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B U S I N E S S North Coast Power and Water are pleased to announce that the family run business has changed ownership. Keeping it in the family, Ashley Graetz has
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taken a step down and handed over the reins to his son, Brendan Graetz. To coincide with this change, Brendan and his team partnered with FOCUS to showcase their team, suppliers and products. an you tell us a little bit about vast range of products. I spent about seven your background and experience or eight years full-time in the family business, in this industry? before opting for a sea change for five years, As with most people involved in when my wife and I moved to Brisbane. family businesses, I started work when You left the family business for five I was a teenager on weekends, years? What did you learn during helping out cleaning, your time away? sweeping floors etc. After I was lucky enough to land a few months I began a National Marketing role for It was a great assisting in servicing and Apricus Australia - our solar experience repairing water pumps, hot water system supplier. l al sm coming from as well as helping in It was a great experience ound business back gr cing the showroom learning coming from small en ri pe ex en and th bal lo the various products on business background and l/g na tio na a how es .� show, before starting then experiencing how business operat full-time after graduating a national/global business high school. I always had operates. I spent most of my a passion for technology time working alongside the and marketing, so I naturally MD, which taught me a lot about progressed into working alongside business, marketing, sales and working my father and managing the marketing with a large team, which gave me the and advertising for the business, while confidence to return home and take over the continuing to grow my knowledge on our family business from my father.
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“ What does it mean to you to take over the family business? I’m extremely proud to say that I’m the second generation to run the business. My father has built a great business here and has built some really strong relationships with his customers. It seemed like a very natural progression for me; most of our long-term customers had already dealt with me, and I’d also worked alongside the current staff members too, so everything just seemed to fall into place. Since taking over the reins at NCPW, what are some of the things you have changed and improved? We’re putting a lot of time and effort into creating a more inviting, informative and
comfortable space for our customers in store. I felt like our previous showroom was more about “our suppliers” than “our customers”, and every supplier was fighting for a voice, so we ended up with a space that was a little inconsistent and confusing - the new space we are creating will allow customers to touch, feel and learn more about our products much easier, without compromising the level of stock we hold. What makes NCPW different from other companies in the local area? NCPW has a long history here on the Coffs Coast. Even before my father took over in
2000, the business was actually one of four BP Solar outlets established in 1990, and we don’t plan on going anywhere any time soon! I believe NCPW’s secret to success lies in our company values, which are to provide “Valuable, Honest Advice and Great Products from Great People”. We work hard to understand the customers’ wants and needs, and provide a solution suited them. It’s funny, because doing this sometimes actually ends up in us talking the customer out of a sale, because what they “want” isn’t actually what they “need”, but I believe it is this transparency that helps us to build
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stronger and longer term relationships with our customers. So, you’ve talked about the business and the history - can you tell us a little more about the products you carry and their benefits? We have two major divisions in our business - the “power” division and the “water” division. The power division products include solar panels, solar inverters, batteries, as well as a range of diesel and petrol generators, both portable and commercial. Our water division encompasses our water pumps, water tanks, irrigation, filtration and more. We then have products that cross over to both divisions, like our solar pumping and solar hot water solutions.
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olar Hot Water - Those who have dealt with us know we are very passionate when it comes to solar hot water systems, especially with Apricus evacuated tubes. Since we were first introduced to evacuated tube solar hot water systems about 12 years ago, we have not looked back. An early memory I have was at one of the first Coffs Coast Home Shows, which was held at the showground at the time. The weather was horrible - it was pouring rain, there were muddy puddles all over the ground, and we had virtually no sun all day. The NCPW team at the time were all shocked, because although we were standing there with no shoes, in the mud, drenched from head to toe, the evacuated tube solar system display we had set up was still producing steam from the collector. It was that point we realised that evacuated tubes were the future of solar hot water in the region. There were definitely some teething issues in the early stages, as you would expect with any “new technology” - but 12 years on, the Apricus solar systems we supply have improved in leaps and bounds. I have personally spent the last five years working all across the country with retail outlets, plumbers, builders, architects and homeowners on all aspects of solar hot water systems - including custom sizing commercial heating systems for commercial applications, general sales, troubleshooting, installation and technical support. And it feels great to bring the wealth of knowledge back to my home town of Coffs Harbour.
