Cheetah founder Jim George, who was working for the ESB as an electrician at the time of establishing his fencing company, began in a humble caravan in Co Carlow.

The company expanded gradually to the family home’s attic until a dedicated workshop was needed to cope with the increased volume of production from the first and only Irish-manufactured electric fencing unit.

Coming from an agricultural background himself, Jim spotted a demand and a gap in the market for high-powered electric fences to contain livestock, as well as a locally based service base that could provide rapid repairs and servicing.

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Fast forward to today, Jim has passed over the reins to his son Padraic (though he still maintains a strong interest and influence within the company) and the business having expanded to a core workforce of 10 staff in a larger workshop, with additional seasonal staff taken on in the summer months.

Throughout its 50 years, Cheetah has regularly taken on students from secondary schools and colleges for work placements, with these students returning for a number of summers as part of the seasonal team afterwards.

Expansion

To this day, Cheetah Electric Fencing remains the only Irish-made electric fences on the market and its products have the capacity to service up to 100 acres of land.

Speaking about the expansion over the years, Padraic said: “We are immensely proud of the reputation that we have built over the last 50 years.

"We have always placed a huge emphasis on the reliability of our products and building trust in our brand and we will always put this to the forefront of our business.

"As we’re the only Irish-made fences, we can respond quickly to back-up calls for assistance, repairs or maintenance of our products and this has also been a huge plus for us."

“We’re extremely grateful for the support we have received from families and communities all across Ireland for placing their trust in us; this has helped us to further grow and develop Cheetah across Ireland,” he added.

Future expansion

In 2023, the company has further expansion in its sights, as it is set to establish its first Northern Ireland office, with ambitions to gradually expand into the UK market.

“We will be opening our first Northern Irish office this year and we are hopeful that it will be a success.

"There is a market and a demand that we believe that Cheetah can fill and we’re very excited to keep growing and expanding Cheetah all across Ireland," stated Padraic.

“We would like to eventually progress this further to the UK mainland market too.

"The last 50 years has seen us continue to grow and expand using the same ethos that we always have and we will always continue to prioritise the quality of our product and rapidly responding to calls for assistance."