In 2004, the Nolan brothers, Brian, Donny and Eamonn established Debcon Construction Ltd, having combined all their wealth of experience in the construction industry to provide a wide range of construction services to a varied client base.
As a general building contractor, the Carlow based company offer a wide range of construction services to an ever-increasing customer base. Their expertise being in the construction of school projects for the department of education, housing projects for individuals with disabilities and industrial / commercial projects.
In this month’s edition of Building Ireland magazine, we profile this family run business and speak with Company Director Brian Nolan about the day-to-day operations of the company. Brian explains that the company employs a team of high-quality tradesmen and that the safety of all employees is paramount to the company’s continued success. Brian is a very much hands on in the day to day operations of the company and also communicating with clients. Brian explains that this personal touch is not a service, which is offered by many of the bigger contractors.
The management team review the progress of each project on a weekly basis and address any issues which may arise. Brian is always happy to work in conjunction with the client architects or consulting engineers to deliver all projects in an agreed timeframe to the highest possible standard.
The majority of Debcon Constructions projects have been in the south east of the country as the company chooses not to tender for projects based in Dublin.
“We don’t really tender for projects in Dublin as we have plenty of work in the south east of the country to keep us busy,” said Brian. “Currently we are very busy, with enough current and future projects to carry us into the second half of 2021.”
The company originally focused on the industrial sector, however, the company secured its first department of education project 2008 and haven’t looked back since. The company have completed approximately 30 school projects to date and this along with industrial projects remains the core of their business today.
The company has a dedicated team of highly skilled employees which plays a massive role in the success of the business. Most of the team have been with the company since the company started trading back in 2004: “We’re fortunate to have such a fantastic team of loyal employees.”
The company employees a wide range of subcontractors, the majority of core subcontractors have been with the company for many years this has helped in developing strong relationships and they are aware of the quality of workmanship which is required on each project which is very important for the success of the company.
Brian admits that the sourcing of skilled workers in the construction industry has become something of an issue, which all contractors will be in agreement with: “It is extremely difficult to source skilled workers in the current market. Ever since the last recession a lot of the trades have either emigrated or have retrained in different industries and have not returned to the construction sector, this , along with the younger generation opting to go to university and not to take up apprenticeships in construction.
“We don’t currently have any apprentices as a lot of our qualified staff are in management positions such as project foremen. I feel apprenticeships are better suited to our sub-contractors who specialise in one particular trade.”
Debcon Construction are currently managing a number of sites for clients such as IFAC Accountants, Kilkenny & Tipperary and Department of Education, Heywood and Mountmellick National Schools, County Laois,
Ballinkillen national School Co Carlow, together, with community housing projects in Kilkenny and Carlow and also, Industrial projects in Carlow.
Debcon Construction has developed a reputation of delivering projects to highest standards within agreed budgets and time-frames. It is no surprise that the company’s client base includes State bodies and local authorities. The company’s client base includes, The Department of Education & Skills, HSE, The Office of Public Works and numerous county council projects.
Brian is satisfied with the direction and growth of the business, however, in the current environment Brian also airs on the side of caution as for the future growth in the construction sector as a whole may well have a number of obstacles to overcome.
“So far 2020 has been a strange and difficult year to say the least. The current pandemic has meant a lot of extra restrictions on sites and this means additional resources have to be provided to employees to ensure a safe and healthy working environment. To date the government have provided additional support to ensure companies could retain their employees on the payroll during the weeks of lockdown, hopefully, this support will continue into the future for companies which need it.”
Contact Details:
Debcon Construction Ltd.
Newtown
Bagenalstown
Co. Carlow
R21 HH52
Web: www.debcon.ie
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 059 9736153
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, January 2021, Vol 7 No 1
