Building a brand

Meet Ollie McGovern for the first time and you would imagine he is like many other fun-loving 28-year-olds.

His boyish appearance, smart clothes and highlighted blonde hair mask a man with a rare drive to succeed in everything he does and it is little wonder that he has set up his own property and building company, the MD Group, with partner Stephen Dunne in purpose-built premises near Farmoor.

This desire stems back to childhood. Growing up in the Irish community in Cowley, what he describes as "family problems" saw him with no-where to live at the age of 15.

He moved to Kidlington to stay with family and studied for his GCSEs at Gosford Hill school, performing well and managing to earn an engineering apprenticeship at the Rover car plant in Cowley.

But it was not enough. His desire for security for both himself and his brothers led to him working on the railways at weekends for two years, along with Mr Dunne, who had started out as a trainee quantity surveyor.

They earned more in a weekend than in a full week in their jobs but this was not beer money. Together they bought a house in Cowley which provided Mr McGovern and his two brothers with their own home.

Eventually Mr McGovern left the Cowley works by now being run by BMW as his ambition grew.

He explained: "My skills were management driven and working in a big organisation it was proving difficult to get noticed.

"I wanted a change of direction with a view to working for myself."

He went to work for telecoms firm TTML at Milton Park as a projects engineer and within two years had been promoted twice.

Art the same time he set up the Studio Health and Fitness club in Abingdon.

Asked where he found the time, he explained: "When you have got the desire and you are driven, you find the time."

And all the while at weekends he was also investing in property with Mr Dunne.

He said: "The first property, the one we lived in, was bought in 2001 and we continued looking for properties with development potential.

"We now own about 100 properties which we rent out."

Mr McGovern and Mr Dunne set up MD Construction four years ago which builds new flats to let and to sell on the open market.

Mr McGovern said: "We have built up some very good relationships with local architects and planning consultants and have had a 100 per cent success rate with every planning application we have submitted."

Of course it is a competitive industry and MD is very much the new boy on the block compared to the likes of Kingerlee and Pye. Building a reputation is therefore difficult.

"Construction is renowned for people going bust. We wanted to build a brand which could ensure quality and reliability," added Mr McGovern.

MD has its property portfolio as capital to give the business a strong base but it has not needed to fall back on it.

It has just started work on ten flats in Headington, part-conversion of existing property and part-new build, and has a "land bank" in various areas of Oxford ready for development this year.

This year will also see MD move out of its local "comfort zone" into as yet uncharted territory. This is partly driven by necessity as with every new development in the city requiring 50 per cent affordable housing, it is becoming less viable as a site in which small building companies can operate.

He said: "I can understand the reason for affordable housing but it can actually slow down the building of affordable houses simply because smaller developers will not put planning applications in."

Mr McGovern is looking at areas such as the Vale of White Horse where the affordable housing threshold is much lower as well as cities further afield such as Southampton.

If anyone required proof of what MD is capable of, they need look no further than its new headquarters, Willow Barn, part of the new Willow Park development it has built off the Cumnor Road.

It features an ICE energy heating system which works by drawing latent heat from the ground and channelling it to a boiler.

There are no emissions and the system has a 25-year lifespan, double that of a conventional oil or gas unit and its running costs are 70 per cent lower.

Mr McGovern reckons the system which cost £7,500 will have paid for itself in four years and is looking to install it in some of his other properties.

As managing director of the MD Group, Mr McGovern spends two days on the business of MD Construction and the rest of the time with MD Homes working on developments and financial strategy.

Turnover at MD Construction is forecast to be £3.5m compared to £1.65m last year and it has a staff of 30 which has doubled in the last year.

The focus is on building projects worth more than £200,000 which fit well into the demands of the Oxford marketplace, particularly apartments for young professionals and retired people looking to scale down.

Mr McGovern said: "We are looking to grow 30 per cent year on year. There is a continuous business plan to acquire property and redevelop it."

With such ambition and determination, does Mr McGovern have any time off?

He employs a business/life coach, Peter Haddon, who he uses as a "soundng board" once a quarter.

"He helped me plan my work and personal life. I set myself targets every three months and look to achieve them."

This year he will marry his partner of nine years, Victoria Barrett and Mr Dunne will also wed his long-term fiancee, Charlie Heather.

Mr McGovern added: "Running a business, I almost need to plan and organise everything I do. It's about ambition and also discipline. But I enjoy the challenge."

Contact: MD Construction, 01865 86070, www.mdgroup.co.uk