BBB Hands Galson’s Auto Distinction, Sutherland Mortgage Services Pinnacle Awards
Harjit Galhotra (right) and his son Balraj Galhotra(left) with channel 2 news anchor Dominique Sesche, who was the emcee for the awards program.
By Jawahar Malhotra
HOUSTON: For Harjit Galhotra and his family – wife Seema, sons Ravi and Balraj – making the trip to the Better Business Bureau’s Awards for Excellence luncheon every year has become almost a routine affair for the past seven years in a row.
But for Galhotra, the thrill of making the trek – as he did again this past Wednesday, May 8 – is anything but routine. He looks forward to coming to the packed luncheon, which was held this year at the Westin Galleria on West Alabama to another record turnout of 900 people at the BBB’s coveted 21st Annual Awards for Excellence to area businesses which are members of the organization.
Harjit and Seema Galhotra
Over 250 firms were finalists in this year’s competition for the four to ten best businesses among each of 30 categories. The winner of each category received the Pinnacle Award, the BBB’s highest honor while the others received a Distinction Award.
This year the Galhotras waited with bated breath for the finalists in the Automotive Services category and were pleased that the family business Galson Auto & Body once again won the Distinction Award. The business has won the Pinnacle Award in 2005 and 2007.
Galhotra, a former consulting engineer who segued into auto repair after losing his job in 1993, has won accolades for the way he runs his shop on 12900 Cypress N. Houston and managed to grow it into a well-respected business spread over three acres, with two ASE Master Automotive Technicians on staff.
This year, another company with two South Asians in key positions won the Pinnacle Award in the Real Estate and Mortgage category, and coincidentally shared the luncheon table with the Galson team. Sutherland Mortgage Services President Krishnan Swaminathan accepted the prestigious award while his colleagues Paramjeet Singh Bhamra, Nettie Bird and John Lotterhos shared his joy. “This award says a great deal about the trust people place in us,” said a delighted Swaminathan.
From Left: Sutherland Mortgage Services President Krishnan Swaminathan, Nettie Bird, Paramjeet Singh Bhamra, and John Lotterhos.
Sutherland Mortgage Services is a premier nationwide provider of home mortgages and is currently licensed in almost all states. Its founder’s vision was to be the cutting-edge leader in residential mortgage lending in the United States; and through its parent company, Adventity. Headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., Adventity has offices in North America, Europe and Asia, and provides robust and cost-effective outsourcing solutions including tailored knowledge services, transaction processing and customer contact support.