With plans for a bowling alley, a hotel extension and business units, Oban joiner and building contractor Gregor Morawski has a lot on the go – but it’s nothing he can’t handle.
The Polish national spoke “very little” English when he arrived in Argyll in 2006 and has worked hard for all his achievements.
He arrived in Oban with just £110 in his pocket – and after he paid his rent he was down to £40.
But he has since gone from strength to strength and the business he started has grown from three to 15 employees.
Their latest project, at the former Free Presbyterian Church on Campbell Street, has received glowing reviews.
Oban builder Gregor has a project every year
“When this property came onto the market, everyone was saying it was a really good price,” Gregor told The Press and Journal.
“We knew the amount of work that would need to be invested to turn it into what we have today.
“We made the highest bid, and it was in excess of the asking price.
“But we got it, and we had a vision of what we would do.
“We bought the property at the end of 2023 and started work in 2024. It is now open, and it is already busy.
“There are five separate units, three of which are mine.
“The units are for two people, but work well for those who are working in the area.”
A Landmark Project: Transforming the Free Church
“We used as many local people as possible to get the project done – that includes electricians and plumbers.
“It has been a good project and it is nice to see it finished and being used.”
Mr Morawski said Oban had offered him opportunities he was unable to get back home in Poland.
He said: “When I arrived in Oban I had £110, and after I paid my rent I had £40.
“I had friends who were in Oban and at the time.
“I decided that Poland was not so well off as Scotland at the time and I would come and earn some money.”
Gregor’s first job in Scotland was in the fish farm industry, which he, like many others, found incredibly hard.
“He then worked as a kitchen porter at the former Bossard’s Café.
It was during this time that he decided he would try to put his builders’ apprenticeship training from back home in Poland into use.
The Scot Hotel to expand with new bowling alley
Wife Justyna, who also moved from Poland to Scotland, is also a director of the business. The couple have two children.
Mr Morawski says his business is based on a number of principles, including fair pricing, working to time and making sure projects are to the high standards he expects of himself and his workers.
The former Free Presbyterian Church is not the only project Mr Morawski has at the moment.
An exciting development for the top of George Street will be the extension of The Scot Hotel, formerly the Rowan Tree, to take in the cinema building and the building next door to that.
He intends to build a two-lane bowling alley as part of the complex, which will have more hotel bedrooms and self-catering units on the site.
New industrial units take shape off Soroba Road
He says the small bowling alley will also serve up drinks and food.
The cinema itself and the former Polish shop will be replaced by a modern, partially glass-fronted building.
Another exciting project that Mr Morawski has on the go is a business unit complex in the former Stoddard’s warehouse, off Soroba Road.
He said: “We are working on new industrial units for businesses to rent.
“The units will be affordable and insulated so start-ups and established businesses will be able to have a place to develop or grow their business.
“We are really keen to hear from people who have an idea for a project and we will see what we can do for them.”
Have you signed up for our Oban and Hebrides newsletter?
Every week our Oban-based reporter Louise Glen curates the best news in the area.
Sign up here for local news straight to your inbox. And if you’d like to join the conversation on West Coast Chat on Facebook, we’d love to hear from you.
Conversation