."
Otene has witnessed Ashburton's rapid expansion—from a rural support township to a thriving urban destination.
In fact, he quite literally helped build the roads that have modernised the district, making travel times to Christchurch shorter and strengthening economic ties.
"I moved up here in 2000 after meeting a company from Ashburton while I was working in Alexandra doing bar work.
"I was only doing maintenance, DJ work, and bar shifts at the time, and they said—‘what are you doing during the day? Want to come work with us?'
"So I gave it a go for a couple of months while they were working down there.
"Then, when they headed back to Ashburton, they gave me a call and asked if I wanted to move up, and just like that I packed up and made the move."
Settling in Ashburton with his partner and raising their locally-born kids, Otene continued to make himself indispensable with his work ethic and drive.
"When I was with ACL, I got my truck licenses, and after a while, I felt like I had learned everything I could in that role.
"I wanted to keep growing and challenging myself, so I moved on.
"I went into engineering for a while at Rakaia Engineering—just welding, building silos and dairy sheds, all over the South Island.
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