Local Enterprise Office Fingal was officially opened last Tuesday, 13th May, by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton T.D.
The Minister was welcomed to County Hall by Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Kieran Dennison, the County Manager, Paul Reid, the Head the Local Enterprise Office, Oisín Geoghegan and over 100 members of the local business community.
Ethna Felton, Director of Economic Services in Fingal hosted the event which was webcast live to the public and to Fingal County Council staff across the county. During the official opening details of a new ‘Online Trading Voucher’ Scheme were also announced.
The Online Trading Vouchers Scheme will give 25 small businesses in Fingal the opportunity to avail of a voucher worth up to €2,500 towards developing or upgrading their websites or to roll out their digital marketing strategies.
Speaking at the official opening, Minister Bruton said:
“Local Enterprise Office Fingal will deliver more services and better services to the start-ups and small businesses across the county that we rely on to create the jobs we need – with more staff and more funding. Today is a good day for business in Fingal. The online trading scheme being launched today is particularly welcome. Irish consumers spend almost €4billion online every year but 70% goes to retailers abroad. There is a huge opportunity here for Irish SMEs, and providing supports in this area is a great example of what the LEOs will be doing."
According to Oisín Geoghegan, new Head of Local Enterprise Office Fingal, the new on-line trading voucher scheme is just one example of the types of services that local start-ups and businesses can now access.
“Through the new voucher scheme, we’re encouraging more small business owners and new start-ups to reap the business benefits of trading on-line. Research shows that small to medium sized businesses with a stronger internet presence, can grow faster and export more goods and services.”
Visit our Facebook page to see more images from the event