Sally Price spent 24 years working for A-Gas.
Sally joined the company from Enichem and brought with her a wealth of technical expertise and industry knowledge. She had worked with A-Gas founder, John Rutley, previously and felt that the new business venture brought a unique opportunity.
“I knew John well and trusted him - he was pioneering and innovative and I wanted to be part of that vision and watch it grow,” said Sally, “I knew this was going to be a big challenge, but it also offered a fantastic opportunity and I felt excited by the entire concept of A-Gas.”
A-Gas was built on values such as a 'can do' attitude and trust, and this was embedded into all aspects of the company, including the culture, job roles, customer service and communications. It was agreed that actions speak louder than words and all employees were encouraged to adhere to this, especially regarding safety. Safety culture was ingrained in the founders and this knowledge has been instilled in the company ever since, with Sally being a key advocate of this. One of Sally’s first challenges in her role as sales manager was to help grow the company’s turnover to £250,000 a year. In less than two years, Sally and the team had exceeded the £4m mark.
“We went from strength to strength. At that time, many people were changing from CFCs to HFCs and they were asking for help with this,” Sally explained, “Due to the team’s technical knowledge, A-Gas had a niche service offering to provide to customers to help them switch to new products in a number of applications.”
A milestone moment in Sally’s career was signing a contract in late 1990s with Kingspan who, at the time, were one of the largest foam insulation manufacturers in the UK. Sally was the key account manager for the client and her expert knowledge and ability to build successful relationships enabled the partnership to flourish. This was a significant moment in A-Gas history - it provided stability to the UK business which led to a solid foundation to build from into the Australian and South African markets. Another highlight in Sally’s A-Gas career was when A-Gas secured a contract with NRS (now Climate Center) in 1996. Not only did this help expand the A-Gas business, but the partnership supported the growth of the NRS business too by supplying them with a 'one-stop-shop' approach, allowing NRS to access the full range of refrigerant blends.
At the end of 2004, A-Gas acquired UK-based business Refrigerant Products. This was another great opportunity for A-Gas in providing a vital building block for its environmental services, refrigerant recovery and reclamation capabilities. Sally and the team played a huge part in the integration of the business, enabling A-Gas to grow within the environmental services sector.
“I have a lot to be proud of during my time at A-Gas,” said Sally, “As with any business, there have been challenges along the way. The dedication and positive attitude of the team and the support we have offered each other is the secret to our success. We’re committed to supporting every individual that joins the A-Gas family and that’s what makes us unique.”
Sally has travelled across the world in her role at A-Gas, supporting the teams in Australia, America, Asia and South Africa. Sally was appointed Group corporate development director in 2013 and her primary focus has been to work with the team on preserving and protecting the people and cultural values which have made the company successful since the beginning.
“I am immensely proud to have been part of something so pioneering over the last 25 years,” comments Sally, “I see it as important that the company continues to be visionary; A-Gas is growing rapidly and as an innovative company we must keep up with what our customers need. It will be very important to continue to develop and invest in our people and services and maintain the fantastic culture we have adhered to from day one. Thank you to all at A-Gas, I will miss you greatly and look forward to seeing what’s to come for you in the next 25 years.”
A-Gas Group chief executive Andrew Ambrose said: “Sally has been an integral part of the A-Gas culture, vision and history from the very beginning. Her legacy will continue to live on throughout the A-Gas values. She will be missed immensely by the team globally and we wish her every happiness in her retirement.”