It’s great to see that now, from our shop in Coffs Harbour, we are supporting businesses both large and small, around the country with advice, supply of systems and spare parts. This month alone, we had customers as far away as South Australia and North Queensland! Solar Pumping We are starting to see some great things in the solar pump market. I feel this is a market we excel at, as we specialise in solar, as well as pumping. Other companies that supply solar pumps are either pump suppliers, or solar installers; it’s not often you come across a business like ours that specialises in both! The solar pump products are improving, and the residential solar market driving down the prices of panels is making solar pumps much more affordable than they were five - 10 years ago. To put the change in price in perspective, in 2000, if you were to purchase an 80 watt solar The applications ng panel it would have cost for solar pumpi you around $1,000; now are endless, but on the most comm acing we sell them for around pl re is application $200! mps pu el es di petrol or The applications tired g that are becomin for solar pumping are ” or have failed. endless, but the most common application is replacing petrol or diesel pumps that are becoming tired or have failed. The biggest advantage with a solar pump is once it is set up correctly, there is very little interaction and maintenance required. There is no need to switch them on and off, service oil, fill up fuel etc. so many farmers are switching to solar, as it is much more user friendly.
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STICK IT WHERE THE SUN SHINES Turn to solar for efficient, reliable water pumping solutions. Proudly available from NCPW www.lorentz.de
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We are also supplying many farmers with solar pumps for irrigation purposes - as As land land becomes scarce in populated becomes scarce areas, more and more farms are eas, in populated ar without power and need a reliable farms more and more source of water, so they’re turning er are without pow to the sun to provide it. When it’s ble and need a relia not sunny, it’s generally raining, so , so source of water e th to irrigation is not as important! g they’re turnin ” it. e Solar Power - The solar industry is id sun to prov evolving at an extremely rapid pace at the moment, with the removal of the “60c Feed in Tariff” in January this year, the price of solar panels dropping and the introduction of companies like LG and Tesla fighting for the “home energy storage/home battery” market. A lot of people have been rushing in to get on to “the solar train”... But unlike the previous scheme, where you simply purchased a system, exported all of your energy and got paid a premium price for what you produced, your usage needs to be carefully considered to allow you to self-consume as much energy as possible, as THAT is where you will get the best savings … As well as residential systems, we also stock a range of the smaller 12 and 24 volt panels, as well as high quality batteries, inverters, solar regulators, fuses and cable for the stand alone community as well as the boating/camping/
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caravan and RV market too! We have some great local partners who can assist with the installation too if required! Generators - Power is something we all take for granted; we just flick a switch, and on goes the TV, the food stays cold in the fridge, air conditioner keeps us cool etc. What we don’t often plan for is the times a car accident causes a power outage for 12+ hours, or a large storm knocks out power to half of the town. In a home, it’s generally not too critical, and we can get by with some candle light and a few bags of ice - but for farmers that may need irrigation systems running and businesses that rely on power to maintain their income or essential services - having a backup generator is an important requirement, rather than an optional extra! Generators are also a critical component to a stand-alone solar power system to keep batteries topped up during bad weather and on the family camping trip, to keep the beer and wine cold! But many people don’t realise that out of our shop in Coffs Harbour we not only supply small engine petrol generators for camping, but can supply up to 1,000kVA+ automatic start diesel generators to provide mains power failure backup for large businesses.
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sizing and supply - but also in service and technical support. Many people don’t realise that we have a fully equipped workshop to service water pumps, and can even conduct on-site call outs, repairs and provide loan water pumps if water is critical! ater Pumps - Choosing a water Water Tanks - Poly tanks are still the most pump can feel like an overwhelming common and best value for money experience. Water pumps water tank in domestic and rural come in all shapes and applications - however, we sizes, and we stock, sell, service and also supply a new range of repair almost any pump you can s Davey ha st ju steel tanks for fire prone think of! Our new water pump ly actual e fir w ne areas and those wanting display allows customers to a released at th p m pu larger capacities than the compare pumps of different g in fight ith an w t ar st n ca standard poly tank. We models and brands side-byu yo ts actually recently supplied side and learn the features and SMS, or that star ce automatically on a local farmer with a benefits of each, without being re a high temperatu 240,000L steel tank, which overwhelmed with information. is sensed!” was the largest tank we’d ever The types of pumps we keep supplied to the Coffs Coast! To in stock is pretty impressive when complement our range of water I think about it; there are pressure tanks, we also have a full range of rain pumps for the home, pool pumps, water harvesting and filtration products, to ensure transfer, bore and submersible pumps, as well as that the water you capture is always safe for high temperature wash down pumps, deep well use! pumps, and with the hot weather we’ve been Round water tanks are always the best value for having - many people are also getting prepared with money in terms of dollars per litre, but sometimes our range of petrol and diesel firefighting pumps. round is not an option, so we offer slimline, under Davey has actually just released a new fire fighting ground and even square or rectangle tanks custom pump that you can start with an SMS, or that starts built to your requirements. automatically once a high temperature is sensed! Our team is experienced in pump system design,
