From hand dryers to office plants, and secure data storage services to condom machines, it is safe to say there are very few companies like Caerphilly’s PHS Group.
And there are not many companies either which can boast 50 years in business.
Staff in fancy dress, many of them long-standing servants to the company, mingled with local dignities and VIPs last week as the firm held a celebratory bash in a marquee outside its Western Industrial Estate headquarters.
As Chief Executive Gareth Rhys Williams pointed out to guests, when the company was founded in 1963, Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister and the world was introduced to TV’s Doctor Who for the first time.
Established in London before moving to Caerphilly in 1984, the £440 million turnover company now operates 140 sites across the UK – although its heart is certainly in the Welsh Valleys with 430 local employees.
Mr Williams told Caerphilly Observer: “A lot of our employees have been with us for 25 years or more – that spread of experience is priceless. Why would we want to move? Where can you go to have more experienced and dedicated people?”
Two such dedicated employees are Kim Hadfield, 45, who has been with the firm for 29 years and 54-year-old Diane Stagg – the company’s longest-serving employee at 38 years.
Diane, who works in accounts and lives in Risca, said there are always opportunities at the company for professional development to gain new qualifications.
She said: “If you want to rise within the company, there is no-one holding you back.”
Mr Williams is aiming for the company to grow as well, with an ambition to triple its size over the next ten years.
Wayne David, MP for Caerphilly, praised the company’s longevity during the celebration.
He said: “It’s fantastic to see local businesses thriving and employing local people.
“PHS is one of the backbones of the local economy in Caerphilly, employing 430 staff from surrounding areas. It is the type of strong, long-standing business we need to see more of in South Wales and indeed the rest of the UK.”