UNDER THE RADAR/Charles Dwyer, Lowflo:IS THE business acumen of Cork's much-lampooned "merchant princes" in the blood? Does it run in families? Well, if 28-year-old Charles Dwyer exemplifies the new generation, it certainly seems to.
Until it went into liquidation during the recession of the 1980s, Dwyer Company was one of Cork’s largest employers; its various subsidiaries, such as Lee Clothing and Lee Footwear, household names.
“As far back as I can remember, our family always worked for themselves,” says Dwyer. “In fact, my dad, Tom, kicked me out of bed every morning so that I’d get used to it . . . As a result, I suppose I didn’t have any choice when I came out of college: I knew I wouldn’t have the patience to be employed by anyone else. I’d have to find a business that suited me.” Dwyer is a refreshing mixture of old and new Cork. For instance, his degree in mechanical engineering is from Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) rather than UCC. On the other hand, his preferred sport is sailing – famously the recreation of the city’s merchant class. He’s an accomplished sailor, nationally and internationally, but he’s well aware of its local connotations. “Yeah, sailing”, he smiles. “You just can’t get away from it in Cork . . . ”
After a year travelling the world, Dwyer made his first attempt at finding a business that suited him. He set up an event photography business, Stooge Inc. But although there was custom to be had, it was too seasonal to be sustainable.
“There were huge fluctuations. We were doing 80 per cent of our turnover and employing up to 25 or 30 staff in the run-up to Christmas, for example. But in the new year we were back to two people again, and I’d wake up wondering what I was going to do.“
In the back of his mind he knew he wanted a business with an environmental bent. In February 2007, he set up Lowflo, an engineering firm which specialises in water control and leak detection, a growth area following the introduction of water metering for businesses the previous year. The business has grown solidly over the past two years. In 2007, it had a modest turnover of around €120,000, which doubled to €250,000 last year. The company’s recent decision to enter the Dublin market should see it double again over the next year-and-a-half, Dwyer says.
Similarly, Lowflo now has four staff and three vans on the road. With a client list which includes Hewlett Packard, Beamish Crawford, GlaxoSmithKline, Sisk, Cork Airport and the Office of Public Works, he expects to have three more vans within a year.
The potential savings to clients, he says, are considerable. “Some companies have astronomical water bills but aren’t quite sure why. We had one client whose bill was €250,000 a year as a result of numerous leaks – and we managed to reduce that to €3,000.
“The brewers, Beamish Crawford, for instance, use seven units of water for every unit of beer they produce, and have a bill somewhere between €600,000 and €800,000 a year. We found them savings of €100,000 simply by recycling their water.
“And we did a case study in co-operation with the Green Party recently, in which we reduced the water costs at the North Monastery school in Cork by €17,500 a year – simply through small repairs and the installation of water-savings products.”
Dwyer and Lowflo do, however, have one secret weapon – businessman, Peter Crowley, who’s synonymous with the Dyno-rod franchise in the Republic. “We meet once a week and his mentoring has been invaluable.” Crowley is a family friend. “He and my dad have been friends all their lives. They’ve been sailing together for the past 20 years . . . ”
ON THE RECORD
Name: Charles Dwyer
Company: Lowflo, www.lowflo.ie
Job:Founder and managing director
Age: 28
Background:Scion of a Cork merchant family who ran Dwyer Company until 1980s. A degree in mechanical engineering from Cork Institute of Technology. Started photography business, Stooge Inc, in 2004. In 2007 set up Lowflo with the help of family friend, Peter Crowley of Dyno-rod. Recently expanded from Cork into the Dublin market.
Inspired by:His dad, Tom Dwyer. "He kicked me out of bed in the morning and taught me by example to work every hour under the sun."
Challenges: Convincing the business community that there are substantial savings to be made by becoming more conscious of their water consumption.
