FAMILY-controlled South Derry construction firm Heron Bros is on course for a £100 million turnover as it prepares to mark its diamond jubilee.
The company, established as a modest building contractor in 1956 by six brothers in Draperstown, saw its turnover shoot up more than five per cent to £52m in its last full trading year, when it posted a bottom-line profit of £2m and carried forward £24m in assets.
And despite being only two months into its new financial year, Heron Bros already has an order book of £80m and growing, following its expansion three years ago into Scotland (40 per cent of the current order book has been procured there).
The company has interests in construction, land and property development, specialist joinery manufacture, quarrying, building supplies, plant hire, farming and wind energy.
As well as reaping dividends in Scotland, another factor which has helped Heron Bros on its way to doubling turnover was being awarded the joint-venture contract to build the new €55m National Indoor Arena in Dublin.
"Although the construction and property sector was hit hard by the economic downturn, Heron Bros has not only been able to withstand this, but has remained profitable," its group managing director Damian Heron said.
The expansion has also led to the workforce growing to 260, and Heron Bros also positively contributes to a wider labour pool of more than 500 sub-contractors who are employed on sites throughout Britain and Ireland.
Sister company Heron Property also continues to thrive, securing new tenants across Ireland which which has just purchased a £12m office portfolio which is let on a long term lease to a blue chip tenant.
“We're delighted with our company’s ongoing growth," Mr Heron added.
"We are committed to being a partner of choice by building robust, long-lasting relationships with our stakeholders.
"Through early project involvement, we implement best practice collaborative management procedures as part of our customer care policy. These are explained in simple terms as providing our customers with a full understanding of how we intend to meet their needs.
“Our aim is to work with like-minded companies that will join us on our journey towards becoming a more sustainable business, and our success has been built on the firm foundation of integrity.
The expertise of our divisions in regional, national and international markets, combined with our strong partnership ethos and commitment to continuous improvement keep us at the forefront of the industry.
"This is underpinned by the quality of our experienced professional and skilled workforce who share our vision of achieving excellent standards in quality, health and safety, and environmental management, whilst providing value for money at all times.”
