‘Smiles all round’ at O’Flynns
Dynamic Millstreet family business is Cork Chamber SME Company of the Year
THERE were beaming smiles all round from the O’Flynn family of Millstreet, who collected the Cork Chamber SME Company of the Year award.
Tadhg O’Flynn, CEO of O’Flynn Medical, told The Corkman that they were “thrilled” with the award, which was won at a gala banquet event at City Hall.
“It really is a very nice one to have under our belt. There were 1,000 people attending the awards ceremony, and the tickets were like gold dust to get. And then to win an award was just so nice and really thrilling for us,” said Mr O’Flynn.
The company, based in Millstreet, began 19 years ago with two employees on the books, but now the medical supply business has increased and that number today stands at 30. The company sells, rents, services and decontaminates a wide range of medical equipment. It also has operations not just in Ireland but also in the UK.
Reflecting on the growth of the company, Mr O’Flynn said that they grew gradually over the years, “but when the recession began to bite and banks began to lend 100-per-cent mortgages, I said to my staff that I felt it was the beginning of the end,” he said.
He believed that this would have a detrimental impact on the economy, and his thinking proved correct.
“I then changed the business direction, and while there were many people giving warnings, such as George Lee, on the economy, few were listening to him. We changed business direction from sales to our rental in the recession, and this really paid off as it is now our biggest market business,” said Mr O’Flynn.
With just shy of two decades in business, O’Flynn Medical are highly regarded as being experts in their field, and with a further expansion to a brand new 25,000-square-foot facility, the business is set to grow even further.
“We hope to make the move in 2019, but at the moment there is a lot of work and setting up to do,” he said. “Cork Chamber do truly amazing work and really are a great organisation with great staff. The awards night was an amazing night and it was a complete sell out.”
At the awards ceremony, the President of Cork Chamber, Bill O’Connell, said the awards provide “a wonderful platform for Cork’s most pioneering businesses to celebrate success.”
“It has been a fantastic journey for all of us on the judging panel over the last few months, getting to meet an impressive and diverse mix of companies who are leading the way in innovating; transforming our business landscape; leaving a lasting mark on both Cork and the world,” said Mr O’Connell.