Today, not yet three years down the road, OML Ventilation is a thriving business employing 17 people and still growing. Trevor started with a small crew, specialising in the provision of ventilation and related services across a wide spectrum of industries. He now attributes most of the success of the company to the predictive analysis that his team performed, and of which, you can learn more right here.
However, the pace of growth took him by surprise with the business expanding organically, virtually all new work coming by way of word-of-mouth recommendation. This was hardly surprising given Trevor’s standing and reputation in the ventilation sector in Cork and throughout Munster. From when he first started as an apprentice sheet metal worker with GB Services in 1995 to when he finished up with the company as Contracts Manager 17 year later, he gained invaluable experience.
“It is only in hindsight” he says, “that I realise just how important that whole 17-year period was in preparing me to run my own business. To a great extent you are too busy to notice these things but, when faced with the challenge of establishing and managing my own concern, I found I had a great deal of knowledge and experience to draw on.
“In addition, I had great industry contacts overing both potential clients and a network of qualified and experienced tradesmen whom I could employ. Consequently, as the business grew, I was able to build the team rapidly to deliver top-class ventilation solutions across all industry segments, from pharmaceutical through to industrial, commercial and retail applications.
“We do everything from ventilation and extraction systems through to air handling units, dust extraction, insulation, cladding etc. Clients include Baxter Healthcare, Cork Institute of Technology, Merck Millipore, Johnson Controls, MSD Brinny, John Sisk & Son, Pfizers, Irish Blood Bank and many more”.
That is not to suggest that it was all plain sailing, the biggest challenge being to get the work/lifestyle balance right. Trevor is not afraid of hard work, or of putting the hours in. However, that makes for a 24-hour role, seven days a week. It is something he is conscious of, and something he is starting to address, by building a strong back-room team to provide administration, costing, design and project-analysis support.
Site-assessment is a critical part of the process with every individual situation thoroughly assessed and analysed before any solution is proposed. This applies whether it is a new-build, refurbishment or retrofit scenario. Lifecycle costs, energy efficiencies and regulatory compliance are also prime considerations.
Trevor is disciplined, attention to detail on projects and the manner in which they are delivered being as important as the solution itself. This also applies to the paperwork and manuals associated with each project.
In essence, OML Ventilation delivers client solutions in a very professionalism manner that, at the same time, allows for flexibility and common sense intervention where appropriate. ■
