STAR Rtn. Joel Talampas: The Engineer Who Rescued Superlines

Rhea Vitto Tabora (RVT): How would you describe your professional self?

Joel Talampas (JT): I would like to believe that I’m cautious but deliberate.

RVT: What was the path you took to get to where you are today?

JT: It was fate and opportunity.

RVT: What was your most successful engineering project?

JT: Being a civil engineer is a thing of my past. After passing the board, I was involved in my father’s land development business both as a technical consultant and subcontractor. I also handled the heavy equipment maintenance of the firm since it was heavy equipment intensive. I also had the chance to be employed by Aromin-Sy and Associates, now Sy squared. Notable projects that were assigned to me were Diamond Hotel, Ayala Mall, Cebu, SM Megamall and Bayview Twin Towers. After my stint there, I worked as an independent Structural Engineer. I was engaged to do structural designs with the architectural firm of Architect Froilan Hong for projects within and outside of the University of the Philippines Diliman campus. But by a twist of faith, I found myself leaving the profession to be the CEO of Superlines Transportation Co., a public transport bus firm that services the franchise line of Cubao, NCR, and to and from Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, and the Bondoc Peninsula area of Quezon Province. With the onset of COVID-19 and the enforced massive restrictions on public transport, I pivoted to trucking and logistics: the Super Express Parcels Company, servicing deliveries to and from NCR to the Bicol Region. This company boasts of giving the cheapest, timely and reliable delivery service in the region, aside from our very personal approach with our customers. My goal is to expand our transactions beyond the southern Luzon route.

RVT: What was the most innovative thing you have implemented in your business?

JT: In 1997, I was called to help the family business, Superlines Transportation Co., which was then on a nine-month-old strike and seemed bound for a shut down. Labor and the company’s lawyer came to terms and a back-to-work order was issued by the Department of Labor. I was hoping that my stint at Superlines was temporary, but as I immersed myself deeper in its operations, the bigger picture of labor unrest was slowly revealed. The company was penetrated by KMU-like ideology. It was no easy task to rid it of the militant and anti-imperialist ideas that were bandied about from within the ranks. There was no going around it. To counter the former, I had to intentionally promote a culture of trust, strategically providing significant incentives to drive increased productivity. In other words, instead of seeing my civil engineering job as a fall back, I committed completely to the company. The rest is history. Superlines survived that menacing strike. From 60-bus units plying a single route of Daet, Camarines Norte to Cubao, NCR and vice versa when I first joined the company, Superlines is, at present, 233-bus strong, covering the whole southern Quezon Province and the whole of Bicol region.

RVT: What habits helped make you successful?

JT: As mentioned earlier, I could have chosen the easier path of returning to my civil engineering profession. It was then on its infancy stage. The potential was sizable as high-rise buildings were snowballing beginning with the Ortigas area. I refused, however, to back away from any disputes. My wife calls me “relentless,” in that I don’t like withdrawing from a challenge. She says I never see problems, just opportunities.

RVT: If you were not an entrepreneur, what career would you like to explore?

JT: I would continue being an engineer and enhance it further by taking architecture.

RVT: What in your life do you feel most grateful about?

JT: God, my family, and the opportunity He gave me.

RVT: What do you do in your spare time?

JT: Before the pandemic, I played leisure tennis twice a week, golf once a week and ballroom dancing at any opportunity. I’m also a frustrated audiophile.

RVT: What inspired you to join the Rotary Club of Manila?

JT: I never thought I would be a Rotarian. Quite a few clubs have extended invitations to me in the past. I refused, not because I didn’t want to, but because my time was then quite limited. I remembered my late father once remarked that RCM was the oldest and most prestigious Rotary Club in Asia. And out of nowhere, an invitation was extended to me by my good friend, Thad Liamzon. I thought it to be divine providence. And here I am.

What do you believe is your mission in life?

To fix things and make people’s lives better for them.