Waste management business Envirotech was founded in 1995, and serviced households and businesses without access to mains drainage. This essential work, required by law, meant an unglamorous business model of collecting and disposing of sewage with tankers.
Throughout the late 90s additional businesses were acquired, adding products such as the maintenance and installation of sewage systems, cesspools and septic tanks.
Sales were soon around £2m, but competitors were adopting a similar approach to the Envirotech brand and the company's position was under threat. MD David Birkett, who runs the company with his wife Joanna, recalls: 'We were getting complaints that drivers weren't doing the job properly, using bad language and leaving a mess. We knew it wasn't us because the calls were from people we hadn't serviced for over a year. It was a growing problem.'
Not wanting to compromise on the quality of their service offer, Envirotech decided that the only way to differentiate themselves was to develop a clear identity.
'We wanted to work in the domestic arena but we also wanted an image that would have an impact on corporate customers, making them realise we weren't a two-bit operation,' says Birkett.
