From a Ford V-8 hot rod to a Chevy Impala 60, Bali museum shows Indonesia’s love affair with classic American cars
- After Covid-19 stalled his event management company in Bali, Jos Dharmawan used his collection of more than 100 vintage cars for an alternative business venture
- ‘I love American cars. They are so spacious and wide,’ says proprietor of Kebon Vintage Cars, where visitors can admire memorabilia as they eat American food
Seeing their businesses decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, entrepreneurs in Asia have launched new products and services. Others have become “philanthropreneurs”, leveraging their business know-how and assets to help mitigate social problems like mass unemployment. Jos Dharmawan has done both.
After graduating from law school in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, the 63-year-old spent the first two decades of his career working in event management, renting sound systems for weddings and corporate events. In 1998, he relocated to Bali to capitalise on the tourism boom and start a business of his own.
Over the years, Focus Productions grew to become the resort island’s biggest event management company, delivering solutions for sound, lighting, staging, set design and live performances.
“I wanted to make my mark in life and Bali is where I was able to do that,” Dharmawan says. He was also able to give his daughter, Christia, a foothold in the events industry. “I got to help build my father’s dream,” says Christia, who by 2020 had been promoted to the role of creative director.
But a year ago, when tourist arrivals in Bali slowed to a trickle and every major event on the island was cancelled because of the pandemic, father and daughter, and their 300 employees, were left with nothing to do. “Things were really hard for us,” Christia says.