Business North October 2021

A good life built on relationships, sustainability and innovation Galvin Bartlett grows potatoes on the lifestyle block he and his wife and business partner Suzanne own in West Auckland. Their son Jason, a talented chef, cooks the potatoes and other veges from Galvin’s extensive gardens for annual parties the couple throw for their sta and close business associates. They’re fabulous events. Sometimes it’s ’bring a plate’ and, because their employees hail from all over the world – India, China, the Philippines, Fiji, England, even New Zealand – and bring their cuisines, it’s bu et supreme – especially when you add in Suzanne’s home-made preserves. At the last one a jazz quartet entertained, children and grandchildren raced around chasing balloons, and the diversion of the day was teeing o golf balls into the paddock towards a stand of native bush. Galvin and a bunch of kids bounced around the paddock in a farm buggy retrieving the balls. It’s an idyllic scene – a hard-working and energetic business couple pursuing their passion for sustainability and “the good life” surrounded by a United Nations of employees, a fair number of whom have been with the company for a decade or more. Galvin’s and Sue’s good life is built on valued business relationships, their entrepreneurial drive, innovation and a passion for sustainability. The couple started a small husband-and-wife commercial cleaning business in Auckland in 1979. Today Paramount Services has 140+ franchisees operating in 30+ towns and cities throughout New Zealand. Paramount Services has 1800+ clients with facilities including commercial o ices, banks, industrial facilities, retail and leisure facilities, Government buildings and educational institutions and halls of residence and the company is a three-time winner of the Westpac NZ Supreme Franchise System of the Year award. The key to their success has been establishing and maintaining business relationships with sta , franchisees and suppliers, combined with their drive to innovate to improve their business, and their longstanding passion for sustainability – to leave a healthy planet for their grandkids. Paramount Services share these values with Essity and they are core reasons the company has been using Essity’s Tork products, supplied through The Service Company, for more than 20 years. Essity is Paramount Services’ preferred supplier of paper towels, soap, toilet rolls, disposable tea towels, sanitisers, air fresheners, and more. “Essity tick all the boxes for Paramount’s sustainability and social procurement policies and requirements,” says Galvin. “Over 65% of their products are made in New Zealand using 70% renewable energy sources, and their paper towels can be easily composted. “Also, Paramount is always looking to innovate for our clients, and Tork EasyCube sensor-enabled dispensers help to eliminate product wastage and bring e iciencies to our clients.” Paramount is currently trialling these sensor-enabled dispensers for a large corporate client. They enable franchisees to remotely monitor paper towel and soap dispensers so they can be replaced “just in time” rather than “just in case” thereby saving the last 20% or so of paper rolls or soap cartridges that might otherwise go into land ill. “Paramount and Tork share the same values in terms of reducing waste and carbon emissions,” says Galvin. “We are part of the same ecosystem bringing technology and innovation to our clients.”