2014 has been B-DACS’ most successful year to date. It has seen us move to a new office, pick up prestigious accreditations and take on more projects than ever before.
Our website and social media channels have played a big part in our achievements, so it’s fitting to end the year with a round-up of our most significant posts.
January
First day back in the office after the Christmas break. Looking back, 2013 was a pretty good year http://t.co/x0Irfx2iSv
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) January 6, 2014
Returning to work in the New Year, everyone at B-DACS was wondering how we could top 2013. In the previous 12 months, we had celebrated our 10th anniversary, recruited four new employees, relaunched our website and become Glasgow Business Awards finalists for the first time.
Are you feeling the winter chill in your office? Make sure you and your colleagues stay comfortable http://t.co/J1BSDxvgpJ — B-DACS (@myBDACS) January 10, 2014
With winter in full swing, the weather was also a big talking point. Our first blog post of the year looked at the minimum office temperature and the impact it can have on office morale.
One of the year’s major projects was also underway at Straiton Retail Park, Edinburgh. The new Nike Factory Store was beginning to look the part as we fitted the air conditioning units in place.
February
It didn’t take us long to start recruiting again, bringing in Derek, an experienced air conditioning engineer. Over the course of the year, he has proved to be a great addition to the team.
Find out why Morag Mackenzie replaced her night storage heaters with air conditioning.
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) February 20, 2014
Our blog and case studies were also starting to take off. This domestic installation for a Bothwell resident was a real success story, demonstrating that air conditioning can act as an efficient domestic heating system.
In the meantime, Daisy and Bella continued to pull their weight in the office…
March
We were back in Edinburgh in March, working on a project under this famous landmark. As Brian informs us in the comments, it isn’t nearly as glamorous down below!
Last week, we fixed a system that had been destroyed by mice. Not the customer’s fault, but it was preventable http://t.co/6RXKQyre3g
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) March 10, 2014
Aside from the stunning landmarks and rich history, the Scottish capital is famous for its mice. They even get into the air conditioning units, as we discovered one day.
Building next to a masterpiece: Steven Holl at Glasgow School of Art (@GSofA) http://t.co/FPI5vL3d7o via @Telegraph
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) March 3, 2014
Back in Glasgow, attention was on Glasgow School of Art’s newly-opened Reid Building. Strange to think it was just two months later that the tragic fire hit the Mackintosh, seriously damaging one of the city’s finest buildings.
April
April’s highlights included our trip to the Mitsubishi Electric factory in Livingston, otherwise known as Air Con One. The entire B-DACS team was treated to a fantastic tour and found out just what makes Mitsubishi Electric one of the world’s leading manufacturers.
#Glasgow2014 Commonwealth medals unveiled. They’re inspired by Glasgow’s industrial heritage and look fantastic pic.twitter.com/85BiuJElLS
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) April 15, 2014
Meanwhile, Glasgow was starting to gear up for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which took place in July and August. Like the medals, the Games came alive through the city’s unique identity.
We’re moving to our new office today. Check out our new contact details on the website http://t.co/SBqnUUfdYA
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) April 28, 2014
Most significantly for us, we moved into our new office on Monday 28th April. It provided us with double the floor space, additional meeting rooms and some personal flourishes that really make it our own.
May
St John’s Hospital has been a major project for us this year, with jobs running from September 2013 and into 2015. This particular stage involved refurbishing two vital areas, improving laboratory facilities and patient care.
Our latest case study looks at @Sackmaker_, a local company with a fascinating history http://t.co/qGKp7Qi6bs pic.twitter.com/hxwtSxcWDW
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) May 19, 2014
Local customers can be just as interesting as large construction projects, as we found when writing up our case study on Rutherglen’s Sackmaker. The company was originally founded to make sandbags during World War One but now distributes all kinds of sacks throughout the UK and abroad.
Conservatories are notoriously difficult to heat and cool – here’s a solution we put in place for a customer http://t.co/mBy7GiwSoP
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) May 2, 2014
With the weather getting warmer, we spoke to an Ayrshire resident about his new air conditioning system. It has enabled him “to use the conservatory even more than before”.
June
By June, our project at Peterhead Power Station was almost complete and pictures kept coming in from our engineers.
We were also delighted to install the ventilation for Edinburgh Gin’s new distillery, situated in Heads & Tales bar in the basement of the Rutland Hotel. It’s proved to be one of the capital’s most exciting new venues this year.
