The recession hit Ireland very hard especially the construction industry which bore the brunt of its full force. It certainly wasn’t a time to start up a business in this sector. Or was it? While many would say it wasn’t there were some who did set up their own companies and for this month’s edition of Building Ireland, we profile one such firm.
Greenlight Ireland was established by brothers Michael and Keith Thompson in 2010 at a time when the construction industry was practically on its knees. Through hard work, ambition and a dedication to build a successful business the brothers have built the business into what it is today.
Nine years later and Greenlight has added significantly to its list of services provided from their early days of purely electrical work. These days Greenlight is much more than an electrical company, as they added mechanical, construction, property maintenance and facilities services to their portfolio.
Michael took time out of his busy schedule to give us a run-down of the company and what the future holds for the business.
“We started off with one-off small jobs,” said Michael. It was during the height of the recession and there wasn’t much work out there. Keith and I decided that we would go out on our own and see where it took us. Nine years later we are still here, and with the help of a growing team around us continuing to grow.
From just Keith and Michael they have built the business over the years and now have 36 employees. Together with their trades people, office personnel, and Management team they also use a number of trusted sub-contractors to carry out their work across the province.
“Our three divisions; Electrical+Mechanical, Property Services and Facilities, are each led with experience and equipped with an extensive team. We continuously strive to be regarded as the most trustworthy and professional in the industry. We,re committed to a high quality of workmanship and provide a safe working environment on all our projects. At Greenlight we attribute our success to building strategic partnerships and treating our clients the way we would like to be treated. We know that only by listening to our clients, and by putting their satisfaction first, that we will create what they need. I think if the recession taught us anything, it was that you have to trust who you are doing the work for and it is something that we will always stand by.”
To maintain the dynamic of the company, Michael revealed that they have a number of apprentices on the books as he feels that this is the way forward, given the lack of skilled workers in the country. We have ten apprentices on the books and we feel it is best to train them up to the standard of trades person we would like them to be. Skilled workers are very hard to source in the last few years due to the last downturn as apprenticeships ran dry and our young people left the country.
Greenlight has built a reputation for providing quality work that meet the customers’ standards every time and Michael revealed that is always the focus.
“You are only as good as your last job. The majority of our work has come through word of mouth and in this industry, if you are doing the job right, word will spread, but if you are not reaching the standards expected, word will spread too.”
Health and Safety is a massive issue within the industry and Michael stressed that they take this very seriously as all their employees are trained to the highest level.
“We have an external company come in and audit us on a regular basis. We have a structure in place when it comes to health and safety and all our employees follow that structure. Any changes to legislation or regulations are immediately implemented by us as it is something we do not take lightly.”
Michael is pleased with the direction Greenlight is heading and feels that their ability to change and diversify with the needs of its client base has stood to them immensely.
“The future is bright, we are not relying on one particular sector for all of our work and I think that is very important. We are working across several sites across the city at the moment and there is a mixture of work on them all. We know that we have to maintain the standards that our clients are used too and we constantly strive to maintain and indeed improve upon them.
“We have a top class work force, along with quality sub-contractors who are well used to the standards that we demand at Greenlight. We are determined to grow our client base and carry that standard into the next decade and beyond.”
Contact Details:
Greenlight Ireland
Unit 24
Western Parkway Industrial Centre,
Ballymount,
Dublin
Tel: 01 4509792
e-mail: [email protected]
Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, October, Vol 5 No 10
