A NEW LIFEPending changes in the building guidelines is good news for Maurice Ryan's renewable energy business, writes Michelle McDonagh
THE INCREASED societal awareness of the need and obligation for us to reduce our household carbon footprints was the inspiration behind Maurice Ryan's new renewable energy business.
With new building guidelines coming into force this year requiring a mandatory minimum level of renewable energy in new homes for the first time, he saw an opportunity to carve out a career path for himself in the growing greener home heating solutions market.
Although he has gone from working a nine-to-five job in the residential estate agency business to being permanently attached to his mobile phone and laptop, Ryan is thoroughly enjoying the experience of effectively being his own boss for the first time.
A native of Virginia in Cavan, he "loved every minute" of his secondary school days as a boarder at Castleknock College in Dublin and the friends he made there remain his good friends. After school, he "dabbled in engineering for a while" before taking a year out during which time he worked in Dublin, Italy and America.
On his return to Ireland, he completed a marketing degree at the Dublin Business School in 2003 before going straight into the position of district manager for Lidl, the discount supermarket chain in the Cavan/Monaghan area. He left that job to go into the estate agency business working for Gunnes estate agents in Ballsbridge where he says he trained with some of the best in the business.
He explains: "I loved the estate agency business initially but after a few years, I started to lose interest. I think I outgrew it, but I wasn't sure where to go or what to do, I had a lot of different ideas but nothing definite."
He had spoken to his father, Mossie Ryan, the managing director of private forestry company, Greenbelt, about the potential of renewable energies in the residential sector. Established in 1982, Greenbelt manages 200,000 acres of private forestry in Ireland with further investments across Europe and Central America.
"Being in a very strong position with regard to raw material for the renewable energy market, Greenbelt had already established a commercial wing called Imperative Energy and it was obvious that there was an opportunity on the residential side."
Within days, Ryan had handed in his notice to Gunnes and set up Resolutions (Renewable Energy Solutions). From knowing nothing about residential renewable energies, he had to become an expert very quickly in everything from wood pellet stoves to solar panels.
He remarks: "I liked the idea of being given the responsibility of trying to generate business and run the company myself with the security and support structure of Greenbelt and Imperative Energy behind me. My first day in the job was an Ideal Homes Exhibition which was a real baptism of fire."
As well as the building guidelines requiring that all new homes built from June of this year incorporate at least one element of renewable energy, green energy systems are grant- aided by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), which is all good news for Ryan's new business.
"Most people are coming around to the idea now of reducing their emissions and carbon footprint and are looking to improve their home energy rating. One of the easiest ways for most people to convert and introduce green energy into their homes is by putting a solar panel on an existing home. People are also replacing open fires with solid fuel stoves which improve energy efficiency by up to 80 per cent."
From a nine-to-five office job where he was "literally waiting for the bell to ring like Bart Simpson in the credits" and had no motivation or energy to go the extra mile, Ryan is now happy to work 12 hours a day if necessary to build up the business.
"I feel that I am now in control of my destiny. Everything I do directly impacts on the company. If I don't work, the job is not done. There is a sense of achievement when things go well. On the other side, the buck always stops with you but I think this makes me do a better job," he says.
Ryan says he is now a lot happier, more satisfied and focused than he has ever been in his career to date and his quality of life has also improved. Having lived in Dublin for 10 years, he now splits his time between Dublin and the family home in Virginia. He also spends quite a lot of time at the Resolutions greener homes showroom in the Kells Business Park, Co Meath.
"It's great to be working for myself and effectively for a family company. At the end of the day, my father is my boss which makes breakfast in Virginia very interesting these days with regular 7am board meetings at the breakfast table. My dad has been in the business for so many years that the knowledge he has picked up along the way is invaluable to me."
From watching the clock all day at work, Ryan has now set himself a five-year goal to open a number of greener home showrooms around the State and try to develop a national brand.
On a personal note, he plans to move full-time back to the Cavan area over the next couple of years.
"I have less free time now but I don't mind. I play football a couple of nights a week and spend weekends with my girlfriend, Zara, who lives in Antrim. As we get older, the network of friends has spread from Dublin around the country and it's great to get out of the city at the weekends although these days, the laptop and BlackBerry come everywhere with me."