As well as investing heavily in several major schemes in Leeds and Bradford, the company is bringing jobs to the region with its own dedicated construction company to handle its new projects – which come under the McGinnis Urban brand.
McGinnis Group Ltd which has its roots in Northern Ireland looked closely at several locations in England – including Manchester and Liverpool – before deciding that Yorkshire offered the most potential for its new city living division.
From its offices in Morley, Leeds McGinnis Urban has already made its mark on the northern property scene with its high profile, high quality development.
McGinnis Urban’s portfolio includes an upmarket scheme in Waterloo Street, Leeds which is a sought after apartment development located in The Calls, one of the city centres best addresses.
Situated on the corner of Waterloo Street and Hunslet Road, close to the Malmaison Hotel, McGinnis Urban’s first apartment scheme in Yorkshire offers residents the unique combination of city centre life within the village like atmosphere of The Calls.
McGinnis Urban has also just unveiled its £100 million plan to transform an important gateway into Bradford, The Beehive next to Bradford University in the city centre, will be a stunning 22 storey contemporary building and a new landmark for West Yorkshire, one of the biggest developments of its kind in the region.
The hugely experienced McGinnis team has worked in the property and construction business for 30 years, bringing an unrivalled experience to its city living division English venture.
John McGinnis, founder of McGinnis Developments, explained why the company chose Yorkshire “We looked long and hard at the opportunities and decided that Leeds, with its vibrant city centre, was the best place to case our UK operation and start our first development in the North of England. Bradford, we feel is also on the verge of something big and the region has the advantage of a good supply of skilled construction and development professionals, which is important to us” John has visited Bradford as part of an economic forum to advise on its future direction and was so impressed with what he saw that he was determined to seek out opportunities in the region.
He founded McGinnis Group Ltd in 1978 and has seen it grow steadily, culminating in the award of an OBE for services to the construction industry and his work in transforming the centre of Londonderry.
As part of Derry Boston Ventures, he has travelled extensively throughout the USA to promote Northern Ireland and more specifically Derry, securing major trade and investment for the area.
Former chairman of the Private Home Committee in conjunction with the Construction Employers Federation, John was part of an economic steering group which compiled strategy 2010, a key Northern Ireland economic document, subsequently adopted by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Son John Paul and daughter Patricia are both in the McGinnis Developments team, a fact he sees as a fundamental demonstration of what the company stands for.
He said “We are first and foremost a family firm with traditional values and the ability to work very closely with our clients. Having the younger generation involved in the business brings a more contemporary approach to what we do”.
John said “Something felt right about focusing on Leeds and Bradford. They are important historic cities and here at McGinnis we have a reputation for building sustainable developments that fit into their natural surroundings. We put a great deal of thought into our building and the people who will ultimately live and work there. We bring what the market needs we don’t say what the market should have. And our track record demonstrates that we have the versatility to take on and make a success of a wide range of projects"
