Westmeath men feted for years of long service to Certa

Three Westmeath men have received awards to mark their years of distinguished service with local fuel supplier Certa.

Certa, which is part of DCC plc, operates Ireland’s largest network of pay@pump forecourts and home heating depots, including a forecourt in Mullingar and depots in Mullingar and Athlone.

Presenting the awards Orla Stevens, managing director of Certa, commended Certa operations manager Gerry Hynes from Mullingar for achieving 30 years of service, along with Eddie Belton, Athlone Depot supervisor, and driver William Williams from Mullingar for achieving 25 years of service.

Gerry held roles as a depot supervisor and in credit control before moving into operations. One of his career highlights was the transformation of the former Jones Oil depots into retail outlets, which helped to drive sales growth of 6 million litres to 70 million litres.

“Gerry joined the company in 1994, following in the footsteps of his father John, who dedicated many years of service to Jones Oil and Esso Oil,” said Ms Stevens.

“Together they have contributed nearly 70 years to the business, building a lasting legacy. Colleagues describe Gerry as consistently good-humoured, fair, honest and thoroughly decent, a true gentleman, just like his father before him.

“Eddie started as a driver with company over 25 years ago and progressed to becoming the supervisor in our Athlone Depot. Eddie is meticulous at keeping his depot in mint condition and it is constantly in our top five sales rankings weekly. Eddie is held in high regard by everyone at Certa,” she added.

William Williams is a familiar face to Certa customers having serviced the Mullingar area for more than 25 years. He started working with the company in 1999, when he secured his ADR licence.

“William is well known for the excellent service that he provides to Certa customers in Mullingar. His service over the last 25 years has been exceptional and we are delighted to recognise his great work as another local face of our business,” said Ms Stevens.

“William’s suitability for the job was tested on his first day, when he was sent to deliver to a customer in Mullingar with a lot of dogs and he had to avoid many little obstacles on his way to the tank. He made light of the challenge, and he continues to be a welcome and friendly face to our customers, including the customer with the dogs!

“Certa is committed to continually enhancing the service that we offer domestic, commercial and industrial customers and we value the great service that colleagues like Gerry, Eddie and William deliver each and every day as we continue to pursue our ambition of becoming Ireland’s most progressive energy company,” she said.