Since 1985, JJ McGovern Ltd has been one of the north east’s leading electrical contractors. Established by brothers Jim and Joe McGovern, this family run business which is based in Drogheda, Co Louth has worked with some of the country’s leading building contractors including the likes of John Paul Construction, Hegarty’s, Stewarts, Dunwoody Dobson, Felix O’Hare and Duggan Brothers to name just a few.
The experience gathered by the company over the years has allowed them to diversify into many sectors, specialising in Construction and Refurbishment projects and their project experience ranges from schools, Universities, office blocks, apartments, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, and banks to name but a few.
Jim and Joe McGovern have always surrounded themselves with a good team as Jim revealed that they are pleased with the experienced people that all play such an important role in the company.
One of those people is Estimator and Coordinator Aaron Fahy who along with Jim, spoke to Building Ireland about the services that the company provides.
Electrical contracting is a complex sector within the construction industry and there are so many facets to it that many companies just specialise in certain areas.
That is not the case for JJ McGovern Ltd though as their ability to carry out works in all areas of electrical contracting has allowed them to tender for a wide variety of work.
“We have always provided an exceptional level of service and we strive always to complete projects on time and within budget,” stated Jim.
“This is a very competitive industry, and our experience has helped us to diversify into different sectors, while we have become electrical advisors to many of our clients.
“Our work has seen us involved in many prestigious projects over the years, but we have always stayed a medium sized company and never had any interest in getting too big,” added Jim.
Some of the projects that the company are currently involved in or recently finished included 84 apartments (re-wire) in Citywest, temporary electrical services for a large new data centre in Drogheda, a housing development in Mulhuddart comprising 65 units, a new student union building at DCU, 18 apartments for the Peter McVerry Trust plus many more.
Aaron revealed that they are continuously tendering for work in order to keep ahead of themselves.
“We are always pursuing new work and tendering for projects, but we have found that a lot of contracts are slow to start. We tendered for work in 2019 and it still hasn’t been awarded yet. You have to follow up on those jobs on a weekly basis that’s just the way it is.
“We are busy at the moment and have a good bit of work ahead of us, but as I’ve pointed out, you have to keep tendering and programming to make sure that steady line of work keeps coming in.”
So, what separates JJ McGovern Ltd from their competitors? Jim and Aaron were unanimous in what they felt sets them apart.
“When dealing with us, you are either speaking to Jim, Joe, myself or our foreman, so we offer not only a very good service, but we also offer the personal touch in that if the client has any queries, it will be one of us that they will be dealing with, whereas with bigger companies, you could be dealing with several different people, before your query will be answered.”
Jim added: “Myself and Joe would still be very much hands on in the business and we would always just be a phone call away for any of our clients.”
As stated earlier, the McGovern’s are pleased with the workforce that they have, and they are always keen to reward the loyalty of their staff.
“Some of the employees are here with us many years and the experience they bring is invaluable. There is a lack of skilled workers out there at the moment and it is important to try and keep the lads we have. Jim and Joe have always placed a big emphasis on in-house training and allowing people to grow within the business,” stated Aaron.
Temporary electrical works have become a speciality for the company and Aaron revealed that it is an area that they have excelled at in recent times.
“We have been brought in on a number of sizeable projects including a new data centre in Drogheda to complete the temporary electrical work. It is a specialised area and we work with the client to come up with the best solution for them.”
JJ McGovern Ltd have come through two recessions, a pandemic and other setbacks, but they have gained a lot of experience from these which Aaron feels has stood them in good stead.
“Like all businesses, we have experienced ups and downs, but we are still here today and feel we are in a very good position going forward. We offer a wide range of services, which has allowed us tender for many different projects and our client base has grown over the years and continues to do so.
“The pandemic has brought about its own set of challenges, but we have adapted accordingly and although there is a lot more paperwork to be looked after, we are confident that our employees are working in a safer environment.
“We have weathered the storm so to speak and I think there is light at the end of the tunnel in regards to the pandemic. This is a very competitive industry, but we are more than holding our own and we look forward to the future,” concluded Aaron.
Contact Details:
JJ McGovern Ltd
16 Trinity Street,
Drogheda,
Co Louth
Tel: 041 9832551
Mob: 086 0221825
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, May, Vol 7 No 5
