Tag: McKeon Group

Meet the Women of McKeon Group

Posted on by Ailbhe Daly

This week we mark International Women’s Day, a global holiday celebrated annually on 8 March. It highlights gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

Careers in construction have changed dramatically over the past 10 years. Better health and safety and increased use of technology are two trends making construction more attractive to young people.

McKeon Group prides itself on diversity and strives for a more inclusive and equitable workforce. We are proud to have an above-average number of female employees at McKeon Group. This number currently stands at 14%, whereas the construction industry is around 9%. We won’t pat ourselves on the back just yet, though, as we know this number should and can be better, so we will continue to work towards embracing equity.

Our Deputy Managing Director, Clíona Molloy, said: “Apart from the sense of achievement of seeing a project move through all the stages from the Tender Stage through to completion, for me, the best part of working in Construction is the wide variety of people I have the pleasure in meeting across such a variety of specialisms, trades, industries, backgrounds, client categories,  all with different expertise, points of view and experiences to share.”

A few of our people attended the Construction Industry Federation’s event in Dunboyne Castle on 8 March, where they mingled with other ladies in the industry.

Some of their takeaways from the event:

Quantity Surveyor Amie Bennett said, “Definitely hit home about mentoring and lack of accessibility to construction/engineering subjects in all-girl secondary schools.”

Our Marketing Manager Gemma Kerley felt moved by the speaker on Emotional Intelligence, Barbara Nugent, and its importance in the workplace for better business outcomes. Gemma also noted that when compared in general to men, women will only apply for a role if they feel they have competence in every one of the requirements mentioned. To counter this, as an organisation, we need to recognise this bias when recruiting and communicate effectively what is essential and what can be developed once in employment.

It was an eye-opening event that emphasised the importance of equity and pushing for what you want in your career. The speakers and panellists made some excellent points at the event, which we will be implementing at McKeon Group to help encourage more women into the construction industry and support our current employees so they may continue to flourish in the industry.

This week, we’d like to celebrate all the lovely ladies who work with us here at McKeon Group.

McKeonGroup

McKeon Group provides project services across four company divisions, construction, mechanical and electrical engineering, and 360Works under shared support services. Each division competes in its respective market and works together on group projects.

To learn more about some of the women working with us, you can read all about Health and Safety Manager Veronica Lavelle and Quantity Surveyor Amie Bennett in previous blogs when we interviewed them.

Likewise, to read about International Women’s Day, please visit: here.

 

A Milestone Achievement – 100 Employees!

Posted on by Ailbhe Daly

McKeon Group is proud to announce that we have officially reached 100 employees and what a brilliant team we have! We held an event to mark this special milestone and give our annual update to all of our team last week.

Throughout the last 72 years, we have grown from one man with a van to five brilliant divisions, bursting with ideas, expertise, and world-class staff. We have worked on sites all across Ireland, from third-level education, commercial, pharmaceutical and countless other clients. Our ability to provide the right team across a variety of sectors has grown and adapted, as have we, putting McKeon Group in a prime position to tackle some World class projects.

This year to date, we have finished 271 projects and have a further 104 projects ongoing.

Speaking at the event, CEO Tomas Mac Eoin said: “Refreshing our core values has been on the agenda for a while, we’ve changed a lot as an organisation over the past 10 years, the workforce has changed, society has changed and our strategy has changed. I certainly felt the language needed an updating and the way we present and talk about them.”

“The Values originated from our grandfather and some of them have remained unchanged, that of Integrity & Quality. We turned to the family and as mentioned integrity, how we treat our staff and how we are perceived in the industry were paramount. Then we had an overwhelming sense of responsibility towards sustainability and that we must go above and beyond to change our impact on the environment and also influence others.

We then turned to the entire organisation to understand the personal values of each individual and if they aligned with our organisation’s core values. Really to ascertain if indeed we held them true, communicated them, lived by them and believed them. We asked the question ….”

What values or traits of your own do you feel are matched in your role at McKeon Group and Hereworks?

“The response was overwhelming, we got 52 individual responses in a 2-day period, which is probably one of the most successful surveys we’ve carried out in recent times, which only goes to show how important values are to the team.

I was very humbled by what came back, the positivity, the warmth and the passion in some of the replies….”




Updated Core Values:

We are proud to reveal our refreshed core values, illustrating the key points that we feel encapsulate our organisation best.

They are Integrity,  Client Commitment, Quality, Brilliance, and Sustainability. While to some they may appear as buzzwords, to us, they are the very fibre of our operations and how we communicate ourselves to the world.

