Entrepreneurial spirit and hard work paying off at Royalbridge Limited
11/03/2024
Specialising in site clearance, bulk excavation, demolition, waste disposal, plant hire and haulage, Royalbridge Limited has quickly established itself as an industry-leading, award-winning operation. At the heart of this progressive company is the vision and entrepreneurial spirit of hard-working young founder / proprietor Colm Kiernan.
At a time when the haulage and plant hire industries are crying out for young talent, Meath man Colm Kiernan – the hands-on MD of Royalbridge Limited – is leading by example.
In little over two and a half years, Colm, who was voted as Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 at the Machinery Mover awards, has forged a stellar reputation as the go-to contractor across Leinster and beyond for a wide range of on-site construction, excavation and demolition services including – but by no means limited to – bulk excavation, site clearance, contaminated soil removal, waste disposal, plant hire and haulage solutions.
Running a large and fresh fleet of modern trucks and machinery, each manned by a skilled and experienced operator, Royalbridge possesses the equipment, manpower, enthusiasm and energy to invariably deliver outstanding solutions and this is why Colm has quickly earned an exceptional track record working for a who’s who of clients including Shawport, Richmond Homes, Cascade Group, Forkan Construction, Bennett, Collen, Mannings and JCL to mention just a random selection.
Irish Trucker interrupted Colm’s incredibly busy schedule during the run-up to his third Christmas in business to gauge his reaction to scooping the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 Award: “I’m absolutely over the moon,” the personable Meath man confirmed. “It was good to get it because it just goes to show that when you put in the work, it pays off. I’m very fortunate to have great customers and that’s half the battle.
“Recognition in the form of awards is great not just for the company but also for employees and clients. It gives a little encouragement to everybody. The reaction to it was great and we had very positive feedback with friends sharing it on social media and people contacting me, so it was a nice bit of publicity and a good way of getting the Royalbridge name out there a little more.”
Not that Colm needs the free advertising as Royalbridge Limited has made an incredible impression since he started the company up during the summer of 2021, quickly earning a reputation for consistently providing top-class, professional, value-added services which has seen the business expand quickly on the back of repeat business and positive referrals from satisfied customers.
“I started the business up when I finished college,” the now 24-year-old recalls. “This is what I always wanted to do. I grew up around trucks, plant and machinery and am third generation in this game. It was a massive risk to take but I had complete faith in my qualifications and determination to succeed. I started off with a €15,000 loan from the Credit Union and bought my first truck, a Hino, for €10,000.
“I was already a qualified Transport Manager and had my international road haulage licence. My first break came when I got four months of work with Shannon Valley Plant Hire. I then approached Forkan Construction and got a major muck shifting job in Santry and have been working regularly with them ever since. Cash flow is very important and by giving a good service I kept getting more work and bigger jobs and that enabled me to grow the business and to invest in increasing the fleet.”
From the outset, Royalbridge Limited was fully certified and compliant with all industry standards and regulations. Through the delivery of unrivalled service levels, organic, sustainable growth has been a constant feature of the business since its genesis.
“My aim from the beginning was to get in with good clients and good people,” says Colm. “Once your clients are happy, you will get more work and you will be able to build up the fleet. It’s working very well so far and the company keeps growing steadily as a result of strong demand.”
Operating and managing his own waste facility gives Colm the edge on much of the competition as it can be painfully expensive to process and dispose of muck and soil – a service which is provided in-house by Royalbridge in keeping with the company’s unwavering commitment to sustainability.
From site clearance to waste disposal, Royalbridge’s expert team manages every aspect of the job efficiently, their commitment to responsible waste management ensuring a minimal environmental footprint on every project.
“There are a lot of good companies out there already providing these services and the reality is that, if you are not on top of your game, you won’t last,” Colm concedes. “You have to be performing at that standard, if not better. If your standard of work isn’t good enough on every job, and you’re not thinking ahead, then you are not going to succeed.
“I always try to look up to others who have been in business for a long time, and to learn from them and emulate them. You can get tips from them and try to improve the standards being set … every day I’m learning something new.”
Part of this involves embracing new technology, such as the latest apps and software to digitalise and streamline fleet and project management whilst simultaneously reducing the business’ carbon footprint by eliminating the use of paper.
A professional approach is taken to every job including the provision of a Traffic Manager, Waste Manager, road sweepers, soil reports, etc.
The extensive Royalbridge fleet currently comprises five articulated trucks, five tipper trucks, three 8-wheel tippers, two 21-tonne diggers, one 13-tonne digger and an array of flat bed and low loader trailers, with Volvo, Scania, Schmitz and Thompson figuring prominently. Between drivers and office staff, gainful employment is generated for twelve full-time and two part-time.
Services are provided nationwide including regular work in counties Meath, Dublin, Kildare, Westmeath and Laois, while Colm and his team had just completed a site strip-off of some 25,000 cubic metres of muck at Cork Airport at the time of writing.
While Royalbridge has come a long, long way in a relatively short space of time, its young owner is confident that there is still scope for further growth: “I’d love to keep growing but my main objective is to keep it as steady as I can and stay on top of it. One area I would like to get into, which would further strengthen the business, is recycling concrete.
“In terms of demolition, bulk excavation and site development, we are taking on more and more work and it is inevitable that we are going to need more trucks, machinery, staff and facilities going forward,” he concludes. “We’ll respond appropriately to this demand and sustainable growth is very much the goal.”
Royalbridge Limited,
Glen Road,
Moynalvey,
Summerhill,
County Meath.
Tel: 086 3003307
Email: [email protected]
Web: royalbridge.ie
First published in Irish Trucker magazine March/April 2024, Vol 27-1
