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Jason Doherty, founder of Micron, tells Emily Moore how the business grew from a small electrical firm to a 20-strong team offering a whole range of services
WHEN Jason Doherty took his two team members out for a Thai meal to celebrate the launch of his new business, he was looking forward to a relaxing evening.
What the founder of Micron had not predicted was that, before the curries had been served, he would have received an email from a prospective client which would quickly bring to an end any prospect of a steady, gradual build-up to the business.
“I will never forget the day that email came through,” Jason reflected. “Caroline [Sheridan, a director of the firm] and I were having dinner at the Park House with the one electrician we employed at that stage, when I received an email from a client, asking whether we could carry out some electrical installation tests on some properties for them.
“My first response was excitement. Then I started scrolling through the list and it seemed never-ending. There were about 1,000 addresses on the list.”
Describing that commission as a “catalyst”, Jason and Caroline quickly started scrolling through their contact lists, bringing on board the skills and expertise they needed to be able to accept not just that initial booking but the many which have followed.
“We knew what we were doing when it came to testing the equipment and signing off the installations, but we didn’t yet have the structure in place that we have today, so we were thrown in somewhat at the deep end,” explained Jason, who is a qualified domestic energy assessor and electrical inspector at QES level.
That was seven years ago and, in the intervening period, the company has grown to a team of nearly 20, operating from its new premises in Channel House in Green Street.
But if Jason and Caroline thought that they had surmounted all the challenges following that initial 1,000-property inspection, they quickly had to think again, as Covid hit just two years after Micron came into being.
“Making the decision to launch your own business is huge,” said Jason, “and we were still very much in our infancy when the pandemic started. I was terrified that everything we had built up would be swept away from us but, thanks to the brilliant relationships we had with our clients, we survived.
“We also, alongside many other contractors, worked 17-hour days to install the electrics at the Nightingale Wing, which it was a privilege to be involved with.”
While the tasks facing the team have, at times, been more than a little daunting, Jason is in no doubt that the company’s ethos has carried them through.
“We chose the name Micron for a reason, as we are a small business but we have a powerful punch,” he said. “We like to be put to the test and we do everything we can to innovate and remain at the forefront of this ever-evolving industry.”
Indeed, with the company’s slogan being “put us to the test”, there is no doubt that the team has plenty of ambition, which is demonstrated through the company’s rapid expansion.
“Having started on the electrical side, the company has developed two further divisions, Micron Building Services and Micron Energy Services,” explained office manager Louise Harvey-Simmons, who joined the group just over three years ago.
Carrying out kitchen and bathroom refurbishments, Micron Building Services offers what Caroline describes as a “one-stop shop for anyone planning a new kitchen or bathroom”.
“We take the stress out of the project, offering a design service and producing samples and drawings for you to review,” she said. “We then save you the hassle of finding all the individual items and tradespeople, co-ordinating the project and working with our own team and trusted sub-contractors to carry out the work.”
Micron Energy Services, meanwhile, is the newest strand to the business, and is designed to support the move towards more eco-friendly methods of construction.
“While we are predominantly an electrical company specialising in testing installations and producing electrical installation condition reports, we are also very aware of the growing focus on sustainability and the need for both commercial and domestic premises to be as energy-efficient as possible,” said Louise.
In response to this, Micron Energy Services undertakes a range of work including home energy audits, an initiative established by the government to support the Island’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
“This is a great scheme, which enables you to assess the energy efficiency of your home,” explained Micron business development manager Leanne Fitzgerald-Wilkins.
“From next year, it will be a legal requirement for anyone who wants to sell or rent out a property to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate. Not only does this provide useful information about likely energy bills but, for the existing property owner, it gives recommendations about how to make the home more energy-efficient.
“We have seen a massive response to this initiative, with a number of property managers having commissioned audits for all the addresses in their portfolios, and the demand for this service is only going to grow. At the moment, the government is also offering a subsidy to help cover the costs. The certificate is valid for ten years but, if you make changes designed to improve your energy-efficiency rating, you can arrange another audit after which an updated certificate will be issued.”
And it is not just in terms of sustainability and product innovations that Jason and the NICEIC-approved Micron team have an eye on the future.
“Training is massively important to us,” added Louise, “and our team reflects that. Our electricians are all fully qualified and we also have electrical inspectors who have completed additional qualifications. Just as importantly, though, every year we take on a new group of apprentices who we help to complete their four-year qualification.
“Not only do we work closely with Highlands College to facilitate this but we also provide a placement for a Project Trident student each year, some of whom have gone on to complete their apprenticeships with us.”
And, remembering his own introduction to the trade, Jason says: “I am a massive supporter of bringing in these youngsters, supporting and nurturing them through their qualifications because they are our future.
“Nothing makes me prouder than seeing someone who came to us straight from school, really shy and nervous, now fully qualified, driving his own van and becoming one of our best assets. That makes all the work and investment worthwhile.”