Going forward, we will have a renewed focus on Sustainability and will be bringing in a consultant from outside of the company to assist us with this. In the company-wide survey, a large number of our team called for an increased focus on sustainability and this is something we plan to deliver.

McKeon Group has grown drastically over the past three decades, showing a growth of a staggering 900% since 1990. Even more impressively is that between 2016 and 2022, we doubled our workforce from 50 to 100 staff.

Our QEHS Director, Cliona Molloy, said: “I had a look back and between 1990 – 2006 we grew from 10 – 24 employees. Over the next 10 years to 2016 we doubled that to 50 and from then to now in the last 6 years we have doubled again to 100 Employees.”

Our growth would not be possible without every single person we deal with, including our clients, sub-contractors and our hard-working staff.

Let’s see what the next decade has in store!

If you want to be part of our team check out our open positions and grow with us!

Meet the Team: Tommy Dillon

Posted on by Ailbhe Daly

“Come in with a good attitude – turning up is half the battle.”

Meet Tommy

Tommy has been working as a plumber in McKeon Group for eight years, and in that time he has shown his drive to succeed by progressing through the ranks.

While some people take time to find their path, Tommy knew he wanted to be a plumber from his teenage years.

“My dad and uncle are plumbers so for me, it just made sense. I was picked out of my class in sixth year for an apprenticeship and I’ve been here since.”

However, his journey to McKeon Group Mechanical Division is a little more unique. He spent several years working for a previous employer, starting as an apprentice and progressing to mechanical foreman.  He then set up his own company and worked for McKeon Group as a Mechanical Services Subcontractor working on many contracts for our Mechanical Services division, before becoming directly employed with McKeon Group.

Just Because It’s My Title, It Doesn’t Mean It’s All I Do!

“I’ve worked on a number of contracts for colleges in Dublin as well as the OPW, HSE and in various hospitals. I think the biggest stand-out project for me was the Wilder Hotel. This involved turning a derelict building into a four-star hotel.”

The Wilder Townhouse is a boutique hotel in a Victorian Heritage Building in Dublin City, built in 1878 as a home for aged governesses and unmarried females. The building was completely rewired within the guidelines of the conservation requirements to provide the modern services of a 42-room hotel with a restaurant, bars, lounge facilities, salon and reception area. 

 Tommy added that just because his job title is site supervisor, his role encompasses far more than this.

“My role is site supervisor, working foreman and pipe fitter. Just because it’s my title it doesn’t mean that’s all I do. I organise a lot of things, working closely with the other divisions. With the likes of the Wilder and also on RTE Creche, we were the design team so we had to decide what would and wouldn’t work.”

“Anything Can Be Taught!”

“For anyone considering becoming a plumber, I’d tell them to make sure it’s what they want to do because it’s hard work. But if you come in with a good attitude, it helps. Come into it with a good attitude –  turning up is half the battle half the time. Attitude is key.

For me, I’d put a definite emphasis on your attitude – anything can be taught, but you can’t teach someone with a bad attitude.”

About McKeon Group

Established in 1950 by Tom McKeon, McKeon Group remains a family business to this day. ISO certified for more than two decades, McKeon Group offers expert construction, fit out, and building services. The Group delivers projects, services and maintenance across a range of sectors for State, local authority, FDI and private clients. We have several open positions, so if you’re passionate, innovative and want to work with a company with over 70 years of experience, check them out.

Conservation and Restoration of Heritage Projects

Posted on by Ailbhe Daly

McKeon Group has worked on numerous conservation and restoration projects on heritage sites, ranging from ancient castles to historical libraries.

Ireland boasts some of the oldest architecture in Europe and in order to ensure that these structures continue to stand the test of time, sometimes it is necessary to restore them using modern techniques. These projects often require a different approach to regular refurbishment due to the structural integrity of the building, what its intended purpose is and what regulations surround it. This often means that a specialist will be sought to provide guidance and advice, ensuring that no undue damage occurs to any element.

For example, a building could feature balusters that have been present for more than one hundred years. While they have been weathered and eroded, they are still functional. Therefore, it is possible to restore them without completely removing them, allowing them to be included in the finished product.

Here we take a look at three prestigious projects that we have worked on.

 

Woodlock Hall

One of these projects involved Woodlock Hall in DCU. The restoration and fit-out of Woodlock Library, a protected structure, was a hugely important project to work on. It took place in the All Hallows campus 18th Century Senior House.

