New kid on the block

Starting your own business can be a daunting task and many have found it difficult to cope with the pressures of running a company, but Kilkenny native MJ McGuinness has no problems in running two haulage based firms - Interlink and Secure Storage despite the fact that he has just recently turned 21!

Proud owner MJ McGuinness displays one of his trucks, a Mercedes Actros Megaspace 1850

Many may look at this with a raised eyebrow and wonder how such a young man could run two businesses, so soon after he finished school and college. MJ’s story is an interesting tale and he was kind enough to share it with the readers of Irish Trucker magazine.
Despite only recently acquiring his haulage licence and becoming the youngest person in the country to do so, MJ has more experience with trucks than many of his peers.

It all began when he first showed signs of being interested in trucks as his father is well known politician John McGuinness, who has served the Kilkenny area with distinction since being first elected to the Dail in 1997.

On the campaign trail during John's successful re-election

John established Fastmac Express Delivery in 1975, a nationwide haulage service that was to grow vastly over the years. Over the years, Fastmac built up towards a fleet of 20 trucks and soon became one of the leading nationwide haulage firms in Ireland.
A young MJ was born into a world of trucks and spent a lot of his youth travelling around the country with the drivers on deliveries and he soon realised that this was what he wanted to do when he grew up.

“I remember when I was nine years old I got into one of the trucks unknown to my father and let it roll towards our house, fortunately he saw what was happening and managed to stop the truck before it hit the house,” revealed MJ.
“I probably knew from around then that I wanted to be involved in the haulage industry. I use to travel with the drivers and became good friends with them and when I meet them on the roads now, they offer me advice, which has been greatly appreciated. I also hopped into a 40ft one day and drove it around the yard when I was about 12 or 13. I managed not to hit anything and even reversed the trailer.”

MJ (left) learned the trade from his father John (right)

Interlink Ireland Ltd was founded in 1986 with 10 depots. Following substantial growth, Interlink Ireland is now the premier parcel delivery company in Ireland, with 35 depots handling in excess of 6 million parcels per year.
One of those ten depots was based in Hebron Industrial Estate Kilkenny city, when John decided to buy a franchise of the business. After being elected in ’97, John found that his political career was as expected taking up a considerable amount of his time and three years later, he made the decision to sell Fastmac Express Delivery.
However, Deputy McGuinness kept the Interlink Franchise with MJ lending a hand to run the business at the weekends and during the holiday period.

“I became more and more involved in the running of the business and when I was finished business management in college, I took over the full running of the company, although my father does keep a close eye on me,” he joked.
In June 2006, Interlink Ireland committed €18 million to remain at the forefront of the express parcels market by investing in a new hub and headquarters in Athlone.
MJ admits that he has learned from the best through his father and also stresses that with a reliable work force in place at Interlink, he has been allowed to explore different avenues.
“I’ve certainly learned so much from my father down through the years. It has been a great learning curve and I’ll be forever grateful for all he taught me.

“The staff at Interlink has been with us for years and they are a very reliable workforce. They deserve great credit as they more or less run the company on their own and this has allowed me to start another business, which I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. We are very close and indeed could be described as a small family and I would like to thank them for all their help over the years and long may it continue.”
Just over a year ago, MJ cornered a niche in the market that has even surpassed his own expectations. With plenty of space on their premises, the young entrepreneur saw a gap in the market for a secure storage service.
“Through my dealings with Interlink, I found that people were keen to store packages of all sorts in a secure environment. I bought four containers and within a couple of weeks, they were all full.

“We now have 14 on the premises, which are all monitored by security cameras. Customers can store anything for any length of time; some need stuff to be stored for three months, six months, a year or even longer. We are able to cater for anybody and have competitive rates, while there is also a collection and delivery service provided.”
MJ also revealed that he recently purchased his first truck – a Mercedes Actros and following the acquisition of his haulage licence, he has been busy out on the road.

“I felt it was important to get the licence and start driving as I wouldn’t ask a driver to do anything that I wasn’t willing to do myself. The business has really taken off and the containers are usually full at all times.”
Here is a young man with his goals set out and he certainly knows what he wants and when he wants it. Not one to rest on his laurels, MJ has plans to expend the business over the coming years, but for the moment he is content to continue with his lot.