Prizewinners at Arboretum in Kilquade
AS Arboretum celebrates 40 years in business, its newest branch in Kilquade can now count two award winners among its staff.
Des White from Kilcoole won the award for ‘Customer Service of the Year’ at the company’s recent Employee of the Year awards ceremony, while Tanya Hayes was crowned ‘ Team Player of the Year’.
Their colleagues in Kilquade are thrilled that the pair won two of the coveted awards at the ceremony held recently at the Woodford Dolmen Hotel in Carlow.
The awards were presented by Arboretums Barry and Fergal Doyle and were attended by over 140 employees and guests. Guest speakers on the night included author Blaise Brosnan and David Walsh from Netwatch.
The award winners were voted for by their fellow work colleagues and votes were counted across both Arboretum stores in Carlow and Kilquade.
The seven awards also included Carlow Team Player of the Year, New Employee of the Year and Long Service Award.
‘Celebrating our 40th year in business is a huge milestone for Rachel and Frank Doyle,’ said Arboretum’s co-owner and CCO Fergal Doyle.
‘ They grew Arboretum to what it is today after facing many challenges but they never stopped believing in the dream,’ he said.
‘We couldn’t celebrate this 40 year achievement without acknowledging Arboretum’s ability to deliver exceptional customer service which has played a major part in getting us where we are today. Delivering that level of service year in year out takes commitment from all our staff in both stores.
‘We are delighted to be able to acknowledge our Arboretum employees in this award ceremony and celebrate them for all their hard work and dedication throughout the year,’ said Mr Doyle.
The night was also about celebrating 40 successful years in business.
Rachel and Frank Doyle were surprised with a video collage of memories from Arboretum’s humble beginnings showcasing their remarkable journey to Arboretum Carlow’s flagship 10-acre store as it stands today and its new sister property Arboretum Kilquade.
Kilmacanogue resident and celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin was joined by fellow horticulturist Dermot O’Neill to create a video honouring Rachel and Frank.
They spoke of their shared gardening experi- ences while presenter Mary Kennedy and racehorse trainer and long term friend Jim Bolger shared some humorous memories that had the whole room smiling.