20 years of winners celebrated

20 years of winners to be celebrated at National Enterprise Awards with Wexford finalist competing for 2018 title

Figures released this week show that previous winners of Local Enterprise Office-run competition together employ 832 people, generate €131million in turnover annually and export to 52 countries

90 NO FEE Enterprise Awards

 

‘20 Years of Winners’ are being celebrated by the Local Enterprise Offices, including Local Enterprise Office Wexford at the 2018 National Enterprise Awards, which take place every year to highlight the successes of small businesses around the country.

According to a survey* from the Local Enterprise Offices, released this week, previous winners of the National Enterprise Awards now employ 832 people and generate over €131 million in turnover, €58 million of which is generated from exports to 52 countries. Since winning, 11 of the companies have scaled-up their businesses to become Enterprise Ireland clients.

Previous national winners, such as Gorey-based cloud solutions provider Innovate who brought the national title to Wexford in 2012, Irish Yogurts (1998), Obelisk (2000), Digiweb (2004), and Design Pro (2013), will all be recognised at this year’s ceremony in the Mansion House on Thursday, May 24th. The Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen T.D., will be presenting the awards on the night and he said: “It is important to celebrate the wonderful success stories within Ireland’s small businesses and micro-enterprise sector.  The annual National Enterprise Awards reflect the Government’s support for, and commitment to, all areas of innovation and enterprise development within the Local Enterprise Office network.  As we celebrate 20 years of winners in 2018, we hope that the achievements of previous winners will serve to inspire and encourage today’s start-ups to follow in their footsteps and to look internationally for growth opportunities.”

Tom Banville, Head of Enteprise with Local Enterprise Office Wexford said: “The National Enterprise Awards are our chance to celebrate finalists’ economic impact on their local communities, the jobs they have created, and the overall growth of their businesses. Combined, the previous winners now employ 832 people all over the country, have a turnover of over €131 million per annum and have €58 million in exports to 52 countries. These achievements deserve to be celebrated on a national scale and we know they will inspire other local companies here in Wexford too.”

Wexford is being represented at the 2018 National Enterprise Awards by Hugh Kenny from from Coatek Ltd in Gorey. The company, which was set-up ver 15 years ago currently employs 10 people full-time and is a family-run business which specialises in the supply and installation of Solar/Anti-Glare window film, Privacy, Energy Saving, Safety & UV Window Films and Privacy/Decorative films for both commercial and residential settings nationwide. In all, 31 finalists, one from every local authority area, will be competing for a share of the €40,000 prize fund on May 24th.

To highlight ‘20 years of winners’, Minister Breen visited Simtech Aviation in Fingal this week, which clinched the national title in 2008. Since then, the company has provided aircraft simulator-based training for more than 3,000 pilots who are now employed by 180 different airlines such as Aer Lingus, Norwegian Air and Royal Air Charter from the Philippines. During the visit to Simtech, Minister Breen (pictured above) also met with representatives from five of the 31 companies that have reached this year’s National Final, including: WeBringg (representing LEO Fingal), Blacks of Kinsale (representing LEO Cork North and West), Get The Shifts Ltd (representing LEO Clare), Joint-IT (representing LEO Galway), and Coatek (representing LEO Wexford). The Minister also met with representatives from the Local Enterprise Offices, local government and Enterprise Ireland.

Funding for the Local Enterprise Offices is provided by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland, and further details about the supports on offer to small businesses are available through www.localenterprise.ie.

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*Survey: Source Local Enterprise Offices (March/April 2018)

Figures compiled by the Local Enterprise Offices in March-April 2018 show that previous winners of the National Enterprise Awards:

-          Now employ 832 people in total

-          Generate €131,314,281 in annual turnover

-          Export sales are worth €58,353,000 to 52 countries

-          11 former winners have scaled up to become Enterprise Ireland clients

 

National Enterprise Awards 2018

Award Categories and Prize Fund

The 2018 National Enterprise Awards take place on May 24th in the Mansion House in Dublin and are organised by the Local Enterprise Offices

  • Overall Winner, National Enterprise Awards 2017 (Cash Prize for business: €10,000)
  • Best Export Business (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
  • Best Start Up Business (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
  • Innovation Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
  • Eight Regional Winners (Cash Prize for business: €2,000 each)

Regions:

Dublin City, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown and South Dublin

