Based in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, GD Ceilings has earned itself a reputation for quality in its ceiling and fit-out work. Building Ireland caught up with Managing Director, Gareth Duffy to learn more about the business.
Business is good right now at GD Ceilings Ltd and company founder and owner Gareth Duffy is intent on keeping things that way, as his venture gets set to mark half a decade as a limited company in 2020.
To put in plainly, Gareth says he’s looking for “more of the same” next year, after the last couple have saw business booming to the point where his company now employs 70 staff.
The man himself took some time from a recent hectic schedule to explain to Building Ireland what his business is all about.
“We’re based on 9 Henry St, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan and we’ve been a limited company for the last four years. We’d have been trading eight years before that in the same line of work as well,” Gareth outlined.
“Ceilings, dry-lining, metal stud partitions and plastering would be the services that we provide and we carry out a lot of fit-out work. Most of it for schools and, truth be told, it’s mostly fit-outs that we’re concentrating on at the moment.”
The origins of the company date back to a time when Gareth lived abroad and really began to work on his trade after finishing school.
New York was as good a learning ground as any, particularly when it comes to the construction industry, and after returning home in 2006, he focused on starting up his own business venture.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“I went to America for seven years from 1999 until 2006 once I finished school. After that, I came home and took the decision to just go out on my own,” said Gareth.
“I made a good few contacts and while things were tough starting out at that time, we got off the ground, stuck at it and now things are going well, thankfully.”
“Going well” might be somewhat of an understatement as GD Ceilings’ staff numbers have swelled up to 70 in the past few years and the company currently has various on-going projects all throughout Dublin on its books.
The capital “is where it’s at”, as they say, especially when it comes to fit-out work, and Gareth is intent of focusing on it as long as the work continues to flow from clientele.
“We’ve been very busy lately,” he said. “We’re working on HubSpot on 1-6 Sir John R Quay for Sonica Fitout. It’s six floors, so it’s a big job. We started it a few weeks ago and it’s going to go until Christmas.”
“We’re also on the St Mary’s Mansions re-development on Sean MacDermotts Street for Ganson Construction, Clondalkin Library for Townlink Construction and Care Choice Nursing Home in Swords for Ganson as well.
“We’ve some student accommodation on Brickfield Lane that we’re also currently finishing off for Collen Construction, so a lot of our work right now is based in and around Dublin.”
Repeat business has been a huge aspect of GD Ceilings’ success to date.
So what has been the secret for Gareth in attracting big names clients such as Sonica, Ganson Construction, Collen Construction, Townlink Construction, McGuigan Builders and JS Dooley o name but a few, over these past few years?
The Farney County native feels that trust goes an awful long way in this line of work and, of course, loyalty to clients.
“The reason they choose us is probably based on the fact that we never let them down and have a good, solid relationship with them,” he said.
“We price all the jobs and stick with the same companies year after year. We’d probably have in and around 20 clients that we were with that all Construction and fit-out companies.”
So with business presently booming, the focus very much remains on clients’ satisfaction at GD Ceilings.
Gareth himself also hints that expansion to his workforce could be something to come down the line in 2020 should the projects continue to come for his company thick and fast.
“We probably will look at adding to our staff down the line,” he said. “With additional contracts such as OPW, Huawei and work in both Drogheda and Cavan hospitals in the coming months, so it’s something we’re looking towards as well.
“Next year will hopefully be about more of the same for us. We can’t ask for much more than that really.”
Great to hear.
GD Ceilings
9 Henry Street,
Castleblayney,
Co. Monaghan
A75 XH51
Mob: +353 86 0415661
E-mail: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2019, Vol 5 No 10
