Saturday Interview: John McGlynn, founder of Scotland�s largest car park firm has sights on a £100m business empire, writes Douglas Hamilton

Few company executives can boast that they have had the opportunity to hire a national hero and holder of the Queen's Gallantry Medal who has been publicly congratulated by the Prime Minister - but John McGlynn is one of them.

McGlynn, who founded the Airlink Group in 1994, hired John Smeaton, the former baggage handler who helped tackle two terrorists at Glasgow Airport a year ago, as his head of security. Smeaton has since moved to the United States, but McGlynn's account on how he approached the Renfrewshire man who became an overnight international celebrity is a fascinating story.

In a recent interview with The Herald, the Airlink chief said he was introduced to Smeaton at a social event with First Minister Alex Salmond. McGlynn said he instantly liked the former airport worker, who is widely know as "Smeato", because of his down-to-earth manner.

"He is just an ordinary guy with no airs or graces," said McGlynn, adding that he offered Smeaton a job as security chief of his Parksafe division on the spot.

The Airlink chairman said Smeaton, who at that time was still living with his parents in Erskine, did not take him seriously. Smeaton turned to Salmond and asked the First Minister if McGlynn was a straight shooter. He is, replied the First Minister, who knows McGlynn personally. Smeaton took the job and became the public face of Parksafe for a few months before he decided to move to America.

Smeaton left Parksafe a few weeks ago with McGlynn's blessing. He said Smeaton "has been great for the company and he left on good terms".

The decision to hire a hero with an international reputation is typical of McGlynn, who is one of Scotland's most ambitious entrepreneurs and a media-savvy executive who knows how to grab a headline.

The Paisley Grammar School boy, who also attended St Columba's in Kilmacolm, started what is now the Airlink Group as a hobby while studying law at university and working at NCP, the car parks group. McGlynn, who was 21 when he started Airlink, has degrees in accounting and law.

Airlink Security Park was the first company specialising in airport car parking. It has enjoyed rapid growth year on year and the company is now the largest Scottish car park owner.

Although the group remains the dominant force in car parking in Scotland, its main activity is commercial property specialising in large warehousing complexes and industrial estates in close proximity to airports with more than a million square feet of space. Other divisions of the group include Datastore, which specialises in document storage and management. Warehousing and commercial storage, IT and booking agencies make up the other major sectors in the UK.

Airlink Group invests in all aspects of property development and has partnerships with other investors in a variety of development and regeneration projects, including an estate within Loch Lomond national park and housing regeneration developments in various towns and cities.

In January 2004 Airlink opened its first overseas office in Tallinn, Estonia. The company set up Scotland House, a not-for-profit organisation to foster trade and investment between the Baltic states and Scotland.

McGlynn was also behind Scottish Capital, a Baltic-based venture capital fund that has made investments in a handful of successful Estonian-based companies.

McGlynn is a member of the Strathclyde University Business School Council, the Paisley University Development Campaign Board and a keen supporter of the Schools Enterprise Initiative.

He has also been an enthusiastic member of the Entrepreneurial Exchange since 1999, saying he has picked up a lot of tips on how to run a company.

"It (the exchange) opened a lot of doors," he said. The exchange is Scotland's leading organisation for entrepreneurs and helps them to build their businesses.

He reeled off the names of prominent business chiefs in much the same fashion as the ancients recited the Iliad. His heroes include Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and Jim McColl, the chairman and chief executive of engineering firm Clyde Blowers, who have made it big in the business world. "You can learn so much from other business people," he said. "You can learn so much from other people's mistakes."

McGlynn described a meeting with Scottish tycoon Sir Tom Hunter a few years ago as a pivotal moment in his career as an entrepreneur. "This is when my eyes got opened up," he said.

Brian Souter, the flamboyant chief executive of Stagecoach, the bus and train group, is another business leader who has earned McGlynn's respect. "We just hit it off," he said with a broad smile.

McGlynn said Souter invited him to the Stagecoach head-quarters in Perth in 2000 and "since then he has been a personal mentor". The two meet regularly to discuss business affairs and other issues. "Guys like Brian are generous with their time," said McGlynn.

He added: "If you get good ideas and good people as employees the world is your oyster."

McGlynn said one of the keys to success is looking at other company's strategies to find out what works and what failed. Another is planning for the long term.

"Every deal we have done has worked out because we take a long-term view. The time for quick deals is over. For me, a quick deal is five years."

McGlynn is confident that his firm can survive the current economic downturn in good shape even though the commercial property market is showing signs of strain. Unlike many business leaders these days who complain about the credit squeeze, high energy costs and other economic woes, McGlynn is not a doomsayer.

"Provided you get the basics right, property has survived through many economic cycles," he stated.

"It's a good time to be in business," he said. But at the same time he injected a note of caution into the discussion: "If we cannot afford to do a deal then we won't do it."

McGlynn set up the company that eventually became Airlink with around £10,000 and has built a business that reported pre-tax profits of £10m in 2007.

"How do you build a £10m company? You go out and buy £10,000 worth of property and work it until you pay off the debt," he said.

McGlynn said he does not intend to slow down or stop at £10m. He is aiming to construct an empire worth £100m "in three or four years", adding that he and his business associates "will continuing building and maximising opportunities".

McGlynn said he never really relaxes or switches off from running a large business, but he intends to learn how to ski and wants to take flying lessons. You would expect a Paisley lad to be a St Mirren supporter, but he has little interest in football.

He has been linked to a political career and acknowledged having several political personalities as friends, but when asked if he intended to run for a seat in Holyrood or Westminster, he replied emphatically: "No. I absolutely love what I am doing."