Comprising Maguire Mechanical Ltd., MacMech Air Ltd. and MacMech Vent Ltd., The Maguire Group provides full mechanical services to a wide range of clients across many sectors. Against all odds, this industry-leading group of companies has come a long way since its inception from scratch in 2010
and managing director Paul Maguire – who prides himself on the fact that he has surrounded himself with an exceptional team – vows “We haven’t even started yet.”
Established 13 years ago as Maguire Air Conditioning & Ventilation, and initially specialising in the installation, repair and maintenance of fitted air conditioning systems and ductwork ventilation, The Maguire Group has grown organically and exponentially to complement their ever evolving HVAC services with a full range of mechanical services including LPHW, CWS etc.
Between the three companies that today make up The Maguire Group – namely Maguire Mechanical, MacMech Air and MacMech Vent – the commercial, industrial, Data Centre and Pharma sectors are provided with a comprehensive range of mechanical services including all aspects of air conditioning systems; CAT A /CAT B ductwork ventilation systems; kitchen extract fire duct systems; pressurization fire duct systems; passive fire duct systems; smoke extract systems; and insulation contract works.
Priding themselves on safety, quality and quantity, ensuring client satisfaction and project delivery at all times, The Maguire Group are full members of CIF and MEBSCA and are approved Firas contractors providing clients with THOR fire duct extract systems nationwide.
“We’ve been experiencing growth and with that came the restructure to The Maguire Group,” notes MD Paul Maguire, who has learned many valuable lessons since establishing his company in the
depths of a recession and building it into a proven market leader which has worked and continues to work on countless landmark projects for a who’s who of clients, including Dornan, Kirby Group and Jones Engineering to mention just a few and also dealing with clients and consultants directly.
“Having the right team around you is vital and it takes a while to find them. But once you get there, a strong team can help you drive the business forward.”
The Maguire Group’s team of professional fire duct installers, air-conditioning engineers and ventilation installers are fully qualified, certified, vastly-experienced and motivated. Financial Controller Rita Gaynor has been instrumental in the success and growth of the business since Day One and other key members of the team include Noel Craven, Joseph Curley, Richard Revins, Robert Beresford and John Paul Bowes as well as multiple other apprentices and tradesmen.
Paul’s son Jake was the group’s first own in-house apprentice and in July had the distinction of also becoming their first tradesman to qualify through their exceptional apprenticeship scheme.
“We focus on hiring fully qualified tradesmen or apprentices now,” Paul continues. “We have 15 apprentices at the moment between air conditioning and ventilation, all at various stages of their apprenticeships. We’ve learned a lot of lessons – like hiring the wrong people or taking on too many projects. It can happen easily when you are too eager.
“I started working on my own in 2009 from a small office. We’ve invested a lot of money into our new 5,000 sq ft facility in Kingswood, where we can store all our equipment and host clients. Our office is based in a prime location with many large data centres and pharmaceutical companies in the surrounding area.
“We have a team of 25, ten vehicles on the road and I’ve been off tools myself for six years. We have come a long way and have the potential to go much further. I have great belief in what we are doing. We have great foundations set down now and we are ready to move forward and further cement our reputation with the many repeat customers we do business with.
“We’re gearing quite a bit towards the pharma sector and data centres, which will withstand any economic downturn…”
The Maguire Group have also been awarded Mitsubishi Electric accreditation, which recognises them as an accredited installer of Mitsubishi Ireland systems. Down through the years they have
brought their industry-leading HVAC / mechanical expertise to bear on landmark sites such as the
National Children’s Hospital, Pfizer Grange Castle, Microsoft and Customs House as well as working on other projects such as An Post, Google, eir, ESB and many, many others.
Despite the ever-increasingly-impressive nature of the portfolio of completed projects, the straight- talking MD of The Maguire Group – who earlier this year became a national kickboxing champion! – is anything but complacent: “We are not perfect and we have made mistakes. But we are learning and improving all the time. In the past from inexperience we’ve allowed ourselves to be over-subscribed and under- resourced but our experience is now coming to the fore and I can see growth and development ahead.
“The table is set now. We have restructured the business, we’ve learned from past mistakes, and we’ve managed to step up a rung. This is a tough industry but we’re in a good place now where we have built our reputation and I can look after my staff and offer them job security.
“We had a five-year plan to develop our team, put money into the company, develop a new HQ, put vans on the road, get our lads educated and accredited, get Mitsubishi accreditation and we’ve achieved all of those. I could envisage four or five years ago where we are today. We put that long- term plan in place and we now have an office where I’d happily invite any client, representative or business partner here. That’s the professional perception I wanted to create.”
As well as consistently providing high-quality workmanship, Paul has also had to focus on building up a business, which is a path fraught with potential pitfalls. “It’s something I’m very proud of,” he confirms. “I wasn’t handed anything and came into this with no cash, no contacts and no contracts. Through hard work and dependability, we have forged lasting relationships with leading companies and I can honestly only see further growth ahead.
“It all comes down to quality work, client satisfaction and applying lessons learned from past mistakes – because we all make them. A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to get us to where we are. Our turnover and average contract size are growing. We are dealing with high-level clients who recognise us as a partner who offers quality and value. We’re still developing and are as keen to learn as we were when we started out on this journey.”
The Maguire Group,
Unit A12 & A13,
Kingswood Business Park, Kingswood,
Dublin 22.
Tel: 01 5491490
Email: i [email protected]
Web: maguiremechanical.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, January 2024, Vol 10 No 1
