One of Western's stunning park homes

Western Building Systems have been one of our longest-standing clients.  Our relationship stretches back almost seven years.

Over those years they have grown to become one of Ireland’s market leaders in terms of rapid-build projects and products.

To mark the official opening of their £2m HQ in Coalisland we were tasked with developing a through the line marketing programme that would drive footfall to their new showrooms and create awareness of their modular product range.

Our team used a blend of traditional and digital media channels to communicate news of an official opening ‘long weekend’ where members of the public would be able to see for themselves how this innovative, family-owned company, actually makes their modular homes, schools and hospitals.

We drove the message through Belfast-based property press, agricultural supplements, local newspapers and generated significant coverage on radio.

And the result? A client with a smile on their face – more than 1,500 potential customers through their doors over the four day period and a number of properties sold.

All goes to show: Serious marketing campaigns work – even in an economic downturn.

Serious MD, David McCavery at the Western launch

The market-leading construction group will remain as major sponsors of the Eaton Park-based All-Ireland League club for a further three years.

Patton Group Chairman, David Patton, whose links with the club stretch back to 1951 when he joined as a player, said the sponsorship cemented what has been a successful association between club and sponsor.

“It’s simply great that Neil and I, and indeed everyone within Patton Group, are able to continue our support of Ballymena RFC.  I have had almost 60 years of enjoyment and fun with this great club.  This is not just important to us as a business, but also from a family point of view.

“We are glad to be in the position to give something back to the club.”

Patton Group Managing Director, Neil Patton who has also played for Ballymena, said: “Rugby has helped in the past, opening doors for us to grow our business. So, even in these challenging days from a business perspective, sponsorships like this make sense for commercial organisations and sporting clubs alike.”

David Allen, Chairman of Ballymena RFC continues;

“We are well aware that the professional game is well established and well supported. This makes it even more important that we have the backing of businesses in the community, willing to support the Club.  We are delighted the Patton Group and all of our other valuable sponsors have continued to support the club.”

How gratifying to see the spirit of entrepeneurism is alive and well – even in the midst of the economic downturn.

We were at Coalisland today to handle publicity for the official opening of Western Building Systems’ fantastic new £2m HQ and showrooms.  The event was attended by local dignitaries and business representatives from around the area who came together to wish the family owned business well and to help mark the major occasion.

The Western story is one that began around 30 years ago. Founded and run by Martin McCloskey it started as a one man business and now employs more than 150 people.

Over the past seven years we have been privileged to work closely with Western to help trumpet its successes and position it as a market leader throughout the UK and Ireland.

It was therefore tremendous to be a part of the McCloskeys’ big day – and to know it was rounded off superbly when they were able to confirm the sale of no less than four homes in one day!

Well done Martin, Declan, Melissa and co and every good wish for the next 30!

DMcC

The family-owned company, which specialises in the total solutions provision of electrical equipment, has moved into new premises at Unit 10, Graham Industrial Estate, Dargan Crescent in Belfast. The move, which represents a significant investment is designed to assist the company in driving further growth throughout the UK.

“While the industry is still going through a very challenging period due to the economic downturn we felt it was important to prepare ourselves for the post-recession period and the anticipated uplift in demand. As a progressive company looking for further growth in the marketplace the move will allow us to substantially increase our stockholding. This will enable us to enhance our already fast response times and will, we believe, result in more customers,” explained Managing Director, Lisa Goldsbrough.

“In recent months our business has been boosted by the number of innovative energy efficient lighting schemes we have carried out for clients. We have been able to help these companies make substantial annual savings by implementing smarter solutions which have the added benefit of contributing to carbon emissions reduction.

“Whilst energy management and cost savings are key factors for the implementation of these schemes more and more businesses are aspiring to have improved green credentials. By putting systems in place that help companies to consume less energy we are also helping them to considerably reduce their carbon footprint.”

The savings can run into thousands of pounds and in some cases can result in reducing energy bills by more than 50%.

Companies benefitting from AJ Hurst’s expertise range from Corus Steel and Portadown-based Irwin’s Bakery to the Potter Group, professional logistics service providers in England, and Scottish-based GE Caledonian, which specialises in the repair and refurbishment of aero engines and related components.

AJ Hurst is planning to help more companies throw new light on their energy consumption in the year ahead and has set ambitious targets for external sales.

Tying in with the move the company has just been appointed a distributor for Lightstep Technologies Ltd, a Belfast-based company which specialises in intelligent evacuation technology.

Lightstep produce innovative products based around an LED light based system which is designed to help people escape from life threatening situations. The company has a core range of products that will light up corridors, exit routes and doorways in the event of an emergency.

“The Lightstep evacuation technology represents a world first and we are delighted to add these intelligent systems to our comprehensive product portfolio,” said Lisa.

/ends.

