Established since 2006, KJL is a leading construction company situated in Mullingar which delivers projects in the residential, retail, commercial and government sectors which are top of the line. Building Ireland touched base with Managing Director Kevin Lynott to learn all about the ins and outs of the company – from its origins to the overall state of business today.
Business has been good as of late at KJL in Curraghbrack, Co Westmeath and the plan for Kevin Lynott and his team is to try and keep things that way right through to next year.
Operating with six full-time staff, the company is run by Kevin and his wife Suzanne (Office Manager) and specialises in projects in the residential, retail, commercial and government sectors.
When Kevin took the decision to go out on his own with his construction venture 17 years ago, he did so with the ambition of producing quality projects for his clients through using traditional building skills and efficient project management.
Building Ireland caught up with the man himself recently to hear more about the specifics of his business, its current projects and overall hopes going forward.
“At the beginning we completed a number of housing estates and one off homes. After that we carried out work on the Athlone Town Shopping Centre. We then carried out the fit-out of the Oak Bar at Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport. In 2014 we constructed the BMW Garage in Galway, then moving to Dublin to renovate rooms for the Cassidy’s Hotel Group,” Kevin outlined.
“In 2018 we built a hotel for Cassidy’s Hotel Group, Hotel 7 in Dublin. Since then, we’ve been renovating the other two hotels which are the Belvedere Hotel and Cassidy’s Hotel.”
Construction and fit-out specialists, KJL carried out its first work for Cassidy’s Hotel Group back 2015 and, since then, both parties have benefited from a solid working relationship.
Cassidy’s Hotel Group is chaired by Fianna Fail vice-president Donie Cassidy and is eager to expand its group of hotels, including in Dublin city centre.
KJL has been playing its part in helping the hotel group deliver on its expansion plans and looks set to continue to do so between now and next summer.
Kevin’s past experience in working on projects within the hospitality sector – both here and abroad – has been key in working alongside Cassidy’s Hotel Group over these past eight years.
“I started my career working with O’Rourke’s in England. I then moved back to Dublin to work in Park West Business Park, eventually ending up working on a hotel project in Mullingar,” he said of his working background.
“I went out on my own then in 2006 and it was an exciting time back then, which eventually grew to where it is at the moment.”
He added: “I had experience in the construction of hotels before I went to Dublin.
“I knew about the work that was involved to get them finished, so that would’ve helped me, and I’d also like to think that we offer value for money for our clients here as well.”
Indeed, KJL has a very diverse portfolio of clients, providing traditional building skills and efficient project management.
The company’s success to date has been built on ensuring that every project is carried out with a focus on quality of build, safety and attention to detail, while adhering to strict completion dates and budgets.
It is a highly innovative company, capable of dealing with any type of construction project, with a team which comprises professional and highly experienced management staff from a variety of backgrounds.
It’s this expert team that ensures completed projects deliver both from a creative and technical perspective for clientele.
All of that considered, it’s no surprise to see KJL as busy as it’s been project-wise, with more fresh work on its way this coming October.
“We’re doing steady enough work we’ll say from October to April every year. Nothing has changed really (this year), other than we’ll be going to do another phase of work in around October/November,” Kevin explained.
Within all of KJL’s work lies quality of the highest standards as the company prides itself on achieving those stands while ensuring that customer needs and requirements are satisfied.
It recognises the importance of having good quality management systems in place, operating an internal quality process from pre-tender to the finished project.
KJL appoints a team to each project which is both dedicated and professional, with each team consisting of a Company Director, Contracts Manager, Site Agents and Engineers to liaise with clients and design teams.
All results and aspects of the company’s performance are constantly renewed and reviewed to ensure that the highest standards of quality are achieved in each project.
It’s little wonder why KJL finds itself perhaps as busy as it’s ever been 17 years on from its inception.
Looking towards the months ahead for his business, Kevin’s very much positive about the work lined up and what else could potentially be in the pipeline for 2024.
“We’re looking forward to starting another phase in October of the refurbishment in Cassidy’s Hotel and the Belvedere Hotel. That’ll keep us going until next May and, by then, we’ll probably have a plan going forward,” the Managing Director.
KJL,
Curraghbrack,
Rathconnell,
Co. Westmeath
N91 DK5D
Mobile: 086 987 5374
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.kjl.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, December 2023, Vol 9 No 12