Woodlock Hall has been repurposed as a library across multiple levels inside the confines of the hall. We took special care to ensure minimal points of contact with the building. As a result, this allowed us to maintain as much of the existing structure as possible. The refurbishment also saw the restoration of bespoke features. This included the relaying of historic timber floorboards, the restoration of the original wooden paneling, timber doors, and sash windows. We also installed sustainable energy solutions, including geothermal heating. 

We feel privileged to have worked on this project that has given new life to a historic building. Plans for the restoration of Woodlock Hall began in 2018, coinciding with an agreement between the University and the Irish Jesuits in 2019. Following this, they agreed to transfer the library collection from Milltown Park into the care of DCU Library.

We undertook careful internal deconstruction of the lobby area to the front of the hall to facilitate the installation of a new multi-story lift on each floor. Housed in a glazed facade is a prefabricated metal stair system.

We collaborated with Mullarkey Pedersen Architects for this project and the works were completed in 2020. This project also landed a prestigious AAI Award.

 

St Patrick’s Water Tower

This conservation project required McKeon Group to work closely with specialists Nolan Conservation Group to ensure that all works did not damage the structure.

In order to restore this extraordinary building, we completed a full refurbishment which wrapped up in August 2022.

Since being built in 1890, this was the first full refurbishment carried out. While there had been some maintenance works including the repointing of brickwork, nothing as in-depth as our works had been completed.

This involved raking and repointing brick and stone work on the tower, refurbishing the drainage pipework, guttering and tower windows, and cleaning and repainting the existing ironwork including a spiral staircase, bell yoke, and weathervane.

We also completed the refurbishment and replacement of clay balusters, replaced the slate roof tiles on top of the tower, a full in-depth clean of the inside and outside of the tower, installed lighting pendants, and then installed a new access platform to the tower.

But our work didn’t end there as the roof also required a major rework. This included the removal of existing redundant fire escape steel stairs, refilling openings at window locations, installation of missing stone cills, and finally completing a new platform walkway over services.

 

Ardgillan Castle:

Nestled in the rolling hills of north county Dublin, Ardgillan Castle was built by the Reverend Robert Taylor in 1738. The house remained in the Taylor family until 1962 when the estate was sold to Heir Henrich Potts of Westphalia.

In 1982, the estate was sold to Fingal County Council and with the help of formerly FÁS now Solas, renovated the house. It was officially opened to the public in 1992 by then-president Mary Robinson.

For anyone unfamiliar with this popular visitor attraction, Ardgillan Castle and Demesne sits on close to 200 acres, between Balbriggan and Skerries, overlooking the Irish Sea with views northward to the Mourne Mountains. Described as Ireland’s hidden gem, the castle is a family favourite for tours, theater events, parties, and more.

McKeon Group was tasked with the repainting of ceilings and walls, joinery, and radiators on the ground and the first floor. We then completed refurbishment works on timber floors. This project involved carefully dealing with the associated antique furniture and art removals, which we then successfully reinstated.

McKeon Group is on Fingal County Council’s conservation restoration framework and have worked on a number of prestigious buildings in the locality, including Malahide Castle.

 

About Us:

With more than 70 years of experience in the construction industry, McKeon Group are capable of reaching and exceeding the goals of our clients. If you have a conservation or heritage project that you would like us to help with, contact our construction team today.

Meet the Team: Bruno Bottura, Quantity Surveyor

Posted on by Ailbhe Daly

“Chase what you want to do – find what makes you happy.”

Meet Bruno

Bruno joined McKeon Group in 2021, bringing with him a desire to push his career to new heights.
After gaining a Civil Engineering degree and working as a Project Manager on sites in Brazil, Bruno knew that he wanted a change. While the money was good, the work wasn’t as fulfilling for him as he wanted and he knew he had to try something new.
“When I graduated college, I got a traineeship with a huge construction company. Out of 28,000 applicants, there was only 40 places and I got one. But the work was fully site-based, I was too tired and I wasn’t enjoying it. Then there was an economic crash and I lost my job for a whole year. I was really fed up. Me and my wife decided to move to Europe for a fresh start and a change of pace.”
After a brief stint in Italy, Bruno was pointed towards Ireland. Within just an hour, he had landed his first job here and while it wasn’t his dream job, it helped him to settle.
“My first job in Ireland was actually rolling burritos! Funnily enough, from the upstairs of the building I could see St Pats Water Tower which ended up being my first project with McKeon Group.”
Bruno’s last stop before beginning his work with McKeon was with a natural stone company, where he worked as an estimator. Now, he is working with us as a quantity surveyor.
 