Leading rapid build company, Western Building Systems, is planning a fantastic open weekend to mark the official opening of its new Headquarters and Showroom at Mountjoy Road, Coalisland.

The new HQ, which will be officially opened on 19 August, is the centrepiece of a £2m expansion programme which has seen its manufacturing and administrative facilities consolidated into one site.

The 6,000 square metre purpose-built panelised development incorporates new offices, staff areas, a showroom and production facilities, and almost doubles the innovative company’s existing capacity at Mountjoy. 

This final phase of the two-year expansion, signalled by the official opening of its new HQ, incorporates new spaces including production facilities for its Park Homes division, a recently acquired timber frame company and a windows and furniture centre.  The new HQ has been designed with the visitor in mind and includes a number of meeting facilities and new reception. It is characterised by bright open spaces flooded with natural light.

According to Managing Director and Founder, Martin McCloskey, the single site location will enable each of The Group’s various divisions to work even closer together to provide truly integrated construction solutions.

He also believes Western has invested in its new facility at just the right time:

“The market has been extremely tough, but I get the real feeling that we’ve turned the corner.  We pride ourselves in our versatility, and because we have invested recently in Mountjoy and diversified into new sectors, we can be much more responsive as fresh opportunities arise.  Over the coming months we will be competing for a range of new projects throughout the UK and Ireland and I believe that our strong experience, coupled with the undoubted skill of our workforce, will enable us to compete effectively in what is unquestionably a tough business development environment.

Martin continues: “This open weekend is an opportunity to get a great deal on one of our fantastic modular homes and for the public to see our range of manufacturing processes for themselves.

“We will have a range of products on display including fully furnished modular homes, modular homes under production, our brand new prototype single ‘Caravan’ unit, a range of modular buildings under construction and our wide range of PVC and aluminium windows and doors.”

Opening times will be: Thursday 19 August 1:00pm to 5:00pm; Friday 20 August ​10:00am to 5:00pm; Saturday 21 August​ 10:00am to 4:00pm and Sunday 22 August​ 12:00noon to 5:00pm.

To coincide with the official opening weekend the Group will be releasing the 2^nd Phase of its highly popular Westclare Court housing development, located one mile from their premises.  Members of the public interested in viewing these great new homes can do so on  Thursday 19/08/10​6:00pm to 8:30pm or Friday 20/08/10​​6:00pm to 8:30pm. Alternatively viewings can be arranged when convenient.

For further details on Westclare Court contact Patsy @ Jas Properties on 07771 855253 or 028 8774 0740 / 028 8774 6737 or e-mail: contact@westernbuild.com.

ONE of the province’s leading recycling companies has launched an innovative new website which will help clients and potential new businesses check just how much energy and costs they could be saving if they recycled properly.

The Tyrone based Envirogreen Recycling which was established last August has also just taken on it’s 20^th employee, another milestone to mark the end of a successful first year in business.

Commenting on the launch of the new site www.envirogreenrecycling.com which allows customers and potential clients to check how much, Carbon Dioxide (Co2) they could save by recycling, managing director of the company, Conor Guy said,

“This innovative website allows clients to log-on to their own secure area and automatically download recycling certificates and reports and set recycling targets as well as allowing potential new businesses the opportunity to view the savings they could be making and the environmental difference the correct recycling procedures can make to their company and ultimately their budgets.”

Incorporated just under a year ago, Mr Guy reveals that he saw a gap in the market for a “reliable and efficient” recycling company.

The company has since gone from strength to strength as its reputation for excellent customer service, innovations and top prices paid for recyclables such as baled cardboard and plastic film has spread.

 “Our clients recognize that we are reinvesting all of our profits back into the company to provide an even greater service to them. The feedback since envirogreenrecycling.com has gone live has been extremely positive. Clients love the ability to login into their personalised web account to monitor recycling levels and download recycling certificates at their convenience and this has been a major attraction for new clients as well.

“Recycling has come a long way over the years but it is still amazing to see how many companies are actually paying expensive bins and skips to dispose of their cardboard and plastic,” adds Mr Guy.

“They are eager to discover more about us when they learn that we actually buy recyclables”. 

It’s been a busy time for the Armagh business man who also this week became a father first the first time and is celebrating the birth of his daughter Emily Maria.

The enterprising workmanship of a leading Mid-Ulster electrical company has come firmly under the spotlight following the recent Asda Brick Awards.

Bellaghy-based, Premier Electrics was named ‘Construction Supplier of the Year’ in a special awards ceremony organised by the retail giant.

The accolade was given for the quality of Premier Electrics’ work on a number of Asda store projects but particularly for its commitment on internal refurbishment works carried out at a store in Clapham.

Gary Brogan, Premier Electrics’ key account holder for Asda, takes up the story.

