From starting off with one truck to building his own transport empire, Galway native Michael Harty is one of the county's best-known businessmen.

Michael's foray into the transport business came out of necessity, when the man he was working for issued him with an ultimatum: 'buy your truck or get another job'.

He opted for the former and the gamble paid off, as almost 30 years later he is now running two companies, transporting and distributing goods internationally.

However, a shrewd businessman, Michael was not content to rest on his laurels once the transport business took off. Instead, he reflected on the volatile fuel market and began to look for possible ways to cut costs and make the company more environmentally friendly.

After researching a number of options, including rapeseed processing, Michael finally decided to recycle waste oil from his fleet to produce biofuel. The process has been a great success and now sister company HBF Biofuel provide this same service to many businesses in the West.

"The cost of fuel is a problem for many companies, so we decided to do a fair bit of investment in the biofuel business and offer the service locally. We have spent so long buying off the Arabs and depending on oil-rich countries, now it is time to start looking closer to home. We have had a terrific response, as most companies are trying to be more environmentally friendly and maintain a better profile," explains Michael.

Away from the business, Michael is a cycling fanatic as he finds it be a great release and heads out three times a week to "break the monotony of work". He also regularly takes part in fundraising events for charities, including Crumlin Children's Hospital and the Leukaemia Trust.

"I would be involved locally in raising money for charity. There is a great community spirit in Kilconly and we come up with some hair-brained schemes!

"One of the first things we did was to have a duck race down a river! It is great to give something back and places like Crumlin really need the help, as nearly every child in the country that gets seriously sick will end up there. We have all had our problems with illness at some stage and it is good to return what you are given," he says.

Going forward, Michael hopes to develop the business and be able to make the company self-sufficient for fuel by the end of the year. He is also very vocal in promoting the West as a business hub and says, "We have to fight for our share of the spoils".

Being the Managing Director of a company would prove a handful for anyone, but Michael is well used to hard work.

For a number of years, he was an owner and driver, doing trips himself on the continent, meaning he was apart from his family for a week or ten days at a time.

Nowadays, he is based in Kilconly and says that, although many of his family are involved in the business, he sometimes finds it hard to find time to juggle his work and personal life. Luckily he has the support of wife Mary, who he describes as his ‘childhood sweetheart".

"Without the support of my wife, there is no way that I would be where I am today. I am a firm believer that behind every decent man is a strong woman and that is certainly the case with us. It is a great support to have, to be able to discuss your thoughts and plans with your soulmate and get an opinion that you trust and value. It can be hard sometimes to separate work from your family life, but, at the end of the day, you have to leave the office and close the door behind you. Well that's the attempted practise anyway; it is what you try and do. Although it doesn't always happen!"

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