He had a successful side gig performing the installations for friends and family, but he wasn’t sure if he should take the next step.
One day, he was discussing his quandary with his father, Pichardo, who was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s and was often not lucid. On this day, Pichardo listened to his son and gave him a piece of cogent advice: Follow your dream. He passed away just a few days later.
Rony left his job at National Grid and started RJ Installations & Design in a small space in Methuen.
On October 25, 2024, he officially opened his new showroom at Village Square Plaza, 101 Broadway Road, Suite 23, in Dracut, with Dracut Economic Development hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the business to town. RJ Installations is situated between Frobie’s Café and the Law Offices of Tami M. Dristiliaris in the plaza, which was recently purchased by the Dow Company of Dracut.
Rony actually started renting the space, previously occupied by Diama-Gold Jewelry, over two years ago. He and his crew did all the work themselves to prepare the site, accounting for the delay between renting the space and opening it.
“It’s a long time coming,” he said. “But I’m proud to say I didn’t take out a single loan to build this place out. We built this up on our own, during down times. We did the electrical and everything else -- everything except for the sign.”
While he was agonizing over the decision to start his own company, Covid struck. Though the pandemic was bad news for most businesses, Rony experienced an increase in folks asking him to install security systems.
“During COVID, it just blew up -- the power of social media,” Rony said of how his side business grew.
Then, when his father imparted his wisdom, he decided to take the plunge, starting RJ Installations in a small space in Methuen.
“I started the business all by myself after hours and eventually hired a team. There’s seven of us now,” Rony said.
By 2022, he was looking for a larger location to move into that included space for a showroom.
“My office manager was at Frobie’s having a coffee and she saw the space was available next door, and she knew I was looking for a space,” Rony said.
RJ Installations has more than 200 reviews of 4.9 or higher on Google. The company specializes in luxury accent walls, audio-visual setups and, especially, security systems for commercial, industrial and residential properties.
“That’s our niche,” Rony said. “With crime rates going up, security systems are big right now.”
RJ Installations is offering a 10 percent discount for Dracut residents for 90 days, which brings us through the holidays and into mid-January.
“It’s my thank-you gift to the town,” Rony said.
For more information, call 978-831-4466, visit www.rjinstallation.com, or email info@rjinstallation.com.
CAPTIONS:
From left at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for RJ Installations are Karen Davis, manager of the Eastern Bank branch in Dracut and a member of the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors; owner Rony Jimenez; and Jennifer Kopcinski, a member of the Dracut Board of Selectmen and Economic Development Committee. (DRACUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PHOTO)
Though RJ Installation & Design specializes in home security systems, they also install luxury accent walls like this one. (DRACUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PHOTO)