Thornton Roofing are celebrating the magnificent milestone of 50 years in business in 2015. We spoke to Managing Director Stephen Thornton who is confident that the company will continue to grow from strength to strength.
As a growing confidence about the prospects for the construction industry continues to gather momentum, Thornton Roofing are ideally placed to satisfy all their clients’ roofing and cladding requirements.
The reason? “We employ approximately 50 people directly and we were successful in retaining our skilled workforce during the downturn,” explained Managing Director Stephen Thornton.
“That’s about 30 years experience throughout entire company. It’s the people in the company that make it. A lot of skills disappeared during the downturn throughout the construction industry but we managed to keep ours and that leaves us ready for the future and whatever that may hold in store.”
The Toomebridge, County Antrim-based Thornton Roofing is renowned as one of Northern Ireland’s most experienced roofing and cladding contractors at the forefront of their industry, carrying out works of varying sizes and complexity.
Their three main areas are contract works, small works and metal works. Regardless of a project size, the company’s valued customers are guaranteed a top quality service from a company that celebrates 50 years in business this year.
The family business, which was established in 1965 by Stephen’s parents James (Jimmy) and Kathleen Thornton, has stood the test of time while others have fallen by the wayside.
What separates them from their competitors? As already mentioned by Stephen, their specialist ability enables a competitive edge in areas such as steel cladding, sheeting, and flat roofing. It has often been documented that they are a one stop package for building clients.
“Business is flying at the minute,” Stephen enthused, “things are going a lot better than they have been these past six years. It was about trying to keep your head above water and keeping paying the bills but now there’s an increase in the volume of work and rates are starting to creep up. We feel a lot more positive nowadays after the struggle.
“We’re not doing much work down in the south. Our focus is mainly on Northern Ireland and the UK, at the minute, but we plan to move back into the south soon.”
Thornton Roofing will continue to innovate and lead with the ever evolving demands of the construction industry, providing the best service to all new and existing customers.
Their Contract works department undertake projects in the Commercial, Education, Leisure, Heath and Residential sectors. Completing works on some of the countries most recognisable buildings, from new innovative designs to the restoration of buildings steeped in history.
Thornton Roofing’s Small works deal with small projects and refurbishments below £15,000. In addition, they provide tailored maintenance packages specific to their clients’ needs and a 24 hour call out team dedicated to dealing with emergencies.
Metal works and fabrication address the growing need for specialised components required for the cladding industry, enabling shorter lead in times while increasing quality and negate the reliance upon external suppliers.
The company’s impressive curriculum vitae includes high profile projects such as Antrim Area Hospital, Craigavon Hospital, Ravenhill Stadium, Bangor Aurora, Movianto, Gallahers, Tor Bank School and Queens Hub Building to name but a few.
One project that Stephen and his team, which includes his sister Jennifer Neeson who is also a company director, are particularly proud of is a home made from ‘shipping containers’ which featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs programme last September.
“It was a nice project which we actually built from scratch, finished and fitted out,” Stephen recalled. “The owner Patrick Bradley is a friend of mine. It was a small project but it’s a prestigious piece of work which received a lot media attention and we’re proud of it.”
Not known for resting on his laurels, Stephen has ambitious plans for expansion in the pipeline.
“At the end of the day our future plans will be determined by our workload. At this point, we envisage our turnover increasing substantially, particularly in the UK. We’re currently advertising to recruit additional staff while we also have plans to develop our workshop further.”
Thornton Roofing’s attention to detail and dedicated staff with years of experience make them a leader in the market. They boast the knowledge, expertise and resources necessary to complete your job to the highest standard.
They always try to ensure that every customer they deal with is 100% satisfied and if there is any problem, large or small, they have always tried to resolve it to the best of their ability to the customers’ satisfaction.
Contact Stephen & Co to find out for yourself.
Thornton Roofing
43a Gallagh Road
Toomebridge
Co Antrim, BT41 3QU
Tel: 028 796 50368
Fax: 028 796 50742
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.thorntonroofing.co.uk
Taken from Building Ireland magazine Vol 1 No 1, Autumn 2015
