CMD is a full service fit-out and construction company offering specialist services to clients across Ireland and the UK. Building Ireland caught up with directors Niall Finnegan and John O’Hanlon recently to learn all about their rapidly growing business venture.
Established in 2016, CMD (Contracting Management Development) on Dublin’s Lower Hatch Street has grown considerably since and has earned a reputation for excellence and professionalism across all facets of the business.
Headed up by co-founders Niall Finnegan and John O’Hanlon, this dynamic construction company now employs 10 staff directly between two offices in Dublin and Newry, Co Down and offers clients a range of specialist services to the commercial, residential, hospitality & leisure, healthcare, pharmaceutical and industrial sectors.
Since its inception, Niall and John have always had a clear vision to establish the company as one of the most reputable contracting firms in Ireland.
A comprehensive and coordinated approach to design, planning, construction and delivery has enabled them to win contracts, both large and small across a range of industries.
“First and foremost we’re mainly contractors and we deliver commercial fit-out and construction projects primarily for our clients,” Niall pointed out.
“Alongside our specialist fit-out services, we also deliver new build, commercial and residential as well as civil engineering and those services are very much the corner stone of the business we have here.
“I originally started out working in the civil engineering sector and when the downturn happened I ended up in the mechanical sector. When things turned around, I went into the civil engineering again and ended up working as a project manager in England.”
John’s background had been somewhat similar and he has worked in both Dublin and Belfast as a quantity surveyor for major fit-out and construction firms.
Niall and John met at school and studied Quantity Surveying together in the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. The two have been friends ever since and having gained extensive experience across a number of different industries, they eventually decided to fulfill their ambitions and set up on their own.
“We had always talked about it [setting up a company],” said John. “We went to high school and university together but I suppose once we had both gained enough experience individually, we then saw it as a good opportunity.
“We had both worked for large professional organisations but we wanted to be directly involved with our clients and knew we could deliver excellent quality and professionalism.”
The evidence suggests that clients have been very happy with CMD’s approach to date. Last year was a great year for the company and the hope for the two business partners is that the business continues to grow in 2019.
”2018 was our breakthrough year and we secured a number of high profile contracts,” Niall beamed.
“We’re doing a lot of work for FBD Insurance and we’re now the principal fit-out contractor for the company’s nationwide rebrand.
“On the civil side, we do work for NHS in Scotland and new builds is also another big aspect of this business. We’re currently working on a number of housing projects, including one in Portadown.”
Niall and John firmly feel their joint experience as contractors is what differentiates CMD from its competitors.
The company operates across all client sectors and within specifically tailored contract formats, including main contracting, management contracting and design & build.
CMD’s network of professionals, specialist sub-contractors and tradesmen offer a dynamic approach to planning, design and construction stages.
Not only do they understand the risks and challenges involved in construction, but they also make a conscious effort to safeguard customers and bring simplicity to every project they manage.
Safety is also extremely important to CMD and the company is committed to achieving the highest standards of safety and consistently bringing environmental, social and economic benefits to clients and the wider community.
So what is it that separates CMD from its competitors?
According to John, it comes down to the close relationships they have built with clients.
“We make a conscious effort to understand and respect our client’s business objectives and we remain in close contact with our clients across all of our projects” he said.
”We keep things simple and this allows us to meet our project objectives efficiently.”
Signs of CMD’s rapid growth were further highlighted at the end of 2018 when the company opened its second office in Newry, Co Down.
“We just moved into our new offices in Newry in December and we hope to expand our team, recruiting up to 10 new staff this year. We have ambitions to expand our client base again this year and we look forward to working with other Irish companies this year” said Niall.
Have a project you’d like to discuss? Contact CMD today – visit www.cmdconstruct.com or email [email protected]
CMD Head Office:
12 Lower Hatch Street
Dublin
D02 R682
Newry Office:
4A Monaghan Court
Newry
Co. Down
BT35 6BH
Tel: +353 1 639 2949
Fax: +353 1 639 1101
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, March/April, Vol 5 No 3
