A County Tyrone entrepreneur has used a family business as a springboard for a new venture that has brought a new innovative heating technology to the market with support of the Go For It programme, in association with Omagh and Fermanagh District Council.
This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.
Shane McCrory from Omagh took over The Bath Doctor, 15 years ago, after his father founded the company in 1985. He then had the idea to introduce a new energy-saving heating system into cast iron radiators and developed ElectriCast®.
Shane said: “Initially we specialised in re-enamelling cast iron baths in commercial and domestic settings all over the island of Ireland for the past 33 years.
I then decided to expand the business further, building and enameling cast iron radiators and that’s where the idea for ElectriCast® came from.
Schedule an appointment with your local Business Advisor and get started today.
“ElectriCast® is a new innovative heating technology, using the properties of cast iron along with a low wattage electric input ElectriCast® radiators provide affordable heating, which can be controlled daily or weekly with a remote control, with running costs from as little as 3p per hour.”
Shane turned his vision for developing the business into a reality after taking part in the Go For It Programme, which is delivered free of charge by a team of experienced business mentors through Northern Ireland’s wide network of enterprise agencies. It provides expert advice and help with developing a robust business plan to help turn ideas into a commercial enterprise.
Commenting on the success of the Go For It Programme, Shane said: “Often it is hard to know where to start with a new business idea. That was my experience before starting the Go For It Programme.
The support and guidance offered through it helped me fine tune my business idea from concept to working reality.
“They helped me with practical things in the early stages like setting out a business plan and doing a detailed analysis of key components such as manufacturing, sales and marketing, which was great for helping me to budget and forward plan. You couldn’t put a value on the support I have received from my business advisor and would urge anyone who has an idea for starting their own business to contact the Go For It Programme.
Sinead McKenna, Business Advisor with the Omagh Enterprise Company on behalf of Omagh and Fermanagh District council said; “Shane has worked with cast iron throughout his career and utilised this experience to think outside of the box and develop an energy saving product that placed a central heating system into a cast iron radiator.
“His passion and dedication to seeing the project launched was unrivaled and no stoned was unturned to see the concept for ElectriCast® come to fruition. We worked with Shane to develop a robust business plan that provided the building blocks for bringing the product to market. We were able to work with him to set out short- and long-term objectives, as well as establishing a stand-alone brand for the product.
If you have a business idea you’d like to develop or if you are thinking about starting a business call 0800 027 0639 or visit: visit www.goforitni.com
Gallery