Kildare, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath

Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny

Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan

Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and Longford

Galway, Mayo and Roscommon

Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary

Cork City, South Cork, Cork North & West and Waterford

Previous National Enterprise Award Winners: 

Year     Company                                                     Local Enterprise Office

1998     Irish Yogurts Ltd                                          Cork North and West

1999     Glass & Cladding Technology                     Meath

2000     Obelisk Communications                            Cavan

2001     Midland Precision Tool & Die                     Roscommon

2002     The Hot Irishman                                        Carlow

2003     Grouse Lodge Recording Studios Ltd        Westmeath

2004     Digiweb                                                      Louth

2005     IFS Ltd                                                        Fingal

2006     Modern Timber Homes Ltd                         Donegal

2007     Crannagh & Co                                           Cavan

2008     Simtech Aviation                                         Fingal

2009     Callan Technology Ltd                                Clare

2010     ABC Nutrition Ltd                                        Clare

2011     Running Gear Ltd T/A Agrispread              Mayo

2012     Innovate                                                      Wexford

2013     Design Pro                                                  Limerick

2015     MyBio Ltd                                                   Kilkenny

2016     Applied Concepts Ltd                                 Offaly

2017     Acutrace                                                     South Dublin

There were no National Enterprise Awards in 2014 due to the setting up of the Local Enterprise Offices and the dissolution of the County and City Enterprise Boards that year. 

Full list of all National Enterprise Award Finalists for 2018:

Dublin City Usheru www.usheru.com Direct ticketing for film distributors

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown iReach www.ireachhq.com Research and market intelligence specialists

Fingal WeBringg www.webringg.com 90-minute online sales delivery service

South Dublin Absolute Nutrition Ltd www.absolutenutrition.ie Healthy snacks and treats

Clare Get the Shifts Ltd www.gettheshifts.com Skilled, temporary hospitality staff

Kerry Ballyhar Foods www.ballyharfoods.ie Wholesale baked goods producer

Limerick Eastway Remote Monitoring Ltd www.eastwaytech.com Online, machine failure monitoring systems

Tipperary Horizon Offsite Ltd www.horizonos.ie Light-gauge steel building system manufacturer

Kildare Terra Liquid Minerals www.tlm.ie Smart liquid mineral injection system provider

Laois Cyc-Lok Ltd www.cyc-lok.ie Suppliers of access-controlled bike parking lockers

Offaly Intellicom Ireland Ltd www.intellicom.ie Telecommunications service provider

Westmeath Irish Craft Canning www.craftcanning.ie Irish craft beverage process and packaging services

Cork City Remote Signals www.remotesignals.ie Sensors to connect remote assets

Cork North & West Blacks of Kinsale www.blacksbrewery.com Independent micro-brewery and distillery

South Cork Ecanvasser www.ecanvasser.com Political canvassing software

Waterford Blackwater Distillery www.blackwaterdistillery.ie Irish distillery famous for gin

Carlow Burren Precast Concrete www.carlowconcrete.com Attenuation and flood alleviation tanks manufacturer

Kilkenny Glanway Ltd www.glanway.ie Waste processing and recycling facility

Wexford Coatek www.coatek.ie Glass coating and films suppliers

Wicklow Asistec www.asistec.ie Solutions for cell storage and growth

Donegal Niche Specialist Staffing Partners www.nichessp.com International recruitment firm for construction estimators

Leitrim Global Green Sustainability www.globalgreensustainability.com Sustainability consultancy firm

Longford Lir Analytical Ltd www.liragri.com Dairy bio-security products manufacturer

Sligo Wilderness Ireland Ltd www.wildernessireland.com Adventure and wilderness experience tour operator

Cavan Veltig Ireland www.veltig.com Consulting and development services

Louth Celtic Testing Experts (Ireland) Ltd www.celtictesting.com Lean IT project delivery service providers

Meath BSG Design Ltd www.bsgdesign.ie High-end bespoke joinery manufacturer

Monaghan Avail www.availsupport.ie Mobile healthcare solution for those with learning difficulties

Galway Joint-IT www.jointit.com Ready-mixed jointing compound manufacturer

Mayo Buymedia www.buymedia.ie Advertising planning, management and measurement

Roscommon Black Donkey Brewing Ltd www.blackdonkeybeer.com Producer of Irish traditional farmhouse beers