At 6.30am on Sunday the 22nd June FM Environmental’s Kevin Fitzpatrick dived into the warm Mediterranean Sea that cradles the picturesque town of Nice in the south of France. Just over thirteen hours later, having swam, biked and run through the stunning Cote d’Azur, Kevin crossed the finish line of one of the toughest one-day endurance tests in sport– the Ironman triathlon.

The ultimate challenge for the triathlete, the Ironman-distance triathlon comprises a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26 mile marathon to finish. It is as much a test of mental resilience as physical fitness with athletes dedicating up to 12 months of the year training for the event.

“I turned 40 last November and decided I had to mark the sombre occasion with something memorable. I wanted a challenge and the Ironman just seemed insane enough to fit the bill.” commented Kevin.

Almost 2500 other enthusiasts entered the race in France which has become one of the biggest events on the Ironman calendar, however the challenging bike course and intense heat did take its toll.

“Around 1900 athletes finished the race as heat exhaustion got to many during the marathon. The scenery around Nice is spectacular but after 13 hours on the go all you want to see is a cold beer!” remarked Kevin.

Kevin would like to thank his sponsors FM Environmental and Grundfos Pumps in supporting his trip. He hopes to return to Nice again next year but this time he intends watching the event from the beach rather than enduring it on a bike!

FM Environmental held an information Seminar on Grease Removal featuring their award wining product the ‘Grease Guardian’on Thursday 26th June in Wynn’s Hotel, Dublin City Centre.
The Seminar was a great success, thank you to all who attended and congratulations to those who won the free gifts.
If you require any further information contact a member of staff in our Grease Guardian Department who will be only to happy to help.

Seagate Young Innovators took place in the Odyssey Arena on Thursday 19th June……..
The event is a showcase for students throughout Northern Ireland and celebrates the achievements of young people.
The FM Environmental Special Award was won by Brendan Caraher from St Colman’s College with the ‘Bin Press’.
This is a device to squash down rubbish in an overflowing bin with ease. It is a wall mounted project and the plate squashes the rubbish.
Congratulations to Brendan who is pictured here accepting the award from Nicola Whyte, Marketing Manager FM Environmental.

Friday last (23rd May) at the Greater Newry Area Business Awards FM won the Business Growth Award……..

“With the record number of entries to this year’s Business Awards we were delighted to receive the Business Growth Award.
We would like to thank the Chamber of Commerce who organised the Event and to FPM Chartered Accountants who sponsored the Award.”

The High Commissioner is the guest of Newry man Tom Kelly who is Northern Ireland’s Honorary Consul to Malta. Dr Refalo and fellow representatives from the Maltese Enterprise Board are meeting businesses and trade bodies with existing links or an interest in the Mediterranean country. FM Environmental already has operations in Malta and employs a number of Maltese staff both in Newry and in Malta. FM Environmental provides specialist services to the pump and wastewater treatment industry. The company manufactures its world renowned ‘Grease Guardian’ among other products at its manufacturing plant in Malta.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, Managing Director of FM Environmental said, “We are delighted to welcome His Excellency, the Maltese High Commissioner to the UK here to our Head Office in Newry. We have a great relationship with Malta having our manufacturing plant there. A number of key FM staff are Maltese including our Technical Director, Mario Farrugia. It is a very positive development in the growing relationship between the two regions to welcome the Maltese delegation here. We hope it will encourage increased trade and stronger links between Northern Ireland and Malta in the future.”

Honorary Consul for Malta in Northern Ireland Tom Kelly added, “Being from Newry I was particularly interested in taking the Maltese delegation to our city and to meet local business FM Environmental who have established a very economically beneficial relationship with Malta. Through this visit we hope that more companies and indeed businesses from the Newry area in particular will look towards Malta to establish or build on trade and tourism links.”

The delegation came to Newry as part of a three day visit to Northern Ireland. Dr Refalo also met with Mayor Michael Cole, elected representatives, Newry Chamber of Trade and Commerce and a number of business representatives from the city.

The Launch of the Greater Newry Area Business Awards 2008 were held on Friday last in Bellinis, Newry. Newry Chamber are hosting the awards with the Gala Awards Cermony to take place in the Canal Court Hotel, on Friday 23rd May 2008.

This year FM Environmental will be sponsoring the Environment Award.

This award is designed to recognise exceptional improvement in business performance achieved through good environmental management.

This may include any new environmental policies adopted (e.g. waste recycling) or any other ‘green’ policy which has resulted in cost reductions, improved efficiency, profit growth or quality improvements.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, Managing Director of FM Environmental was one of the guest speakers at the MLN – New Horizons Roadshow which was held in the Canal Court Hotel, Newry last month.

Organised by the Management Leadership Network (MLN) in collaboration with Enterprise NI and supported by executive search agency Spengler Fox, the Newry forum is part of a new inspirational ‘Horizons’ roadshow series travelling to only eight venues across Northern Ireland with the aim of helping to promote business growth as well as world class management and leadership capabilities.

Colm McCoy, Chairman of the Northern Region IHCPT presents Grainne Farrell with the Gift Voucher for the Whistledown, Warrenpoint, kindly donated by FM Environmental Ltd., Newry. The evening was a great success with over £20k raised.

Some Information on IHCPT:-
IHCPT, The Irish Pilgrimage Trust is a registered charity in Ireland. In 1972 it began traveling on pilgrimage to Lourdes with a small group consisting of 14 young people with special needs accompanied by 14 adult carers.

Now, each year, at Easter, IHCPT travels with approximately 500 young people. Experienced volunteer adult carers visit the young people prior to the pilgrimage and accompany them throughout our week in Lourdes. The carers pay for their own fare and accommodation while IHCPT covers all costs (approximately €850) for the young people who travel with them.

The trust relies solely on the generosity of the people who make donations to it at church gate collections or at the many functions they organise throughout Ireland. Any donation makes a difference and is gratefully received.