“Throughout our growth, we have been consistently supported by the LEO in Waterford.”

The office environment has evolved significantly over the years. From typewriters and fax machines, through the adoption of the computer, and more recently the change in attitudes to where your work place is, and the effect its design has on productivity. No business has tracked these changes more effectively than OfficeMaster.

The business was originally founded in 1973, under the name of Fieldmaster, by John and Maureen O’Gorman.  It’s primary focus was on office supplies and quickly saw its Retail business grow from local Waterford clientele, to servicing the growing requirements of the business community across the South East.

In 2018 the business expanded into the Cork market, opening a new office and showroom in Cork. This was where the current brand name of OfficeMaster began. In 2019 a decision was made by the management team to rebranded the entire company under the OfficeMaster name.  It was also at this time that long term managers - David Cooke and Jacqui Kielthy - started the process of a gradual management buyout which was completed in 2022.

David Cooke expanded on their principal challenges with regarding rebranding in Waterford, “Our primary concern with the rebrand was what would our customers, suppliers and the business community think was happening to Fieldmaster? What else was changing? Therefore, our first and only priority was ensuring that the market understood that while our name and brand were evolving, everything else remained unchanged - the same team, same ethos and same core values.”

The success of this transition was anchored by collective engagement. Involving the team at every stage of the process. The success of the transition also relied on rigorous planning. The management team meticulously mapped out every operational touchpoint, from telephone protocols to the rebranding of all physical signage and communication materials.

Whatever the name, the business remained resilient and as fluid as the industry itself. Evolving and changing with the progressive nature of the office management. David believes this has been key to their success, “While office supplies remains the constant (alongside Charlie Chaplin knocking on the window of the Retail Store), it has also evolved over the years, as has OfficeMaster’s design and print offering.  Today, OfficeMaster is well known, not only for providing office furniture, but for its expertise in advising and working with our clients to develop their own working environments. 

“A consistent level of customer service though, is what has really kept this business a leader for over 50 years. Staying in touch with the industry changes is one thing, but keeping the customer satisfied and even inspired is a completely different level of service. We have always done more than just stock the products, we advise on what the right fit for each particular office is. That’s the difference.”

In this they are similar to the Local Enterprise Office. Offering training, grants or advice is one thing, but choosing the most appropriate courses or grants is another, and advising on when to avail of these is just as important.

Jacqui explained how the LEO has helped OfficeMaster, “Throughout our growth, we have been consistently supported by the LEO in Waterford.  During Covid they aided the implementation of a document management system to provide more efficient processing of invoices.  At a time when most of the team were working remotely, from home, this helped streamline our work practices. 

“Since then we have availed of the ‘Lean for Business’ programme, which provided us with an independent consultant who reviewed a number of our internal processes and helped the team streamline them to improve and increase efficiencies. 

“In 2025 we successfully applied for the ‘Digital for Business’ grant. This has been invaluable during the process of updating our back office system. It includes introducing a new CRM system and changing our accounts package to Xero.

“Embracing change can be scary, and intimidating. But when you have trust in your service providers, and partners in business, it goes a long way to help overcome any fears you might have. Rebranding is an act of courage. It asks you to let go of what is comfortable to make room for what is possible. But with the backing of the your team and the combined passion to succeed the transition should be exciting and seen as an opportunity to celebrate.”

Local Enterprise Office Waterford is here to help you start a business, expand an existing business or reach new markets. It provides advice, information and supports in starting up or growing your business as part of a network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland. 

Contact your Local Enterprise Office Waterford for their latest training programmes, grants and events schedule on www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford or email info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie for access to all their training support information.

To find out more about OfficeMaster see, www.officemaster.ie