A holistic approach with family flair

As a family business, we operate a ‘big tent’ approach, whereby all our employees, their families and our stakeholders, suppliers, and communities form part of our journey,” said Patrick Buckley, managing director of EPS, a Best Managed Company and the recipients of this year’s Family Business Award in association with the Family Business Network Ireland. “We’re all in this together and that helps us to keep our feet on the ground.”

As the company heads into its 54th year, it’s far from resting on its laurels. “There are plenty of challenges ahead for us,” Buckley said, “but we feel that it’s our imperfections that keep us focused and keep us grounded.”

Electrical and Pump Services Ltd., or EPS, as it’s better known, dates back to the late 1960’s. Initially, Kanturk Electrical and Farm Services was founded in December 1968 by Patrick’s father Gerald and his then business partner John Joe Sheehan. Back then, the company’s aim was ‘to make the housewife’s lot easier’. “With rural electrification being rolled out, they understood first hand that a market existed for electric cookers; washing machines; heaters & dryers but they also specialised in the sale of milking machines”, says Patrick.

Gerald and John Joe parted ways in the early 70’s and the company became more of a family business with Gerald and his brother Paddy forming Kanturk Electrical & Pump Services Ltd. and Electrical & Pump Services Ltd. in early 1972, with their brother Tadhg and sister Betty joining subsequently.

From humble beginnings, EPS today employs more than 570 people across Ireland and internationally, proudly retaining its original customer base and product focus, dealing with the treatment and pumping of water and wastewater for private residential homes and farms, expanding to encompass commercial and industrial businesses and utilities across Ireland and Europe.

“While the business has grown over the last half century, we are very much rooted where we started,” Buckley said.

“By that, I mean that the local group water scheme in west Clare is still as important to us today as is the data centre we are working on in Poland. So, while EPS has expanded internationally, we still work with the farmer in Offaly who needs water for his cattle.”

EPS is now in its second generation of family and non-family management and one of the company’s newest growth areas over the last decade is in the data centre space. “You’d wonder whether the company’s original founders could ever have imagined it would support the delivery of such futuristic activities,” Buckley said.

“The current cost of living crisis didn’t happen overnight, but it poses a real threat to our bottom line for our business and also individually for our teams”, Buckley said. “We remain firmly focused on our people and what we need to do to support our teams, as well as the small businesses that feed into us and are so crucial to our supply chain. “While we need to protect our margins and remain a stable and profitable business, we are simultaneously taking a more holistic approach to supporting our people via one-off supports, financial management and budgeting programmes, and mental health and wellbeing courses.

“The Best Managed Companies Awards programme is equally important for giving our teams acknowledgement for the fantastic work they do,” Buckley said. “Many other Best Managed Companies are our partners, our customers, suppliers, or indeed, companies we would like to work with. It is a great network to be a part of.”

Being part of the Best Managed Company programme since 2013 provides the company with an annual benchmarking opportunity. “The annual independent assessment from Deloitte gives us a sense of reality every year,” Buckley said.

“The programme has excellent judges, and it is incredibly useful to have people who are external to our business evaluate how we are doing. The annual application process gives us the opportunity to reflect on our progress and strategy.”

“EPS is an outstanding example of a company managed to the highest standards of business strategy and performance,” John McGrane, executive director, Family Business Network, said, “and with the highest values and culture that are unique to family ownership. Exemplifying all that is so impressive about Ireland’s family-owned businesses, EPS and its team are worthy winners of the Family Business Award.”

Looking to the future, Buckley quotes Hermann Simon on the three things that make a business successful in the long term: a focus on growth, market leadership and innovation.

“We have our vision and strategic focus at EPS, and whether we achieve this in five or ten years doesn’t matter, but what matters is that we get there, financially stable and financially independent”.