Company Focus: Procon Group

Procon Carpentry was formed just three and a half years ago by Keady man Ryan Fegan. Since then, the business has developed quickly, with the addition of a Skyhire company and other new ventures in the pipeline. We spoke with Ryan to find out more about his operation and why Dean Swift was the perfect fit for his growing business.

Tell me about the Procon Group

At the Procon Group, we have several business ventures operating under one roof. The core of our business is carpentry and we have worked on some of the largest commercial projects in the island of Ireland, including Victoria’s Secrets, Facebook, Twitter, River Island and Lifestyle Sports, as well as hotels such as the Radisson Blu and The Devlin. We also operate a hired labour facility, working with the top 5 construction companies in Ireland to provide carpenters for their sites. We currently have around 40 carpenters on our books.

Alongside the carpentry element of the business, we also operate a rental company – Procon Skyhire – which provides a range of access machinery such as cherry pickers, sky lifts etc. We’re not going to stop here either, we’ve more ideas up the sleeve and we’re constantly looking at ways to expand the business.

How long have you been a tenant of Dean Swift?

We’ve been here since August 2017 and were one of the first tenants of the new building.

When I started out in the carpentry business, it suited me to work from home and out of a van initially, which I did for around a year. However I realised quickly that if I wanted to grow the business I would need a base, so that led me to begin the process of looking for offices. The Dean Swift was the first premises I looked at and I knew right away it was the right fit for me.

How long was the process between first enquiring about space and subsequently moving in?

I came and viewed the premises and a week later I had moved in – genuinely it was that straightforward! Initially part of what put me off looking for offices was having to furnish a shell of an office and pay to get connected for water, electricity, broadband etc. And that’s without purchasing furniture! I thought it would be a long drawn out process and a really expensive initial outlay, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The landlord offered me the option of a furnished office and all the utilities were sorted, so I literally moved in, plugged in the laptop and that was the office open for business!

Why did the location appeal?  

First and foremost I wanted to base the business in Armagh to be close to home, but I think Armagh is a great business hub and is only improving all the time so I’m glad to be a part of that. With Dean Swift, I think we have the best of both worlds. We’re close enough to the city centre to feel part of the buzz but far enough out to be able to avoid traffic delays.

Most of our carpentry work is in Dublin, so the location here is ideal to get there – I can easily be in the city centre within an hour and a half, which is great.

Why did the Dean Swift building appeal to you?

Visually I loved how the building was renovated, it was very slick and I got a great feeling for it as soon as I got a look around. When you’re bringing clients in for meetings it’s so important to make a good impression and the Dean Swift was exactly the kind of place I could imagine myself making good business deals in! The meeting room spaces were ideal and we’ve used them regularly since moving in.

Parking is a major plus for me, both for staff and for clients – it’s great to know you can invite people here and know there’ll be no stress for either party trying to secure appropriate parking.

The whole building is so bright and airy and really spacious so it’s ideal for staff and clients alike. The kitchens and bathrooms are so well finished, and as a carpenter I have a sharp eye for these kinds of details!

When choosing the space I was very conscious of staff. I think that when trying to attract and retain staff it’s so important they are happy in their surroundings.

Why did you make the move into a shared workspace environment as opposed to a standalone office?

Part of the appeal for me was to have like-minded business people around me. It’s amazing to see young businesses flourish here and I think we all spur each other on to do better in business.

What has your experience been since signing up with Dean Swift?

Everything has been so positive. We have a really good relationship with the landlords here, they are so helpful and nothing is ever a problem. The caretaker is fantastic and very accommodating. We feel very secure here knowing he checks all the locks at night and if ever we have forgotten or lost keys there’s a quick solution, so we’ve never been stuck!

We couldn’t ask for a better service from everyone here, it’s one less hassle running a business when you know you’re in a great location with an attentive landlord.

What is the greatest positive about Dean Swift in your experience?

I think for me it has to be the sense of community with the other businesses in the building. We have everything here across a variety of different sectors, but we’re all working towards the same goal of establishing and growing successful businesses. Most people here are running new companies – there aren’t too many of us that are long established – so we are learning from each other and being inspired by each other to develop. We’ve developed some great relationships here and we’ve been able to bring business to the other tenants, just as they have used our services too, so it works really well both ways. The likes of the IT Hub and KDM have been really good to us and it has been great to be able to help them and others out in return. We have a fantastic community growing here and I can’t wait to see how it will work in a few years.

Pictured from L-R: Ryan Fegan, Nicola Deveney