Fairgreen manager John honoured by his peers at Cavan conference

“A TRUE leader” – that’s how the manager of Carlow’s Fairgreen Shopping Centre was described as he was honoured for his “outstanding contribution to our industry”.

The accolade came from the Shopping Centre Managers Association of Ireland (SCMAI) at their conference in the Slieve Russell Hotel, Cavan recently. John, a familiar face to many, described receiving the award as “a proud moment”, telling The Nationalist he was “both surprised and delighted”.

The SCMAI was founded in the 1980s and provides professional support for those in the industry. John has been involved with the SCMAI since about 2000 as chairperson, secretary and he currently holds the position of treasurer. The association has a conference every two years. John was MC this year and found himself very “surprised” to have been called back on stage after the closing address and presented with this award in front of his peers.

The SCMAI thanked John for his “leadership” in the industry, calling him an integral part of the association for over 25 years.

“John has been a mentor and friend to so many centre managers over all those years and right up to today offering guidance and assurance with pure honesty. John is always at the other end of the phone at any time to offer help and advice when needed and sometimes when you don’t even know you need it,” the gathering heard.

Addressing the crowd, chairperson Denis Carroll said that particularly during the Covid period, a very challenging time for the industry, John and his ‘Zooms at noon’ helped many get through the “hard and uncertain times, both professionally and personally”.

Denis went on to pay tribute to John’s professional credentials, outlining his membership of both the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

“That is the formal side of John, but most of us know that he is a funny, engaging and absolutely unique character,” said Denis.