‘Where we are, after 30 years, is a team effort’
The nature of Soltec’s business is extremely serious, but the MC for the 30th anniversary event was a comedian who did her best to keep the tone light. Sharon Mannion (currently on tour with her solo show, Sharon Dipity, and supporting Deirdre O'Kane) introduced the various speakers, who included, as well as Minister Peter Burke, Mark Christal, from Enterprise Ireland; Tom Gaynor, from Repak Ireland; Liam Tolton, safety consultant from Second Site; and David Corcoran, Soltec director.
Michael Corcoran (director) presented long service awards to a number of employees: Mary Lynam Dunne (26 years) and Thomas Corcoran (16 years) – both of whom were unable to be present – John Lynch (10 years), Vincent Ronan (16 years) and Patrick O’Keeffe (17 years).
In his remarks David Corcoran expressed thanks to the minister, Enterprise Ireland, Repak, and Mr Tolton. He spoke about how Soltec began and said: “Today, we are proud to be celebrating 30 years in the hazardous waste management business.
“The business started small with just two staff, and faced lots of challenges and struggles along the way, but with Michael’s vision and persistence, the company began to gain new customers and expand its processes and services. We are now the oldest and only Irish-owned hazardous waste management company.”
He said Soltec secured the appropriate EPA licence, and invested £7 million in the new site, tank farm, and distillation plant. “We are the only company in Ireland that can re-purpose residual chemical waste into products using distillation. While we have been doing this since 1994, this new distillation plant greatly increases our capacity and allowed us to attract new clients, particularly in the farm sector.”
David said that Soltec will continue to innovate and is investing in technology through its ‘green campus initiative’ that will reduce the carbon footprint of its operations.
“Where we are today, after 30 years, is a team effort, and we’re lucky to have a team of people who are as passionate as we are about the goals of our company.
“Everyone, from the longest-serving member to the newest, has a role.”
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