B-DACS is now a Mitsubishi Electric Business Solutions Partner. Find out what that means http://t.co/DYeoBT3WaV pic.twitter.com/Z1Puet4sSA
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) June 12, 2014
June was also the month that B-DACS became aMitsubishi Electric Business Solutions Partner. The accreditation is a testament to the quality of our installations and the reliability of our service.
July
Getting set up for the B-DACS Office Launch! Looking forward to the celebrations pic.twitter.com/ez7fwQd7Nk
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) July 4, 2014
July was dominated by our office launch, which was hosted by Margaret Curran, MP for Glasgow East and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland.
We spent a fantastic day with our most valued clients, partners, friends and family members and it also provided us with the ideal platform to showcase the improvements we have made.
Great article from @CoolingPost about our office launch last week in #Glasgow! http://t.co/i4bDSkigZf pic.twitter.com/u8Z3W9wuIY
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) July 9, 2014
The office launch emphasised how much we’ve grown over the past two years and it even attracted some media coverage within the industry.
August
We were extremely proud to become one of the first companies to receive the Investors in Young People award in August. We couldn’t have done it without the new recruitment and training strategies we’ve developed this year.
BREEAM Excellent rated St Vincent Plaza to be fitted with @ToshibaUK air conditioning system http://t.co/EIDCPfqr4P via @RACMagazine
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) August 5, 2014
St Vincent Plaza, Glasgow is a huge air conditioning project and one we would have loved to be involved in. However, given how busy we were in the second half of 2014, in the end it’s a relief we missed out.
Putting more engineers through their F-Gas training this weekend. Getting the rigs into the office was a challenge! pic.twitter.com/wruyswNVuT
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) August 29, 2014
We put four engineers through their F-Gas training over one weekend in August. Delighted to say, they all passed first time.
If you missed out on this story, it’s definitely worth reading. While working in Peterhead, our engineers Derek and Jim had to fend off a flock of rogue seagulls with brooms!
September
Kilbryde Hospice, South Lanarkshire’s first inpatient hospice, is finally open. We completed the air conditioning works at the end of July and it’s definitely one of the most valuable projects we worked on in 2014.
We’ve always been a safe contractor, but now we’re a @safe_contractor. Our certificate is in the post! pic.twitter.com/qRfiaXHyg9
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) September 18, 2014
We added Safecontractor to our growing list of accreditations.
Huge day for Scotland, make sure your vote is counted! #ScotlandDecides
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) September 18, 2014
The Referendum was arguably the biggest event to take place in Scotland this year. Like most companies, B-DACS had voters on both sides.
The B-DACS office team also took part in a photo shoot for Investors in Young People. The photos were mixed to say the least but it was great publicity for the business!
October
We were back at the Glasgow Business Awards in October but again missed out on a prize. Despite that, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Glasgow Hilton Hotel put on a brilliant evening.
We’re looking for an experienced air conditioning engineer to join our growing team in #Glasgow https://t.co/aejT5K1faB
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) October 2, 2014
We were also on the look out for an air conditioning engineer to join the team. We ended up hiring two and are now looking to add another! Feel free to click the link for more information on the new post.
We’ve been working at the Sentinel Building recently, which has given us some great views over #Glasgow pic.twitter.com/qdkPVKiLby
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) October 14, 2014
It was a challenge to co-ordinate all the projects we had running in October. Working at the Sentinel Building was a particular highlight, with its prestigious offices and fantastic rooftop views.
November
Having hired Eric, a specialist ventilation engineer, we’ve been taking on more ventilation work. He did well to squeeze all this gear into the van.
The Apex City Hotel in Edinburgh was one of our last major projects to kick off in 2014, although we have plenty more in the pipeline. We’re going to add to this series of blog posts as the job progresses.
Today’s team meeting went well! Good to get everyone together & thanks to Kooltech & Sauermann Pumps for joining us pic.twitter.com/Pu1TpNY05Q
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) November 28, 2014
November also saw our last quarterly team meeting of the year, as well as a glimpse of our new van design.
December
After having a photo shoot, the next logical step was to get some filming done. Shot in the office and on site at the Sentinel Building, this video showcases the work we’re doing with young people.
The Glasgow @FiveGuysUK is finally open – find out about our work on the restaurant later this week! pic.twitter.com/VGQeKfTniY
— B-DACS (@myBDACS) December 9, 2014
Scotland’s first Five Guys restaurant was eagerly anticipated in Glasgow, not least among B-DACS’ engineers. It opened on 8th December and it’s our air conditioning system keeping everybody comfortable.
The B-DACS Christmas Party helped to round off the year, with dinner, drinks and some very dodgy dancing, all taking place in the office.
Post your predictions in the comments.