Liberty Pumps in Bergen, which manufactures sump, sewage, effluent pumps and engineered pump systems, has been named the Business of the Year by the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.
“We put a lot of value in the Chamber of Commerce,” Liberty Pumps president/CEO Charlie Cook says. “They are very active in the county and to be recognized by them is fantastic.”
Just last spring, Liberty Pumps – family run company – celebrated more than 50 years in business and the completion of a 123,000 square foot expansion at its Apple Tree Corporate Park facility. That expansion brought the Bergen plant to more than 240,000 square feet – remarkable growth for a company that began in a 4,800 square foot building just around the corner on Buffalo Road.
The company’s success and growth over the years has been recognized many times. Liberty Pumps is a Rochester Top 100 Company and has made the Inc. 5,000 list ten years in a row, Cook says, “but there is something about a local award … (it shows that our community) appreciates what we do and that we are here.”
Cook’s uncle, Fred Cook, founded the company in 1965 with a small line of sump pumps. Liberty Pumps’ continuing growth over the decades is due to several factors, Cook explains.
“The work ethic of people in an agricultural community is different than an urban setting,” he says. “We have a fantastic workforce.”
“Good growth” also takes planning. “We regularly re-invest in our products and our people, they both run hand-in-hand,” he explains.
That investment in new products pays off for the company, Cook says. Once new products take off in the market, Liberty Pumps can increase its workforce and make more products. The company has earned a reputation as one of the best in the business for its innovative, high-quality products which are shipped around the United States and to 25 countries all over the world.
The final element of sustained growth is, “how well you service the customers,” Cook says. “Our customer service is outstanding.”
The Liberty Pumps workforce includes people from Genesee County and surrounding communities. It is a family/employee owned ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) company.
“I would like to say ‘thank you’ to our members,” Cook says of employees/owners. “We have many owners within our walls.” The fact Liberty Pumps is family/employee owned helps to “drive performance,” he adds.
The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Ceremony is planned for Saturday, March 4 in Batavia.
