A €241,000 cash injection has been approved by the Local Enterprise Office Fingal through a number of its grant schemes aimed at supporting small businesses.
The twenty one (21) Fingal small businesses and start-ups that were approved for financial supports this quarter by the Local Enterprise Office Fingal are poised to create a number of new jobs. 20 new positions are being created immediately and it is expected that over the next 3 years more than 37+ additional jobs will result from the LEO Fingal funding.
Announcing the latest investment of over €241,000 in small businesses, LEO Fingal stated that 2017 has seen significant growth in employment in the small business sector.
The Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Mary McCamley and the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council Paul Reid presented grant approval letters to the successful businesses at a specially convened awards event in County Hall. The local businesses were approved for business priming grants, business expansion grants, feasibility study grants, and E-commerce grants.
Included in this interesting group of businesses is an online subscription service for dog owners delivering a range of treats each month, a state of the art lab facility that delivers optical frames and lenses to independent opticians, a business that reunites lost property with its owner anywhere in the world, a business that produces innovative waterproof membrane products for large scale construction, a food company that developed a range of gourmet granola cups and a business that manufactures craft products based on mythical Irish folklore, for online & retail.
Presenting letters of offer to each of the 21 grant approved businesses, the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Mary McCamley commented:
“In Fingal, we are proud of our reputation in cultivating enterprise and the Council has a very important role to play in ensuring that we have a supportive and encouraging environment to enable people to set up and expand their enterprises. I am delighted to see so many fantastic and innovative businesses emerging with support from Fingal County Council and I wish each and every one of you well in your journey.”
Paul Reid, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council said: “In the first two quarters of 2017 we have seen consistently strong demand for services provided by our Local Enterprise Office with a healthy diversity of innovative new start-ups emerging. This is helping to create a strong eco-system in our economy, paving the way for further job creation”.
Announcing the latest series of grant approvals for Fingal businesses, the Head of Enterprise Oisín Geoghegan said: “Financial supports provided by the Local Enterprise Office Fingal can be crucial in helping start-ups to flourish in their first year of operation and existing small businesses to grow. This month we have a range of exciting new and expanding small businesses that have great potential to create further jobs in Fingal in the coming years.”
A ‘Business Priming Grant’ is an early-stage grant for qualifying small businesses, in their initial 18 months. A ‘Business Expansion Grant’ is designed to assist businesses in their growth phase, after the initial 18 month start-up period. Feasibility Study Grant assistance is available to individuals or businesses that wish to develop new products or services or explore international markets. Business Priming and Expansion grants are generally up to a maximum of €80,000 per application, while Feasibility Study grants are €20,000 maximum. The Trading Online Vouchers grant is part of the National Digital Strategy aimed at supporting Irish small businesses while they enhance their online presence.