Dan Moroney has been with CoolPlanet for almost 8 years and has worked across the business developing solutions, delivering projects and growing customer relationships. Dan’s time with the company has taken him to the furthest corners of the world but his commitment to the role has always shone through.
In recent years his work on restructuring project delivery models, closing out projects in difficult circumstances during Covid and building new relationships with companies have all been fundamental in the success of the Operations side of the business.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I completed school at a very young age. I just turned 17 when I finished my exams and at that time I didn’t know what path to take, so decided to take a year out and go working. Leaving school right in the middle of the recession was daunting to say the least. I was lucky as my brothers had a bricklaying and stonemasonry business, so I pestered them to allow me to work with them for the year. They assumed if I slipped into that line that I wouldn’t go back to education, so they forcefully suggested not to get into that line of work.
I opted to get back into education and obtain a degree in building services engineering at WIT. I have 2 mental kids Mila (4) Kobe (1) who are mad into cars, bikes and anything with an engine. We recently bought a 50cc quad for my daughter and she is very brave on it, a bit too brave I might add, but she loves it and once my son will get his hands on it there will be no stopping them. I’m more than likely setting myself up for financial ruin by getting them into the quads and cars etc so I might need to re-think this strategy.
What does your job entail?
I have recently been appointed to Associate Director which involves working to expand the business through solution development, project delivery and ongoing development of client relationships across the company.
The team that I will be leading will actively engage in the solution development of CoolPlanetOS to ensure clients expectations are exceeded and drive ongoing engagement.
What was your favourite project?
A meat processing facility in the UK was the first major project I was involved in. I had just joined CoolPlanet and I was shipped over to the UK. The project consisted of a new industrial heat pump installation, installation of our energy management software, AHU upgrades, biomass boiler optimisations, lighting upgrades and desuperheater install on their fridge plant. This project was set across 2 sites.
I enjoyed the mix of solutions we provided for the client and I got to work with top class engineers and project managers. It was definitely a sink or swim exercise as this was one of the biggest projects the company had been awarded at the time. I managed to swim as I’m still here.
What do you enjoy most about working at CoolPlanet?
The people within the business are fantastic. There is a culture within the company which has been there since the start, of people always being there for support, be it technical, personal or emotional. This is hard found in big companies and it is hard kept within small businesses as they grow. The most enjoyable thing about working pre-covid was definitely travel, getting to see different parts of the world while working is a huge career builder.
I have been to the wildest of places, from Chicago, and Ohio in the US to Canada and India. A team of us was sent to India to carry out an energy audit on a plastic factory. Travelling to this country was an amazing experience. When we arrived it was a real culture shock, but 2 days in and we were encapsulated in the beauty and madness of the country. I’m not sure how the driver testing is carried out there but it definitely needs to be re-evaluated.
What has been the hardest part of your job?
It would have been the lack of human interaction as a result of the pandemic. My role is to build and maintain relationships with clients and prospective customers. It is much harder to build up a rapport with customers when all your interactions are virtual.
What keeps you motivated and driven on a daily basis?
The strive for change in the energy sector. Governments globally have set carbon targets. Industry will have to make many changes to achieve this. We can help them to do this, making a huge difference to the planet but also their businesses. There will be a wave in this space in the next decade and I’m happy to ride that wave.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I do like my motorsport, F1, rally, all that craic. I have a Mazda RX7 which is highly unreliable and highly inefficient but when it works I do my best to get it out on track in Mondello. It’s great to feel that adrenaline “legally”. I also like to get up into the mountains on my ATV and give it a blast through the remote forests in my local area. Once you reach the summit of a mountain the serenity you feel is great, and it’s much easier than hiking.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Get on the property ladder quickly.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An architect. Both my brothers are in the building trade, and I saw it as something I could add value to within their business. The timing of the recession made me switch, as there was a monumental reduction in new builds happening at the time. So I proceeded to get into an industry where I can work on new and existing buildings.