Aquaholics is going into its 11th year of business. Photo / Supplied
Aquaholics is going into its 11th year of business. Photo / Supplied
Two friends who worked their way “up the food chain” from apprentices to the owners of this year’s Business of the Year say keeping it simple and working hard are key to their success.
Aquaholics, a Tauranga plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying business, was recognised as Business of the Year at the Tauranga Business Awards held at Baypark on February 13.
Brad Mahony and Kieran Rutherford kick-started their business venture in a single-car garage in 2014, and have built their business on the premise of keeping it simple, working hard and “doing what you say you’ll do”.
Mahony and Rutherford each had 20 years of trades experience under their belts and had worked their way “up the food chain” from apprentices to managers.
Mahony said the duo knuckled down for some “big self-analysis” to figure out what was not working.
“We implemented changes that paid dividends for us around training our staff and staff retention, really looking at the jobs we were taking on and that helped us a lot.
Aquaholics took out the Business of the Year award at this year's Tauranga Business Awards. Photo / Salina Galvin
“But we’ve still got the same mindset we started with – keep it simple, work hard and just do what you say you’ll do.”
Teamwork was important because the job was physically demanding with tight timeframes.
“There’s a lot of pressure and if you don’t gel and work as a team, it can be a bloody hard slog.”
Mahony said punctuality and transparency were important aspects of their services.
“Being organised, doing what you’ll say you do, hitting those deadlines, being straight up with people, and always self-analysing to try to be better than yesterday.”
Business had progressed “fast” and the past 10 years had been a “whirlwind”, Mahony said.
The company started 10 years ago during Tauranga’s boom years and there was a hole in the market for a professional, competent, commercial plumbing company.
“We learned a lot along the way, rolled up our sleeves and got into it. We’ve grown exponentially over the years to keep up with our customer demands,” Mahony said.
“We’ve brought shareholders into the business and built a team around us, from the office to our tradesmen to our senior staff. We’re proud of the team and the reputation we’ve built.”
He said taking out Business of the Year validated everything they had worked towards.
Jarad Davis, Kieran Rutherford, Brad Mahony and Jarod Watton, of Aquaholics. Photo / Salina Galvan
“We were quietly confident, but we were shocked. It was mixed emotions between being shocked, ecstatic, and we’re happy for our team and all of our customers that have supported us over the years.
”It’s not really our award, it’s one for the tradies and the blue-collar workers out there as well,” Mahony said.
Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley said the Business of the Year award identified the most well-rounded and outstanding business in recent years.
“Winners of this award embody everything that business owners need to master to be exceptional.
“The award recognises that being in business takes bravery, belief, humility, dedication, endurance and trust in others to help you succeed while having a clear vision that serves a higher purpose than just profitability.”
Cowley said Aquaholics had rapid growth from its humble beginnings while maintaining strong financials in an inherently risky industry.
“They lead their growing team with compassion, aspiration and intention.
“Their focus on developing leaders and tackling the industry’s worrisome mental wellness issues shows they are role models for the sector,” he said.
The Aquaholics team have dedicated their Business of the Year award to their highly valued business partner, Andre Moore, who died at the end of last year.
Mahony said Moore was “a loved brother” who had started at the business at 18 and had worked his way up to a shareholding position.
Aquaholics wanted to recognise Moore’s extensive contributions to the business, he said.
Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.
