The construction industry has been in a good place in the last few years, although the current pandemic has grounded many projects to a halt at the moment.
All involved in the sector are raring to get going again as the demand for their services has reached Celtic Tiger proportion with companies in huge demand.
Success in business can be founded on a number of basis, but one thing that the majority of successful companies have in common is experience.
Every day is a learning process in the business world and the more days you are trading, the more experience that is gathered. This is particularly true in the construction industry where every decision must be taken with the utmost caution.
For this month’s edition of Building Ireland, we profile a Galway based builder who for the past seven years has been earning a reputation for producing high quality projects to the clients’ demands.
John Fordham established JF Fordham Construction in 2014. Located in Kilbeacanty, Co Galway, the company has grown over the years. A carpenter by trade, he took the chance to establish his own company as the country was leaving the last recession.
John has never looked back since and their customer base has grown as they provide building services across the west of the country, while their reputation for completing projects to the highest standard, on time and within budget now sees them recognised as a renowned construction industry.
“We would specialise in one-off houses, new builds, renovations and extensions, while we have and are involved in a number of school projects, which to be fair are keeping us going at the moment,” said John.
Employing five direct and using a number of tried and trusted sub-contractors, John admits that since the day he started he has always been busy.
“We have had enough work to keep us going since we started, which is good. I believe in steady growth and that has stood to us as well down through the years. You never know what is going to happen in this industry so you always have to take a cautious approach.”
JF Fordham Construction are continuously investing in the business as John feels it is important to do so to ensure the quality of their work meets their clients’ expectations.
“We continue to invest in modern business practices and management techniques in order to ensure that we remain at the cutting edge of our industry. We continue to build on our reputation with our focus firmly on growing the ability of the business to deliver in new and innovative ways.”
The company’s ambition and goals since they started have always been to deliver quality projects and value for money to their clients; their success and reputation today has been testament to this wisdom.
“We are pleased with business at the moment. We are involved in a number of projects around the county and into Clare as well, and we are constantly tendering for work. Our customer base would include many repeat customers and that is a good sign of the level of work that we do. Once we get back to normal, we are booked out for the next 12 months.”
John added that his best form of advertisement hasn’t come from social media, publications or radios, but one of a more old-fashioned way.
“Word of mouth has been my best form of advertisement. The majority of our work has come through one job leading to another, which is a great recommendation in itself.”
John was at pains to add: “That doesn’t mean that we can afford to rest on our laurels. I’ve a good team here with both direct and sub-contractors and we work well together, while always working closely with the client. That is something I would always focus on, ensuring that the client knows what’s going on.”
One major change within the industry in more recent years has been the focus on health and safety and John stressed that all this was for the good of the building sector.
“Yes, there is a massive emphasis placed on health and safety. There are a lot of regulations in place now and it means a lot more paperwork, but it is certainly all very beneficial. We don’t have any issues. The Covid regulations brought in are all implemented by us. At the end of the day, we want all our employees and sub-contractors to go home safe to their families.”
John is confident that they can continue to deliver on projects and work with the many clients that they have provided their services too over the years.
“We have built our reputation on our client focus and hands-on approach and are proud of the fact that the majority of our workload comes from repeat business.
“Our dependable reputation comes from our attention to detail and our reliable execution of all projects undertaken. This is achieved through our experienced team having the drive and ability to complete projects efficiently with customer satisfaction being the main goal.”
JF Fordham Construction
Address: Kilbeacanty,
Gort,
Co. Galway
Phone: (091) 632 406
Mob: 087 9793876
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June, Vol 7 No 6
