BTME Preview: EcoBunker

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The winter of 2019-2020 started very wet, but this didn’t put a dampener on the progress made by EcoBunker, the company that is the home of the inventor of recycled synthetic bunker edging. UK projects in the autumn included the top class links course, The Machrie, ranked well inside the UK top 100; Bromborough, often referred to as the ‘parkland jewel of The Wirral’ and soon to start, a very regular venue on the European Tour. These three projects demonstrate a change in the way that EcoBunker is being procured. None of these clubs considered a small trial project. All of them committed to a sizeable project, straight on the golf course, with the intention of a larger bunker renovation project very soon afterwards. So, what has changed?

“I think that the product is now tried and trusted,” explained EcoBunker CEO, Richard Allen. “At the launch of the original invention way back in 2010, I knew this was a great solution that would benefit many golf courses, but I’ve learned since that a successful business needs much more than useful products … it needs to gain the trust of the wider marketplace.”

Richard cites several examples of how the level of trust has been elevated. He is convinced that the recruitment of qualified greenkeepers, including Llewellyn Matthews and Huw Morgan MG, into the team has helped to spread the message among their significant peer groups. Another factor is linked to Richard’s background as a qualified civil engineer: continual product development and improvement. A good example of this is the ‘Patent Pending’ method, exclusive to EcoBunker, which incorporates a cement modified backfill for improved strength and efficiency.

Finally, reputation and longevity. “Surviving two Category 5 hurricanes, the only product proven to do this, is pretty good for credibility,” said Richard “but the key is that by our sixth year of trading we’re delivering repeat orders and technical support to a large portfolio of satisfied customers, who know they can rely on a company that’s in it for the long haul.”

Stand: Purple 416