To begin to understand Craig Arch’s impact on the Cayman Islands, those who knew him best say look no further than his employees and his customers.
“He impacted so many people’s lives just through the way he treated them,” said Joseph Westin, manager at Audi. “He loved his business and so he showed that by treating his customers with love and commitment. We have repeat Audi customers for life.
“His employees, they're all long-term employees. His culture — and the company’s culture — that's how he ran it; people worked hard and they got rewarded. They wanted to stay with it and they stayed loyal to him. I think that’s a testament to his philosophy.”
Arch, a cornerstone of Cayman’s automotive industry for decades, passed away in December. He was 71 years old. Arch owned and operated Goodyear, Audi and Volkswagen dealerships in Cayman through Arch Automotive and was known to always have time to lend an ear.
“The main thing that I keep on hearing is, ‘I just wish I could have talked to him one more time,’” Westin said. “He didn't have long conversations filled with nothing. He was a very good listener.”
Arch and Audi played a pivotal role in developing Camana Bay’s community as well. Arch added Audi to the Arch Automotive portfolio roughly 15 years ago and felt that the sleek, luxury vehicles deserved an equally handsome, boutique showroom. Audi has been a staple at the corner of Market Street and Nexus Way ever since.
“We lost a very important member of our community,” said Dart Vice President of Business Development and Leasing Kristy Rivers. “The passing of [Mr. Arch] will leave a very big hole in our hearts and our everyday life at Camana Bay.”
Camana Bay — and the Cayman Islands — came together in Arch’s name to positively impact the community through December’s Golf, Gather and Give initiative, a golf tournament sponsored by Camana Bay and held at the North Sound Golf Club.
Thirty thousand dollars was donated back to the community through the event.
The tournament participants and sponsors raised $15,000 for Meals on Wheels and those donations were matched by the R3 Foundation to help R3 support its objectives to help Cayman prepare for, cope with and recover from emergencies or disasters.
This article was originally published in the February 2023 edition of Camana Bay Times.