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Greater Than the Sum of His Parts
Euro Design’s Owner Luc Parietti uses his unique life experience for success
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Cab drivers become property developers, Peace Corps workers own go-go bars; Pattaya is a place where people shed their old lives to become something new. But Luc Parietti takes the prize for “Changeling Entrepreneur” of the decade.
Growing up in Lausanne, Switzerland, Luc entered a stone masonry apprenticeship program at the age of 15. His father and grandfather owned a stone carving business he was expected to follow in their footsteps. For over three years he honed the craft of turning chunks of rock into washbasins, birdbaths and gravestones. Rather than follow family tradition, Luc found himself drawn to warmer climates and gentler pursuits.
An avid diver, Luc came to Thailand in 1996 for SCUBA diving and eventually became a PADI certified instructor. He got a job as a dive instructor first in Egypt, showing tourists the wonders of the Red Sea. After, Luc came back to Thailand, settling in Phuket as a French-speaking dive instructor.
One low season, Luc got stranded on a remote and nearly uninhabited island south of Phuket. The resort his dive company was associated with was shut down for the low season and Luc had no electricity, running water or deliveries from the mainland.
He and some local Thais spear-fished and ate whatever was available. Luc told me, “We ate snakes, lizards, bats and squirrels … Thais can eat anything”. He also remembers this as the time he started speaking much more fluent Thai.
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When Luc got back to Phuket and landed a new job on a fleet of Chinese Junk boats as a tour guide, he discovered his language skills would grow in another direction as well. Because no one else spoke any English, the company put him (and his rudimentary English) in charge of tourists on the English speaking boats. “The English speaking tourists were great to me”, says Luc. “They were all so understanding and helpful, and my English improved very quickly”.
So, armed with three languages and a love of the water, Luc found himself washing up on the shores of Pattaya in 1999. |
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And, because the furniture is “factory direct” to the showroom, clients enjoy real value for their money.
Developers also found out about Euro Design’s busy little factory and soon began using its workforce to produce kitchens, wardrobes and entertainment centers for projects of all description. Condominiums, houses, hotels and businesses all have benefitted from Euro Design’s unique products and ergonomic designs.
When I asked Luc what his company’s unique selling proposition was, he responded with an example.
“If you called five different suppliers of kitchens in Pattaya” says Luc, “two of them will come set up a workshop in your living room, complete with tile saw and stacks of wood. Two others would measure the room and order kitchens of substandard quality from factories in Bangkok, acting only as middle men. Only one will measure the room, design a custom kitchen using 3-D computer graphics, build the kitchen in their factory and install it at your house”. “And for sure”, adds Luc, “only one will follow up with service after the sale”. “That’s Euro Design Furniture”.
Luc and Euro Design soon ventured into total renovations and build-outs for individual customers; managing all aspects of the projects. “One day we looked up and saw that we weren’t just a furniture maker anymore”, says Luc. “We had transformed into a full service interior design company”.
This transformation was not without growing pains. Although fortune had shined on Euro Design, they soon outgrew their quaint little factory, so they built and opened a brand new 1200 sm facility just north of Pattaya where Highway 36 meets the Motorway.
Orders continued to poor in and the new plant and equipment performed splendidly. Then Luc set out to upgrade his workforce to match the new factory.
A couple years ago, Luc made a drastic change by “cleaning house” saying goodbye to unproductive troublemakers and hello to a new factory manager and foreman. Procedures were streamlined and operating instructions became clear cut. Together, the new factory leadership has instilled a new sense of pride and teamwork among the workers.
“We make them responsible for their actions”, says Luc. “This can be quite a challenging concept for Thais to embrace”. Every morning the entire factory staff and management fall into formation and sing the Thai National Anthem as the flag is raised. “No one wants to be late for that”, laments Luc. “They lose face and let the team down … it is the ultimate motivation to come to work on time”.
Punch lists, computer generated delivery schedules, even a highly developed Human Relations Department mirror what you’d see in a European or American factory. “Thai workers can do all these things like we do back home”, says Luc. “You just have to teach them”.
Luc and his team also resolved to truly use their “factory direct” status to full effect. Customers big and small have direct access to the factory manager, fluent in English, French and Thai. This is quite a distinct unique selling advantage.
While he was making changes on the job, Luc was also making some moves at home. Ten years ago Luc met his wife Ni, and a little over 4 years ago had a son. Olivio Parietti may only be 4 years old, but he already shows sales prowess in the showroom. Young Olivio speaks Thai, French and is beginning to pick up English; heir apparent to the Euro Design Empire for sure.
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As I watch Luc conduct a meeting with his Factory Manager, foreman and in-house designer, he shifts language gears from French to English to Thai. I look out the office window and see a busy well organized factory cranking out high quality furniture.
It occurs to me that this place is the sum total of Luc’s experiences in life. There is no doubt that his early upbringing taught him the value of hard work and organization. His early-years’ wandering around in Thailand has left him with invaluable language skills and an innate understanding of Thai people. His love of sleek ergonomic design and penchant for perfection prove that … well … he’s still a Swiss guy.
Roll it all together and you’ll see that this grave stone carving, dive instructing tour guide survivalist has built a first-world furniture and design company right in our own backyard.
For those of us who have taken a similar crooked path … Luc is a hero.
Bart Walters
Ban Amphur
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