Martin Kennedy, CEO, NADA, Christine Carolan, Director and Designer, Happynest, Oisin Geoghegan, Head of Fingal Local Enterprise Office, