John Kieran Turton September 8, 1950, to April 23, 2017. Photo suppliedBusinessman John Turton was one of life’s quiet achievers.

From humble beginnings in a small shed on Alford Forest Road John started a bus building business.

That was in 1985 and over the next 21 years the business, Designline, grew to become an international success story.

Over that time Designline grew from employing four staff to one that employed hundreds.

He broke new ground in bus design, not only becoming the supplier of choice for many national companies, but he also earned a reputation as the international expert on the development of electric buses.

Vehicles built by the Designline company made their way into the transportation networks of many countries.

John was like many school leavers of his generation, keen to leave school and learn a trade.

He was employed by Mid Canterbury Transport and took up an engineering apprenticeship, following that up with a second apprenticeship as a mechanic.

While he had a secure future as an employee, John had a dream.

He saw a gap in the bus manufacturing industry and knew that was a business opportunity in-waiting.

With friend Lester Hobbs he decided to take the plunge, setting up a business they knew would take time to turn a dollar.

They dreamed, designed and took whatever work they could against the day their first order arrived.

The first Designline coach rolled out the door of their factory in April l986. It took four months to build; by the time John sold his business it took just 19 days to take a coach from a sheet of metal to roadworthy.

As the years ticked by Designline’s reputation grew, orders flowed in and staff numbers built. And as the business grew the company moved to larger premises and, again, to even larger premises.

Staff numbers continued to grow, moving to more than 150 with skilled employees brought in from overseas, many from China and Romania who have now become New Zealand residents.

While John’s reputation was established on building high quality buses, it grew on his belief that electric hybrid buses were the way of the future. His development work was to take him around the world, including time spent at the US space research base Nasa.

With Designline’s reputation established as an industry leader, it was inevitable it would attract the attention of overseas buyers. In 2006 the company was sold to American interests, but John remained at the helm and his staff at the plant.

One year later he took up a position as senior executive vice-president of Designline International, relocating for part of the year to a base in Charlottesville, North Carolina.

He continued to divide his time between Ashburton and Charlottesville for the next two years.

In 2009 John decided it was time to retire and that coincided with the company’s move from Ashburton to Rolleston’s Izone.

John might not have been an enthusiastic student, but he proved himself an accomplished athlete, holding the Ashburton College mile record for many years and achieving his Duke of Edinburgh Award and his Queen’s Scouting honour.

While his business became his life, John still found time to travel, play golf and to indulge his passion for trap and skeet shooting.

He won champion of champion awards in Ashburton, took titles at regional and South Island championships as well as a bronze in the National Australian Skeet Shooting Championships.

His was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2008 for his contribution to business.

His employees described him as a firm but fair boss who enjoyed mentoring his staff to achieve their personal and professional goals.

They said he was an employer who was a true entrepreneur and for whom nothing was impossible, no idea too big. There was always a way to make it happen.

To his friends he was a generous man and a fun friend, a man who achieved more by the time he hit 40 than many people did in a lifetime.

And to Bev,  his wife of 43 years, John was a man who had a strong focus and commitment to whatever he did – his business, his friends and his marriage.

He embraced opportunities and made the best of every situation, including the years during which Alzheimer’s took over his life.

John Turton died on April 23, at the age of 66.

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian -  May 2017