Going Full Circle

“My first job with McKeon was at St Pats Water Tower. I couldn’t believe it, it was like going full circle! It was a building I had looked at for so long and admired. It was built in 1890 and our works were the first full refurbishment that was carried out, which was incredible to be a part of. We very rarely have buildings that old in Brazil, so it was an entirely new experience for me.”
The works at St Pats Water Tower included raking and repointing brick and stone work on the tower, refurbishing the drainage pipework, guttering and tower windows, and cleaning and repainting the existing ironwork including a spiral staircase, bell yoke, and weathervane.
Bruno also spoke of how well the building has stood up, with the eye-catching spiral staircase not needing much more than a fresh paint job to be restored. The weathervane required some welding work, but Bruno says it is “much more prominent now, it’s like a beam of light at the top of the tower.”
 

“Chase what you want to do”

While quite a lot of people in the construction industry follow the footsteps of their relatives, Bruno was the opposite. Coming from a family of lecturers, Bruno found himself drawn to the idea of construction due to the plentiful opportunities, good wages, and varied work.
He said: “For me, it was important to really enjoy what I am doing which I am with McKeon Group. During my traineeship in Brazil, we completed a lot of psychological tests that were supposed to help us find our paths. And while nobody saw me working in an office, it has become where I am happiest. You’re not bound to be something – you can be whatever you want. Ten years ago, I was all about constantly being on the go and making money but now I just want to see my kids grow up and live a quiet life.
“You need to chase what you want to do – find what makes you happy.”
 
 

About McKeon Group:

Established in 1950 by Tom McKeon, McKeon Group remains a family business to this day. ISO certified for more than two decades, McKeon Group offers expert construction, fit out, and building services. The Group delivers projects, services and maintenance across a range of sectors for State, local authority, FDI and private clients. For more information, contact https://mckeon.ie.

Unveiling the restoration of St Pats Water Tower to its former glory

Posted on by Ailbhe Daly

McKeon Group has just unveiled the restoration of St Pats Water Tower to its former glory. The work was completed in August 2022 on the Water Tower in Block D on St Patrick’s College campus, and the results are truly stunning.

It isn’t every day that you get to work on a structure that is over 200 years old. McKeon Group was honoured to work on this Dublin Landmark to restore it to its former glory. This conservation project required McKeon Group to work closely with specialists Nolan Conservation Group to ensure that all works did not damage the structure.

In order to restore this extraordinary building, we completed a full refurbishment which wrapped up in August 2022.

Since being built in 1890, this was the first full refurbishment carried out. While there had been some maintenance works including the repointing of brickwork, nothing as in-depth as our works had been completed.

This involved raking and repointing brick and stone work on the tower, refurbishing the drainage pipework, guttering and tower windows, and cleaning and repainting the existing ironwork including a spiral staircase, bell yoke, and weathervane.

We also completed the refurbishment and replacement of clay balusters, replaced the slate roof tiles on top of the tower, a full in-depth clean of the inside and outside of the tower, installed lighting pendants, and then installed a new access platform to the tower.

But our work didn’t end there as the roof also required a major rework. This included the removal of existing redundant fire escape steel stairs, refilling openings at window locations, installation of missing stone cills, and finally completing a new platform walkway over services.

Eye-catching work

Quantity Surveyor Bruno Bottura felt privileged to work on this project, which was his first conservation project since he began working with McKeon Group. Bruno moved to Ireland from Brazil five years ago and in a strange coincidence, the tower already held some significance for him.

He said: “When I started my first job in Ireland, I could see the Water Tower from the window. I loved looking at it, it’s truly a beautiful building. There’s nothing this old in Brazil, especially where I come from.”

Bruno also spoke of how well the building has stood up, with the eye-catching spiral staircase not needing much more than a fresh paint job to be restored. The weather vane required some welding work but Bruno says it is “much more prominent now, it’s like a beam of light at the top of the tower.”

McKeon group would like to especially thank all involved including Eanan O’Doherty (DCU), Cathal Crowe in OCSC, Ciaran Mullarkey in MPA, and our own team, led by Donal Molloy and Bruno Bottura.

McKeon Group Innovation Partner Fergal Brophy on South East Radio

Posted on by Gemma Kerley

 

Earlier this week innovation consultant Fergal Brophy, who works closely with McKeon Group, joined Karl Fitzpatrick on South East Radio to talk about the importance of innovation and how “repurposing” a business can create new revenue streams. 