“We were scheduled to fly a team over to London to carry out an electrical upgrade in the Clapham store when all flights were grounded as a result of the recent problems associated with volcanic ash. But because of the amount of planning that had already gone into preparing for this contract and the fact that we didn’t want to let Asda down, we quickly implemented a revised travel plan involving ferries and car hire.

“We arrived, got the job done and are now delighted that our customer focus and commitment has been recognised in these awards.”

Tony Shivers, Premier Electrics’ Company Manager the company was delighted with the latest award.

“As a company we always endeavour to go the extra mile for our clients. In this particular case, it involved quite a few extra miles! We are proud of our relationship with Asda and that our hard work and characteristic customer focus have been recognised in this way.”

Gary Brogan, representing Premier Electrics, was presented with the award at a gala evening held at the Royal Armories in Leeds.

The Belmore Court & Motel however, which splashed out £2.5m in a major investment a year ago, is celebrating the achievement of 20,000 bed-nights. Located in the centre of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, the Belmore Court reached the milestone almost exactly one year to the day after the official opening of a 30 bedroom extension. Owner, Terry McCartney revealed today the Belmore Court & Motel’s performance had exceeded even his own optimistic predictions. “The Motel is celebrating its 21st year and it has been gratifying to see a 205% year on year increase in Irish visitors, no doubt swayed by the recent weakness of sterling against the Euro, and a 133% rise in the numbers of Scottish visitors.

“We have invested heavily in our accommodation and staff training and we believe the market has responded to our unique offering. A major element in the success is the Belmore Court & Motel customer ‘experience’. This has been borne out by several independent surveys and is something of which we are very proud. Part of the supporting evidence lies in the fact we have featured regularly in Trip Advisor’s number one and two slots during 2010. Unlike our competitors in the region we don’t have the luxury of enticing our guests with wonderful dining or an opportunity to while away the evenings in a colourful bar. We know our market and therefore we have worked hard at emphasising our offering which centres on superior accommodation, continental breakfast, excellent staff service and undeniable value for money.”

The Belmore Court & Motel was opened by Terry’s father, Raymond McCartney, who was inspired to build a motel after extensive travels in the USA. Terry McCartney concedes his motel has ‘bucked the trend’ in many ways. “We decided to push ahead with what was a serious investment right in the heart of the recession which, I suppose was a surprise to some. But we have great confidence in our product and our people and we always knew the addition of new bedrooms which boast state-of-the-art flatscreen tvs, iPod docking stations and free wifi would add further to our already compelling offering.

“We have experienced particularly strong interest from corporate customers who want to provide their executives with value for money, good quality accommodation and we are looking optimistically towards the summer season with many people likely to opt for a holiday in the UK or Ireland due to the economic downturn.”

She recently joined the team at Serious PR bringing a wealth of experience spanning over 15 years in journalism and more latterly in consumer and corporate PR in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.  Previously, a senior feature’s writer on the Belfast Telegraph, for over a decade Karen was responsible for writing the stories behind the news and interviewing everyone from leading local politicians to pop stars and national celebrities.  More recently she has been involved in specialist consumer and retail PR working as an account director with leading clients including Clockwork Orange, Cool FM, Gordons Chemists, Templeton Robinson, Toni&Guy and Avoca all Ireland.

Karen was responsible for launching the first Miss Sixty store in Ireland and for the NI launch of the Avoca brand and has also worked with leading fashion houses including Benetton and Harrison Fashions.  Karen also helped launch luxury travel brand Chaka Travel and works with the Jason Shankey brand across the UK.

She has worked extensively on charity campaigns including Action Cancer’s Breast Cancer Month and Men’s Health as well as working with the MS Society and the Early Years Organisation.

The client now is the main story for Karen who is well equipped to liaising with the media on a daily basis and pitching and placing stories in the national and local press.

The Ulsterman finished sixth in race one and second in race two to move to 9^th place in the overall WTCC standings – having competed in only three meetings.

Turkington’s e-Bay Motors’ BMW, run by the West Surrey Racing team, was lightning quick over the weekend and recorded the fastest time in all three sectors to grab the fastest lap in the second free practice.

Turkington started third on the grid in each of the two races today and helped produce a strong overall BMW performance, with championship contender, Andy Priaulx emerging from fourth on the grid in the second race to deliver BMW’s 50^th WTCC victory, beating Turkington by just over two seconds.

Turkington and his WSR team, who had signed up for an initial three meetings, thanks to sponsorship from a group of private organisations including e-Bay Motors and Lafarge Cement, must now decide whether they should compete in further WTCC rounds.

Today’s results which follow two podium finishes two weeks ago at Brands Hatch mean the Ulsterman is positioned in 9^th place in the overall championship with 60 points.  Rule changes announced by the WTCC promoter, KSO, mean Turkington was unable to score points within the Independents’ Championship.

Had the old rules remained in force Turkington would have been 29 points clear in the Independents’ Championship.

/ends