About Us

Back in the mid-90s, Geoff Cole and Alistair Colquhoun took on an existing business after working in both the wholesale and retail side of the pump industry for some time. “We saw all sorts of operators, from tin sheds to sophisticated stores and we thought, boy, we could do this,” Geoff says. “When you’re young and naïve you think there’s no risk. But it was a steep learning curve to the north! I think our business case had one line for accounting and OHS and things like that.” After 11 years, they sold the business, but by 2012 they had taken it back on, re-opened closed branches and renamed the operation to Warrego Water Services. Today the business, with branches in Toowoomba, Dalby and Warwick, is run by Geoff with Alistair’s son Grant and Ross Ecroyd.

“Dalby is about 85% project and municipal customers. In Toowoomba is about 60% project and municipal. In Warwick it’s reversed with much more retail. The area is quite different, with smaller farms, including hobby farms and investment properties. We do a lot more in the smaller end of the pump market there.” Geoff and his co-owners follow a simple philosophy in the business, which is about valuing staff and going the extra mile for customers. The business runs on three key values: culture, customers, concern for customers “We wouldn’t be where we are without good staff. As an individual you’re only as good as one man for eight hours a day. You need to find good staff and keep them. We train our staff well and make sure they have great product knowledge. We have a lot of broad based knowledge in the business, plus a lot of young ones coming through who learn from the more experienced staff. “We try to set our staff up for success with customers, so we can maintain good, constant support and a consistent experience. We try to do little things for our customers that they might not expect – carry a pump out to the car, throw in some thread tape with an order, that kind of thing. A little bit of goodwill gets amplified. You can’t beat word of mouth.” The Davey brand has been part of Geoff’s story since the beginning and he says he has never had anything but good experiences. “I can remember being a cadet sales rep in Rockhampton and selling the Davey Dynajet for $70 retail! I’ve been selling this brand for 40 years and never had a bad time. It’s always been a good quality product at a marketable price, backed up by good people from the industry.”