 

 

McKeon Group’s new CPD offering, Innovate Together, was developed by the McKeon team and Hereworks, working closely with Fergal Brophy, who is an Entrepreneurial Specialist at UCD Innovation Academy. Fergal also lectures on Innovation Principles & Applications at the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) and is lead facilitator for the Innovation Pillar on Enterprise Ireland’s Go Global 4 Growth programme.

 

The Innovate Together problem-solving collaborative sessions enable participants to apply key creativity and innovation concepts to real world engineering problems and opportunities. Delivered online or in-person, each CPD offered is tailored to a specific audience and based around key themes, agreed upon in advance. These sessions demonstrate the use of Design Thinking, Lean Startup and Business Model Innovation to frame a specific problem or opportunity and to open participants up to new ways of collaborating to co-create innovative solutions. 

 

While the Innovate Together session has been certified for CPD points by Engineers Ireland, it is not exclusively for engineers. In fact, as a new approach to problem-solving, Design Thinking is not industry specific. It can be tailored to any organisation, within any sector or industry and there can be different themes. 

 

*You can find out more about ‘Innovate Together’ and contact the McKeon Group team here: https://mckeon.ie/new-cpd-innovate-together/ 

 

About McKeon Group

Established in 1950, this year marks the 70th anniversary of McKeon Group, which remains a family business. ISO certified for more than two decades, McKeon Group offers expert construction, fitout and building services. The Group delivers projects, services and maintenance across a range of sectors for State, local authority, FDI and private clients. McKeon.ie 

 

McKeon Group: Building Resilience

Posted on by Gemma Kerley

Earlier this week, the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) hosted a webinar to help launch a free and confidential, 24/7, helpline dedicated to supporting members of the construction industry, you can read more about this here: https://cif.ie/2020/06/03/introduction-of-free-24-7-employee-assistance-programme-and-wellbeing-app-for-all-construction-workers-in-ireland/

 

The Lighthouse Club

 

Developed by the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, this helpline and supporting wellbeing app aims to help construction workers cope with the extraordinary challenges brought about by the global pandemic. There is wide acknowledgement and a growing understanding of the negative impacts the past few months have had on mental health for all members of society, and this is particularly true for those working within the construction industry.

 

Speaking about the launch of this vital service, Lighthouse CEO, Bill Hill explained:

 

“One of the charity’s key objectives is to reduce suicides of those working in the construction sector. The 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline delivers an EAP to all workers and is complimented by an supporting helpline app. This App is available on both Android and Apple devices and is packed full of information, advice and guidance on mental, physical and financial wellbeing matters.  By making all the services free and confidential, the charity aims to remove two of the key barriers to people seeking help. The final barrier to overcome is the stigma of using such services often inherent in stoic masculine belief.”

 

For many, the impact of the crash more than a decade ago is still deeply felt. People tend to recover at a slower pace than the economy and the very real trauma experienced back then is still quite raw. There was a period of recovery before the pandemic situation unfolded and cast fresh doubt and concern over the livelihoods of 150,000 people. Irish construction is renowned for its resilience but, the truth is, any industry is simply a collection of people and maintaining a state of resilience for your employees or employer, for your teammates and work colleagues, for your family and loved ones, can take a toil. There needs to be some sense of relief and hope that things can and will improve. And it needs to be okay not to be okay, help is available.

 

It is great to see the CIF promoting such a service to its members and to the wider industry. Over the past few years, positive mental health has featured heavily in the annual Health & Safety Week line-up, bringing forward a whole new conversation about wellbeing.

 

McKeon Group Table Quiz

 

 

Earlier this year, prior to lockdown restrictions, McKeon Group hosted a staff table quiz. €600 was raised by our team on the night and the company matched that sum, bringing the total donation to €1,200. We were proud to hand over that donation to the Ashbourne Suicide Awareness and Prevention (ASAP) charity. The organisation provides critical support to the local community here in Ashbourne and, like most people living and working in the area, we are grateful for the dedicated services provided and keen to support ASAP.

 

About McKeon Group:

Established in 1950, this year marks the 70th anniversary of McKeon Group, which remains a family business. ISO certified for more than two decades, McKeon Group offers expert construction, fitout and building services. The Group delivers projects, services and maintenance across a range of sectors for State, local authority, FDI and private clients. For more information, contact: www.mckeon.ie