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Our team has plenty of local is experience and rately cu ac to e bl availa e th size and quote e ar at products th job and suitable for the now, its requirements .” re and in the futu
“ Water Filtration - A healthy family starts with healthy drinking water. Customers can now drop into our showroom and see the full range of filtration options on display. Our experienced team will help select the filtration system that is right for your family and your situation. If you’re on town mains and just want to remove the chlorine taste from your drinking water - a simple undersink filtration system could be right for you. However, if you are on tank water and/ or have young children or are sensitive to bacteria - you may opt for a whole-house
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Ultraviolet (UV) water treatment system that can virtually eliminate all bacteria from the water! We only sell standard housings, which allows you to adjust your filtration to your needs - for example, if the cartridges you get first are not quite fine enough, you may opt for a finer filtration cartridge when you next change them without having to change your entire filtration system. We’ve
also just launched our online auto-delivery service, where you can simply order your filters online, and have them delivered to your door at intervals you choose, so you always have fresh filters when you need them, without the hassle! Irrigation - Irrigation is a large part of our water division, and we pride ourselves on having a vast range of irrigation products in stock. With the growing farm industry in the
region, we have increased our stock holding, with poly pipe up to 75 mm and fittings up to 110 mm kept in stock in our warehouse. To complement our range of pipe and fittings, we also keep drip line and drip fittings in bulk for irrigation, grey water and garden use. Our team has plenty of local experience and is available to accurately size and quote the products that are suitable for the job and its requirements now, and in the future.
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Do you offer solutions for budgets of and the rise of building/renovating shows on different sizes? mainstream television - consumers have an We only sell products we believe in overload of information available to them, products we would happily install in our own which results in a lot of “desires” when homes. An example of this is that all of our designing and building their new home. sales staff has an Apricus hot water Builders are being pushed to offer system installed in their own homes that not only look great, home! but are also low maintenance Quality does come and energy efficient, eer at a price, but I do without compromising on We definitely st ap clear of the “che believe we cater to all space and style, which n budgets across our is not an easy task! and nasty” optio ays - but we are alw product ranges. We We have partnered ucts looking for prod ity definitely steer clear with a number of local al that are good qu of the “cheap and builders, plumbers and d at reasonable an .” nasty” option - but we electricians to assist with es competitive pric are always looking for the sizing and selection products that are good of the water and power quality at reasonable and products in the home, and competitive prices. our goal with the new showroom How has the local building and is for home-owners and their tradies construction industry changed over to be able to drop in and speak with our the last few years? team before, during and after their new home We have noticed that in new home construction, which gives peace of mind to the construction, consumers are becoming customer that they will always have the local more and more energy conscious and are showroom to visit for support, while freeing demanding much more from their builders. the tradesman up to concentrate on the With the age of the internet, social media, project at hand.
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Back (left to right): Brett, Rod, Emely Front: Brendan and Ashley
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What services and products do you offer to the tradespeople on the Coffs Coast, and how will this new showroom help to improve these? Recently becoming a small business owner myself, I am very passionate about small businesses and helping support other local businesses to grow … Apart from the obvious products that we offer, we are really trying to build an environment where local tradespeople can feel comfortable to ask for advice on specialty projects or issues, or send their clients in directly to get the honest, local advice they
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Re can’t get from an internet back and speak l becoming a smal search. We have even helped to us in six - 12 f, el ys m business owner build customised sales months before te na io I am very pass es ss ne literature and price lists for I’m ready to si bu l about smal t or pp su tradespeople to keep in reveal. We are g in and help sses ne si bu l their car, to make quoting taking it one step ca lo r othe …” ow the products and services at a time, and our gr to we supply faster and more short-term focus efficient. is on finishing our What are your plans for the renovations and getting future of NCPW? the foundations right. Our We have a lot of exciting plans for the team is working hard to get the future of NCPW, but you may have to come showroom and warehouse operating
efficiently, to ensure we continue to offer the same great service to our existing customers, while embracing new customers and their wants and needs as well! Where can people find and connect with you? You can call us on (02) 6651 4333 or drop in and see the team at our Showroom: 13 GDT Seccombe Close (Off Orlando St) between 8 - 4 weekdays and 9 - 12 on Saturday. Find us online at www.ncpw.com We’re also on instagram (@ncpwcoffs) and Facebook!