2019 saw Cork building contractors Laide & O’Brien Ltd mark 15 years in business. Building Ireland found out all about a company which are experts in building safe and high quality renovations around the south part of the country.
Based in Acres, Driomleague, Co Cork, Laide & O’Brien Ltd has enjoyed a relatively quick rise since its inception and today operates with a workforce of 40 strong.
Business partners Cillian Laide and John O’Brien set-up the business in 2004 and since ‘Day 1’ its four core values have been Safety, Quality, Competitive Prices and Satisfied Customers.
Laide & O’Brien Ltd itself caters to both residential and commercial fit-outs, from the most basic office fit-out, to complex high specification pharmaceutical fit-outs.
Co-director Cillian Laide took some time from a hectic schedule to give Building Ireland the lowdown on this thriving business.
“We’re established since 2004 and right now we’ve between 35 and 40 direct staff,” Cillian outlined.
“We concentrate a lot on commercial and residential fit out projects and, in a lot of ways, we’re not your average contractor.
“I started off by doing a Civil Engineering degree and John (O’Brien) worked for a small company. We met in New York on a project, came back in 2003 and set-up Laide & O’Brien Ltd in 2004.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
Now Laide & O’Brien Ltd has more than 15 years of experience when it comes to working on a variety of construction projects.
The company’s core values ensure that the job is well done and its top priority is safety on site, with a strong focus on the quality of the work they provide, at prices you can afford.
With Laide & O’Brien Ltd you are guaranteed all builds will be completed on time, every time, to a high standard that has become synonymous with the company.
It has amassed an impressive portfolio, as well glowing reputation for its work, all around the south end of the country.
Rewind back to 2004 and things were very different, with a new business venture having just been set up by Cillian and John with a harsh economic recession around the corner.
“We did have to travel to keep things afloat during the recession but we took on a nursing home project in 2010 and things kind of took off from there,” explained Cillian.
“Now we do a few a few one-off domestic projects but it’s mostly commercial fit-outs that we’re concentrating on now.”
Laide & O’Brien Ltd’s reputation is built on quality craftsmanship and dedication to their clients’ wants and needs.
Repeat business has been key to the company’s success down through the years – and continues to be after recently entering into new decade.
Thus far, 2020 has been excellent business-wise for Laide & O’Brien Ltd, as Cillian himself explained.
“Business is good. Cork is very busy at the moment and we’re just finishing up on student accommodation for BAM in the city,” said the co-director.
“There’s also a project on-going in west Cork for Carbery Group which is being completed in two sections. One section is being completed by Michael Lordan Construction and the other section is being completed by Cahalane Bros. We are working for both companies.
“We’ve a couple of apartments in Cork city for a private developer on-going as well and the Cork Courthouse on Washington Street was another huge project that we’d have worked on for BAM last year.”
As well as the above projects, Laide & O’Brien recently completed work refurbishment work on Dairygold on the Clonmel Rd in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork.
They were the Main Contractor on the project and their scope of work included the following: Refurbishment of existing canteen Area; Construction of a new link Bridge to connect the existing canteen with the main Production / Office Building via the existing fire escape stairs; Refurbishment of the existing fire escape stairs including the enclosing of same and upgrading the internal finishes of the stairs and stairwell enclosure; Formation of new offices & toilets for the cheese production staff at 2nd floor level & Refurbishment of existing coffee dock area and adjacent corridor and R&D room.
The months ahead look to be hectic ones for the company, with the books practically full, which undoubtedly would have been the vision for Cillian and John when they set-up shop back in ’04.
So what has been the secret to success out in Driomleague? For Cillian, consistently delivering quality projects and aligning it with an excellent safety approach has had a lot to do with it.
“I think we’ve an impeccable record when it comes to safety and I would say that the quality of work we carry out is second to none,” he said.
Looking towards the months ahead for the business, the co-director hopes they can add a couple of new members to their valued team of staff.
However, when it comes to this particular line of work, it can often be harder than it looks.
“We’ll just hope to have another successful year and add to our current workforce as well,” said Cillian.
“The problem is that they’re not easy got. For example, good site manager are hard to find at the minute but hopefully we can find the right people to bring on board.”
Laide & O’Brien Ltd are proud members of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) and in 2014 they were awarded with Safe-T-Cert accreditation, which involved being audited by an external safety auditor.
It required Laide & O’Brien Ltd to comply with the most stringent safety regulations relating to the construction industry.
The company is also listed under the Construction Industry Register of Ireland (CIRI) scheme indicating that they are tax compliant, that they comply with the current building regulations, and that they meet all relevant health and safety standards.
*The people at Laide & O’Brien Ltd would love to talk to you about any construction project and will talk you through the company’s process and complete all work to your exact specifications. They will also give expert feedback and offer guarantee that you will be happy when the job is complete.
With Laide & O’Brien Ltd, you can be sure that all work will be performed to the highest possible standard at fair and competitive prices.
Laide & O’Brien Ltd
Acres,
Driomleague
Co Cork
Tel: 021 431 0433
John O’Brien mob: 087 416 6772
Cillian Laide mob: 087 623 5361
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, April 2020, Vol 6 No 2
