Business After Hours event was a big hit with Carlow Chamber
Pictured at the Chamber Business After Hours in Carroll Estimating, Chamber members, James Fenlon from show case media, Pat Amond Carlow Toolmaking Services, Tom Snoddy Carroll Estimating, Nicola Doran County Carlow Chamber, Michael Quinn President County Carlow Chamber, Paddy and Niamh Carroll Carroll Estimating, Norah Ryan Barrow Consultancy & Training, Ciara Stanley Coppenagh House Farm / Ballybar Ireland, Rowena Dooley Dooley Motors and Trevor Gillespie Delta Centre
A PEAK inside the inner workings of Carroll Estimating, founded by Paddy and Niamh Carroll, played host to the first Chamber Business After Hours event of the year.
The idea behind Business After Hours is to give visiting firms a chance to see the inner workings of the host business – what they do well, how they do it and what makes them different.
It offers insight and inspiration, enabling people to get ideas that they can apply to their own enterprises. And being a Chamber event, there is a chance to network with like-minded individuals.
County Carlow Chamber president Michael Quinn said: “It was great to get a real insight into what Paddy, Niamh and their team are doing in Carroll Estimating. Their passion, drive and clarity of purpose is impressive and I was particularly interested to hear how they approach customer service, productivity and efficiency, and how they support and develop their team.” Paddy Carroll gave a presentation on the overall business, explaining how Carroll Estimating was founded and how it has developed. He spoke about their ethos and passion for ensuring that when they work with clients – typically contractors and sub-contractors in the building trade – that they save them money, time and stress.
“Tendering and pricing is a complex area and not always easy to navigate. Our aim is to ensure that when we work for a client that we leave no money on the table. In other words, every job is precisely and accurately priced and tracked to ensure that our customers get paid in full and on time for the work they deliver,” said Paddy Carroll.
Carroll Estimating have delivered projects large and small in all areas of the building trade – from residential and industrial to civil engineering and conservation – across Ireland, Britain and abroad. They are firm believers in harnessing technology to allow them to do their jobs faster and more accurately, and pride themselves on their ability to identify the right digital tools to help them provide excellent service.
Visitors also got a tour of their stunning new premises at Bagenal Court on the Athy Road in Carlow. The interior was designed by local designer Emma Butler of White Meadows and they used all local tradespeople and suppliers.
“We are very proud of being from and based in Carlow and we go to great lengths to work with Carlow businesses whenever possible,” said Paddy.
“Emma achieved the ideal look for our needs. It begins with a warm and inviting tea/coffee area as you enter the building, to make sure everyone feels welcome. Visitors particularly love our living-moss wall piece.” Over the past number of years, Paddy has harnessed the power of digital marketing to increase his profile and secure clients. LinkedIn has been particularly central to his strategy and he has found that through engaging and informative videos he is growing his following substantially.
It was this understanding of the value and impact of digital marketing that inspired the concept of Ampifi – his latest business venture.
Ampifi empowers businesses and individuals by helping them to share their message, grow their brand, educate and connect with their audience, their customers and their employees in a powerful way.
It is a full-service podcast studio for audio and video, which podcasters, influencers and businesses can rent to record on-demand. Ampifi offers a variety of options, from the basic renting of the recording space to full-service sound, editing, tech support, post-production and marketing.
“The concept behind the Chamber Business After Hours is to provide a glimpse into the real workings of the host business,” said Nicola Doran, CEO of County Carlow Chamber of Commerce.
“These intimate and engaging events will provide different experiences in each host business. Paddy and his team gave us exceptional access and insight. It was inspiring, and many of us who attended left with our heads bursting with ideas,” she added.
“Huge thanks to Carroll Estimating for opening their doors to us and letting us understand what they do best,” said Nicola.
For more information on this event host, visit www.carrollestimating.ie. For upcoming Chamber events, go to www.carlowchamber.com.
