RICHARD Campey started his working life in farming before taking a career change to join ICI. In 1976, as a 22 year old, he moved to SISIS working under the redoubtable Eric Staniforth, founder of the company. It was here that Richard fell in love with turfcare machinery. He was able to travel the world as a sales demonstrator, all the time learning from his straight talking mentor. In 1986, Richard decided that it was time for another change. He set up his own company, Professional Turf Care, to carry out sportsturf contracting in and around Manchester. It was a lucrative area and it was at the same time that Richard saw a niche in the second hand market place. Richard moved to his
present location, just outside Macclesfield, two years later and the company and premises have gradually expanded year on year. His regular dealings with customers in the second hand market led to him fulfilling local demand and, eventually, taking on new machinery stock. Richard said, “We were far too small a company at the time to take on products from the big three, but we did have a chance to work with some of the smaller manufacturers.”
years ago today...
It was twenty
that Richard Campey left SISIS to set up his own company
DAVE SALTMAN reports
“I was down at Saltex in 1989 looking at an Australian Coremaster, when Colin Gregory jumped out at me. ‘You’ll be after buying one of these then Richard?’ to which I replied, ‘it looks like a machine that will make us some brass, but unfortunately I haven’t the funds to buy it.’ Colin said, ‘don’t worry about that, and you’ll be needing an Iseki tractor to pull it too!’” “Well that was that. Suddenly I was dealing in new machinery. We next took on the Lesco range and, in the first year, sold thirty five machines in the North West. But I was struggling to cope so, in 1990, I took on Tony Cundall as a sales rep and Ken Heath, who I knew very well from my SISIS days. Ken had retired, but was still passionate about the industry and was looking for some part time work. The other key member of the team back then was Jane Middleton, a
local girl, who started doing my book keeping. She is still with us as Company Secretary to this day!” “We continued to expand, taking on Charterhouse, Saxon and Dennis in the early nineties. The staff continued to expand too, as well as the costs!”
“In 1994 Iseki went to Massey Ferguson, so I approached New Holland/Ford and became the local dealer for them. Trimax, who had previously been distributed by Saxon, launched their UK company in 1996 and they were also added to the fold.”
At this time all the machines that Richard was promoting, demonstrating and selling were under dealer licences. Richard is always keen to attend equipment shows, both at home and abroad. and it was at the GCSAA Exhibition in the USA, in 1997, that he first saw a Koro machine. “I was very impressed with the machine’s simple, yet effective, design and when I went back to the GCSAA a year later I spoke with the Dutch manufacturer and found out, to my surprise, that nobody had taken the rights for the UK and Ireland. As a contractor I could immediately see a good market for them.” In that same year the Koro Field Topmaker was stripping off the first football pitches in the UK courtesy of Richard Campey. Next to catch Richard’s
keen eye was the Dakota range of top dressers and, in 2001, a distribution deal was agreed, but this time with European rights included. By the start of this year, Dakota top dressers have been sold into twelve countries and over four hundred machines have gone through his Cheshire premises.
In addition, Campeys are adding to their own Raycam range of innovative products including Hi-lift Trailer, Striegel Harrows and Speedresser large capacity drop spreaders.
CAMPEY Turfcare employ twenty four staff, five of whom are dedicated to sales.
The passion for the industry, gained from his early mentors Eric and Ken,
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