By Bonnie Adams, Government Editor
Westborough – E.L. Harvey & Sons Inc. is not only a well-known full-service waste hauling, transfer and scrap recycling company, it is also a successful family-run business. Since its inception as a dairy farm in 1911, to its present-day incarnation as a leader in waste management, the business has been run by four generations of Harveys.
To celebrate its milestone achievement of 100 years in business, the company opened the doors to its headquarters from Sept. 21 to 24 to those who they said were integral to their success – their loyal clients, vendors and residents of Hopkinton and Westborough.
In a ceremony held Sept. 24, many local government officials gathered as well to laud the company and commend them for their amazing run.
U.S. Rep. James McGovern noted the company was a “great American success story.”
“They have adjusted with the ages; they are an incredible family and have incredible employees,” he said. “Not only have they survived, they have thrived. They truly represent the spirit of America. They have been unbelievable in giving back to the community. And when you come here, they treat you like you are one of their own.”
The company also received citations from Worcester County Sheriff Lewis Evangelidis, State Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, State reps. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, and Matthew Beaton, R-Shrewsbury, and Westborough Board of Selectmen Chair Lydia Goldblatt. Denzil Drewry, a constituent services representative from U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's office, also extended well wishes on behalf of Brown.
For the last century the company has been at the forefront of waste management and recycling, even well before recycling was as prevalent as it is now, many of the officials at the ceremony noted.
But always, Chief Executive Officer James Harvey said, customer service is key.
“We are always working with our people, making sure they get the training they need, and are up-to-date,” he said. “Customer service is a priority for us.”
Although many companies say their clients come first, E.L. Harvey consistently strives to fulfill that motto, according to the people who would know – their clients.
Louisa Pierce of the Lincoln Property Company in Marlborough, is one of those.
“It's really a family business, and they treat their customers like family,” she said. “I deal with a lot of vendors on a daily basis but Harveys is one of the easiest to work with. They are always working to help us find ways to save more money. They really care about their customers.”
Another was Brian Powers, a facility manager for Putnam Investments in Andover, who said he was “very impressed” by his first visit to the Westborough headquarters.
“We used them for our Franklin facility and now we use them for the Andover one,” he said. “Tom Lynch has been our representative for 22 years. It's comforting to have the same representative for so long.”
At the Sept. 24 ceremony, Westborough resident Jo-Ann Nordmark noted that she felt it important to be there that particular day.
“My father, Paul, was their butcher back when they were a dairy farm,” she said. “They are a wonderful family and still always treat me like part of the family. I's so proud of all they have achieved. They deserve all this attention today.”