“For any company to be successful, it must have staff, product and customers. We have been very lucky to have an excellent staff who strived to develop the company into what it is today.
“By listening to our customer, they helped to identify gaps in the market for product, ensured the quality needed to fill the gap and provided an excellent efficient service to our loyal customers.”
These are the words of Jimmy Groarke who, 40 years ago this week, started a business out of the garage at the back of his house that would go on to become a massive success story.
Four decades ago, Stradbally Farm Services was formed and is now nationally and internationally renowned for supplying quality products to farmers all over Ireland.
Jimmy, originally from Ballymahon in Longford, and his wife Maria, a native of Wexford, had moved to Stradbally in 1973, where they would have three children – David, Jason and Alena.
At the time, Jimmy was working for the Senior Milking Machine Company – a job he had started in 1968 having completed his Leaving Cert in Carmelite College Moate two years previous.
He began with Senior Milking Machine Company (SAC Ireland Ltd) as a salesman for Leinster/South Dublin.
This company engaged in the sales, service and installation of the senior range of dairy equipment.
Jimmy said: “I became Area Manager for all of Leinster in 1973 and then Sales Manager in 1979.
“But at that time, the economy was turning down badly. The company was in the process of changing.
“All of the milking machine companies set up dealerships, took away the reps, fitters and everything like that – but this was a mistake because they made them business people without any training on running a business and didn’t retain enough control.
“We had a giveaway election in 1977 and the country started sliding downhill. The country entered Recession in 1979 at the same time I became Sales Manager.
“In 1983, I was asked to go back to Drogheda as the General Manager but I was living in Stradbally now and that was a time with no motorways or anything like that.
“I was here in Laois with a young family and I felt that this role needed to be someone in Drogheda.
“So I decided I was going to set up my own company and there were no ill feelings with SAC as I told them what I was doing.
“So on June 13, 1983, I set up Stradbally Farm Services and the plan was to sell and service machines within a 40 to 50 mile radius.
“I was still in SAC and I stayed there until 1984 as I gave them a commitment – so I had another man here working to service Senior equipment in the local area.”
Stradbally Farm Services proved a hit straight away and Jimmy purchased the site on the Abbeyleix Road in 1986 – where the business is still located today.
In 1988, Jimmy purchased the company where it all began – SAC – and consumed it into Stradbally Farm Services, moving the whole operation here.
This included the Pel franchise – a New Zealand based company that specialise in electric fencing solutions and still work closely with the Laois business today.
So Jimmy maintained the retail division while developing the wholesale division, employed specialised sales reps to develop the Pel fencing.
He said: “We immediately targeted local stores and fencing contractors.
“As the wholesale business grew, I realised that the real growth potential was in this area because the installation and service of dairying equipment is both labour intensive and time consuming.
“I let the retail side of the business continue on its own strength until finally it became evident that the potential for growth was not there, without injecting both manpower and capital.
“By 1997, I had decided to close the retail division completely and go strictly wholesale with extra staff. The business grew and we decided to introduce the Clulite range of rechargeable torches as a Winter product.
“I then decided to set up the people involved in the retail section as dealers of Stradbally Farm Services – thus completing the circle begun in 1984.
“They now operate their own business as dealers of Stradbally Farm Services and I wholesale the equipment to them.”
Throughout all of his business life, Jimmy had and still has some basic principles that he swears by.
He said: “I ran the business in a simple way and was always told that there are three things you need to be successful – product, staff and customers.
“You cannot take out any of them. I was lucky that the products I had were strong.
“I always had excellent staff and loyal customers. We have always believed that the pound a customer gives is perfect therefore the customer is entitled to a pounds worth of perfect satisfaction.
“For example, together with Pel, we developed a range of solar fencers designed to suit the needs of Irish farmers and to suit our climatic conditions.
“The guarantee that I gave was that if you came to me, I put you in touch with a store, but if you had a problem, keep the invoice and if there is a problem, bring it back to me and I’ll give you a cheque – that was the confidence that I had in the product.”
Stradbally Farm Services now specialises in seven products: AluScraper (Farm Hygiene Products); Pel Electric Fencing Products; Electro Power Temporary Fencing Products; Solar Powered Fencers; Milkflo Calf Rearing Products; Clulite (High Powered Rechargeable Torches); and SAC (A full-line supplier of milking systems).
Always adapting, Stradbally Farm Services designed and introduced the Electro Power range of temporary products in 2005 to meet the changing trends in Irish farming.
Jimmy said: “We are particularly proud of Electro Power as we developed it as our own brand and it is now one of the larger brands in Ireland.
“We got it developed to suit the Irish market and it has been a big success, manufactured in Europe. It gives our customers more choice too.”
In 2009, they introduced their own brand of Milkflo calf feeders in their own colour and style
And in 2019, Stradbally Farm Services introduced the Aluscraper range of farm hygiene products.
Stradbally Farm Services has always been a great local employer and Jimmy puts down a lot of the success of the company to the people who have worked in it.
Jimmy said: “We have always tried to employ local people as best we can because it benefits everyone – good for them, good for the area and good for the business.
“Our staff worked hard and loyally to build the company to what it is today.
“There are not many companies that can say that the people in decision making, between them, have between 100 and 150 years experience in servicing the needs of our customers.”
Stradbally Farm Services continues to grow as is shown by the fact that in 2021, they built a new store at a cost of €400,000.
Jimmy said: “Today it employs 15 people with five full time area managers serving over 600 retail outlets.
“With two members of the family working in the company and with the continued loyal support of our staff and customers, Stradbally Farm Services is in safe hands and the future is bright.
“Maria and I intend to continue to have a strong input into the overall operation.
“I loved it, I enjoyed it and I still do. It is a great sense of achievement to see a business that I started still going strong. It really brings a sense of great pride.
“I remember my first wholesale order was for £3.50 of tubing so to see where it is now is remarkable. I know that we have achieved.
“There are not many businesses that are around 40 years later and are still getting stronger.”
STRADBALLY FARM SERVICES TIMELINE
- 1968: Jimmy joined Senior Milking Machine Co. covering Leinster
- 1970: He became Area Manager for all Leinster
- 1973: Jimmy married Maria Quinn from Wexford and came to live in Stradbally
- 1979: He became Sales Manager for Leinster
- 1983: Stradbally Farm Services was established with one employee to service Senior equipment in the local area
- 1984: Jimmy left Senior Milking Machine Co. and focused on Stradbally Farm Services employing three fitters and one salesman with Maria managing the office side of the operation.
- 1986: A site was purchased on the Abbeyleix road and built a store and new house. Maintained the retail division while developing the wholesale division, employed specialised sales reps to develop the Pel fencing.
- 1988: Took over the Senior Milking Machine company including the Pel franchise and moved the whole operation to Stradbally
- 1997: Closed the retail division to become a wholesale only company with extra staff. The business grew and we decided to introduce the Clulite range of rechargeable torches as a Winter product.
- 2005: Stradbally Farm Services designed and introduced the Electro Power range of temporary products to meet the changing trends in Irish farming.
- 2009: Introduced their own brand of Milkflo calf feeders in our own colour and style
- 2019: Introduced the Aluscraper range of farm hygiene products
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