MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Mike’s Radiators
Harare, Zimbabwe Member since: January 2021
“I WOULD HAVE NEVER DREAMED I’d be a radiator repair guy, but I love being a radiator guy.”
Darren Maboreke planned on going to college to study architecture. But before going to school, he heard about a job doing administrative work at a radiator shop from a friend. “My interview must have been the most unimpressive interview,” said Maboreke. “But Mike, being the nice guy he was, gave me a trial. And here I am, 17 years later.”
Maboreke is now the Operations Manager at Mike’s Radiator located in Harare, Zimbabwe. Mike Marques, Sr. started the company in 1979. “We had a little corner shop actually right here where we are today,” said Mike Marques, Jr. “We were probably only using 5x5 meters with a test tank and a little compressor and a spray gun. I was only 10 years old at the time, but I do remember popping in to see what Dad was doing.” Eventually, the business grew bigger, and Mike Sr. needed an urgent back operation, so Mike Jr. took over full-time in 1985. He was just 16 years old. Mike’s son Miguel joined the family business 3 years ago making him the third generation of Marques at Mike’s Radiators.
Some of the services at Mike’s Radiators include repairing and assembling radiators, fuel tanks, oil coolers, and cooling systems. Its team is very diverse. “The oldest employee is in his 60s, and our youngest is 21 years old,” said Maboreke. “We have to go out there and find them ourselves. Most of them are trained in-house. We are so grateful for our team and their commitment.”
Landlocked in Africa, Zimbabwe’s industries include agriculture and mining. Its capital is Harare, which is home to more than 1.5 million people. Among its chief struggles, Marques says, is its unemployment rate. “Our unemployment rate is about 95%.”
Doing business in Zimbabwe has also been challenging over the years. Numerous economic shocks caused hyperinflation in the country. The
10 | THE COOLING JOURNAL | November/December 2021
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