ESL Electrical in Banbridge have been leaders in providing electrical contractors and electricians for more than two decades now. Building Ireland spoke with Seamus Fearon, a senior partner with the company, to learn more.
These are heady times at ESL Electrical in Banbridge, Co Down and company co-director Seamus Fearon wouldn’t have it any other way.
Since being taken over by two former apprentices three years ago, the business has grown staff numbers again and is now looking at the possibility of further expansion for the future.
When Seamus first started out with ESL Electrical the Celtic Tiger was very much in full swing and while the years ahead may have saw things take a turn for the worst with the economic downturn, a change in ownership has worked wonders to the point where the company is now as good as thriving again.
Seamus was able to take time from an increasingly hectic schedule to explain more to Building Ireland recently.
“We’re in Banbridge, Co Down and the company is established 20 years now,” he outlined.
“Kevin Martin and I took over the running of the business three years ago and before that it had originally been set-up by Alan and Mairead Woods.
“I think Kevin started doing his apprenticeship here in 1995 and I started mine in 1999. We both completed our apprenticeships here and in November 2013 we took over the business.
“What we do here is generally do public sector work and it’s mostly hospitals and schools at the moment.”
ESL Electrical has carried a proud reputation for providing a quality service throughout its 20 plus years and Seamus and Kevin had made sure to uphold the tradition.
At the present time their company immersed largely in hospital work all around Northern Ireland and, as Seamus outlined, it’s about all keeping up with the demand as things stand.
“Things are busy,” he said. “At the moment we’re working on three different projects. We’ve been working at the Mater Hospital in Belfast recently, doing a chapel re-wiring, and we’ve also been working at Craigavon Hospital in Portadown.
“We’ve done some work on the Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry this year too and we’re currently working on a crèche in Coalisland called the Busy Kids Creche.
“So there’s plenty of work on and plenty of upcoming opportunities for us as well.”
That’s very positive to hear, considering the change the company underwent just three years ago.
However, Seamus points out that the recession didn’t have a huge bearing on Alan and Mairead Woods’ decision to step aside and let somebody new run the business.
“We weren’t hurt so much by the downturn,” he stated. “When we took over here it was kind of at the end of the recession and the previous owners had probably run their course after the best part of 20 years.
“There had been 20 staff working here at one point but the numbers reduced and although things were bleak enough a couple of years ago, I think targeting hospital work has helped us get through it.
“Now we’re looking forward to the future and hopefully more busy times ahead.”
Repeat business is always a help when you’re looking to keep the projects coming thick and fast and ESL Electrical has amassed a loyal client base down through the years.
“A lot of the work we get would be through the main contractors on a project,” said Seamus.
“EGD Construction in Crossmaglen and O’Hanlon Brothers in Coalisland would be two of the contractors we do a lot of work with.
“We also do measured term reactive maintenance in Daisy Hill Hospital with Felix O’Hare. We target tendered contracts within the healthcare sector.”
The reason behind ESL Electrical being first choice for their clients comes down to the quality of work which they provide more than anything else, according to Seamus.
He also pointed out that many of their electricians have served their own apprenticeships with the company.
“It’s as much to do with the boys that we have working for us here. I have to say that they help us to provide an excellent service,” Seamus beamed.
“To be honest, I would be more office based in what I do here and Kevin is more of a Contracts Manager for us. I’d be more on the admin end.”
He added: “Most of the electricians that we have here would have served their apprenticeships with us as well.”
Now well into the second-half of 2017, the aim between now and next year are to continue to on steadily growing business with a view towards maybe entering the southern market at some point.
For now though, ESL Electrical’s contracts remain exclusively in Northern Ireland as they continue to concentrate on hospital work throughout the six counties.
“Right now all of our work would be in Northern Ireland but the Dublin market is definitely something we’re looking into as the business continues to grow,” said Seamus.
He continued: “There is one major job in the leisure sector that we are looking to pull off and hopefully we can do it this year.
“We have to look at and start targeting other areas rather than just hospital work and maybe that could help bring us into the Republic of Ireland as well.”
Only time will tell, but for now things are looking good for ESL Electrical.
ESL Electrical
Unit 4 Banbridge Business Centre,
62 Scarva Road,
Banbridge,
Co. Down BT32 3QD
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, August 2017, Vol 3 No 7
