Green Revolution is Kells firm's springboard to business success

When Kells-based businessman Maurice Ryan is seeking advice, he usually doesn't have to look too much further than his father, Michael, for the kind of guidance some people would pay good money to acquire. Michael Ryan is a driving force behind Green Belt Ltd, a private forestry investment enterprise that manages 200,000 acres of forestry. He has spent over 40 years in the often turbulent world of business and when his son calls, there is a deep reservoir of experience to draw upon. Considering his family background, it's hardly surprising that Maurice Ryan took a bold step into the world of business. Just over two years ago, while still only in his late 20s, he set up Resolutions, a green energy company with its headquarters in the Kells Business Park. Resolutions supply and install renewable energy systems, including solar panels, underfloor heating, wood pellet stoves and back boilers. The company is also involved in the designing of energy-efficient houses. The Kells firm employs three people directly as well as a coterie of sub-contractors located in various locations around the country. Not only is Resolutions consolidating, it has plans to grow despite the recession that continues to bite with all the ferocity of a hungry tiger that has just captured a vulnerable and bleeding prey. The aim, explains Maurice Ryan, who lives outside Kells, is to expand the business by building up a network of sub-contractors and customers and tap into the Green Revolution that looks set to transform the way people live. This year Ryan is hoping to double his 2008 turnover figure. Recently, Resolutions opened a showroom in Athlone where potential customers can come in to see the kind of products the company has to offer. It's all part of a plan to reach out to the paying punter. It works something like this: the company opens up a showroom in an area, the customer can call in to see what's on offer, find out how a product works and how it looks. In this way, customer and company get to know each other a little better and confidence between the parties is built up. Ryan explains that Resolutions can, for example, have a solar panel put in place by one of its installers in any given area. Alternatively, the customer can employ his or her own installer. In this way, Resolutions hopes to establish a network and reach out to what he hopes will be an ever-expanding pool of customers and create some work for plumbers and fitters in the process. With showrooms in Kells and Athlone already up and running, there are plans to open a similar outlet in Dublin in the near future. Maurice Ryan points out that one of the ways companies like his can help people fight the recession is to assist them in making significant savings on energy. Since Resolutions was first established, he says, there have been big changes - in the economy and in people's mindsets. "When we started up first, more people had money, the focus probably wasn't on energy-saving; it was more about looking good. Now people are more focused on where their next pay packet is coming from, so they want to try and conserve as much money as they can," he asserts. "They're also a bit more green conscious. They're conscious of their carbon footprint, it's in the news every day, that's how we see the market going. Obviously, it's slower in terms of the number of estates that are being built, one-off houses to a certain degree are being constructed, but, in general terms, things are quieter. People in existing homes are now looking at reducing their energy," he adds. Ryan throws out some figures to back up his argument. He points out that it can take up to €3,000 to heat a four-bedroom house of 2,000 square feet using oil. "If you insulate that home, insulate a cavity wall, for example, put in solar panels, a more efficient boiler, you could reduce your energy costs by probably 60 per cent," he maintains. Ryan garnered a considerable amount of experience before he ended up running his own business. He studied construction engineering, completed a marketing degree, went to work with Lidl, the German retail giant, and managed a few different stores for them. He also spent a few years as an estate agent in Dublin before he decided to branch out on his own and launched Resolutions. Throughout his career, he had seen some things that shocked him, including the quality of some houses that were constructed in indecent haste during the madcap days of the Celtic Tiger. Some people, he says, were just interested in obtaining the biggest house they could without thinking clearly about just how much it would cost to maintain it. Now the tables have turned 180 degrees. So how should people react to the current recession that shows little sign of abating? "People need to keep a focus, save money, tighten the belt and not be completely ridiculous. I think things had got out of hand completely, where people were just throwing good money after bad, because they didn't think about it," Ryan insists. The old bugbear of bank credit remains a big problems for many firms although Maurice Ryan points out that his company is helped by maintaining good credit terms with suppliers. Yet there still has been a significant shift in the way business is conducted. "Everything is a little tighter now," he adds. Cashflow is another problem for small firms in addition to capital costs. "Unfortunately, we've seen a lot of people struggling for money this year and that has affected our cashflow. We're reluctant to get loans because we want to keep our exposure limited. That's the biggest issue for us, cashflow." While Ryan says he seeks to learn from his own mistakes and gain as much experience as possible, he says there are times when it can be very beneficial to have someone who knows what life can be like in business, especially during the hard times. And that's where his father can come in. "My father's business philosophy would be to do things right and build a good name for yourself." It's the kind of advice that is helping Resolutions to not only stay afloat in the midst of a perfect economic storm but lay the foundations for a prosperous future.