Our History
Great success stories often have humble beginnings. The story behind our organisation has its beginning in the early 1990's - a time when a little boy inspired by his paternal grandfather decided to emulate his example and become a triumphant business icon through sheer dedication and unending determination.
Our history dates back to the year 1993, the year when our founder, Mr. Mahesh Fernando, just a young boy of 16 having completed his G.C.E Ordinary Level exams and awaiting results came up with a grand plan to earn some money without idling the three month period until the results were announced. He loaned some cash from his father to purchase a vehicle from a government auction with the intention of reselling it after restoration. Although it was too big of a task for a teenager of his age, his father - Mr. George Fernando, a renowned Planter and a businessman provided him with the money and gave him the encouragement to achieve his entrepreneurial vision.
The boy of 16 slowly built a name for himself dabbling in the vehicle trade on the side, selling restored vehicles purchased from Government Auctions while successfully continuing his education through Advanced Level up until University selections. Having been accepted to the University of Kelaniya to study Business Management, after the first year first semester, he decided to give up his university life to dedicate himself to achieve his dream and vision- to become a well-known and well-respected business leader.
His obsession with the quality of the vehicles sold earned for him a reputation among his clients and associates as a genuine vehicle seller. This brought in a steady streak of new and repeat customers who needed to purchase a vehicle without having to worry about its quality or usability. The business was registered in the year 2000 in the name of the founder himself since many sought to purchase vehicles from him due to his glowing reputation as a vehicle seller. The steady growth of the business prompted him to move in to a spacious location from his parental home from where the business was operated, a dream which was realised in the year 2006 when the entire business was shifted to its current location at No:61, Daluwakotuwa, Kochchikade facing the Colombo-Chillaw highway.
The business strategy of the company expanded in the year 2000 to include vehicle imports from Japan. Having started the vehicle import trade with just one vehicle, at present Mahesh International imports more than 60 vehicles per month from Japan and other countries to supply the demand for very low to zero mileage reconditioned and brand new vehicles.
The business that started with just one employee, at present provides direct and indirect employment to nearly 50 persons. With the employee turnover being extremely low, most of our employees have more than seven years experience in our organisation itself.
The greatest asset the company owns is the respect it has earned in the industry from its clients, the public, institutional stakeholders and even competitors. The business which started as a dream of a teenager now has become one of Sri Lanka's fully fledged vehicle sale outlets positioned among the top three vehicle importers in the country.
Through dedication and commitment to quality and reputation, our name has become synonymous with the quality of our imported vehicles and Mahesh International has become a trusted brand with vehicle owners and organisations who seek to purchase a genuine quality vehicle backed by unrivalled customer care and after sales service.
The story of how Mahesh International (Pvt) Ltd came to be the respected giant it is today is a testimony that proves that even the wildest and the biggest dreams can come true through patience, commitment, honest dedication and a passion for success.