This past March saw BTP Construction Ltd. in Co Waterford mark two years in business. This construction firm, which has been built through partnership, has grown rapidly in this period. Building Ireland caught up with directors Nick Moore and Keith Fennessy to learn all about this growing venture.
Business has been good at BTP Construction Ltd. these past two years and the focus of its directors is to keep that good fortune and positive experience going.
Founded by industry professionals Nick Moore, Keith Fennessy, Eddie Carew and Kieran Nolan, the company specialises in delivering residential, pharmaceutical, commercial and fit-out projects, both private and public, primarily in the south of the country but its outreach is expanding rapidly.
In the space of just two years, BTP Construction Ltd. has grown a reputation for producing excellent work for its clients and has managed to grow its team to 15 committed employees in the process.
Building Ireland touched base with Nick Moore and Keith Fennessy to find out about the ‘ins and outs’ of the company – from its origins to the ongoing projects.
“Our first project was the construction of two high end houses in Blackrock for a private client,” explained Keith. “This project was run in tandem with the HFO to Gas Project at Danone Nutricia in Wexford.
“From this strong foundation we are now building the Ormond Housing Development in Waterford which entails the construction of 73 new homes and are about to embark upon a project involving 18 apartments and 6 houses at the Abbeygate Development in Ferrybank.”
Nick joined in to tell us what has been happening since the foundation of the firm: “In the intervening period we have partnered with Eirgen Pharma for the successful delivery of their new Packing Facility and with West Pharma on the construction of their Stability Storage Project and a number of fit-out projects in their new manufacturing facility in Waterford. We are also currently engaged in the QC Lab Reconfiguration project at Sanofi.
“In summer 2020 we completed the large-scale refurbishment of Pat Carroll’s Pub in Kilkenny and at the same time undertook refurbishments to the Butcher Restaurant in the city.
“We recently celebrated (in rather muted style), the company’s two-year anniversary at the beginning of March, so things have been moving fast,” said Nick.
“We established BTP with a vision for delivery of projects through collaboration, founded on partnerships; partnerships within our team, with our subcontractors, design teams and our clients. It is the implementation of this vision that has sustained the company through the last two years of rapid growth and will underpin its progress for the years to come.”
Nick continued: “We will be moving to a new premises in the coming weeks, at Elysium House, Ballytruckle Road, Waterford, to cater for our expanding team, and that goes to show how rapidly things have been moving.”
BTP Construction Ltd. has certainly hit the ground running, however, external factors have meant that not everything has been moving at an ideal pace for a company that is still very much in its infancy.
The Covid-19 pandemic, and the government restrictions which have followed to combat the spread of the global virus, have certainly had their impact on all construction businesses throughout Ireland.
Spring 2020 was a write-off for many of them, as they were prevented from progressing on site until May 18th, while the start of 2021 brought non-essential projects all over the country to a halt practically overnight.
When we spoke to Nick and Keith in March, they were waiting to hear news on when their company’s non-essential projects could get back underway again.
“We have Ormond Housing Development which is at a standstill at the moment because of the restrictions on construction,” Keith pointed out.
“As soon as we get back, we also have the 18-apartment complex in Ferrybank to commence and we will also be busy with fit-out projects.
“An essential works project at St Aidan’s Primary School in Enniscorthy, which is our first project under the Public Works Contract, started in the midst of the latest lockdown and is progressing well. We have been fortunate to partner with WorkLab in the IDA Industrial Estate in Waterford consistently over the past two years. This large existing industrial building has been transformed into stand-alone offices and meeting spaces. BTP has undertaken the construction of office, canteen and circulation areas and this collaboration meant that when WorkLab developed their Kinetic Labs clean room offering within the building, BTP had the experience and attitude to successfully complete these works also.
“That’s what has helped us come together and grow the business the way that we have – through the range of services that we provide. We go above and beyond for clients in a competitive industry, which gives clients a quality project at the end of the day; one we are proud to have been associated with.”
The projects came thick and fast for BTP Construction Ltd. before the latest Level 5 lockdown and, when it does eventually lift, you can expect the company to have more on the way.
Back when the company was first getting off the ground, its founders could hardly have envisioned it having such a promising start.
“Myself, Keith and Eddie had worked together previously and had a different vision for how projects could be delivered, so we came together with Kieran to create something we could be proud of,” Nick stated.
“It’s been stop-start now because of Covid, but at the start of 2020 we were extremely busy. Then it stopped suddenly, and it was mid-year before we got going again.”
He continued: “Clients are almost like family here and all of them are treated with the same professionalism and transparency.
“At the moment, we have five sites open; if we can get the certainty back, we feel that we’ll be in a strong position when things open back up.”
The four directors view themselves as optimists, and why not? In its second year, BTP Construction Ltd. has expanded into education, civils and larger fit-out projects while strengthening its base of pharmaceutical and residential offerings.
So, what has been the secret to such rapid success for this young and thriving business?
“I think it comes down to the service that we give our clients,” said Nick.
Keith continued: “We offer flexibility and an openness to work with all stakeholders on a project. We are eager to build partnerships and believe this is the key to the delivery of a successful project and a product to be proud of.
“As the name suggests the projects are built through partnership and that’s what we endeavour to do here.”
While these are uncertain times, BTP Construction Ltd. remains optimistic about the future.
Even through this pandemic the company has continued to grow and expand into new sectors. When the government allows the industry to open fully again, it’s likely to be all shoulders to the wheel again for this young company.
“Our immediate focus is to get back to full capacity and keep growing year on year, as we have done to date,” Keith concluded.
BTP Construction Ltd.
Elysium House,
Ballytruckle Road,
Co. Waterford.
Tel: 051 856 860
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.btpconstruction.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, July, Vol 7 No 7
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, July, Vol 7 No 7
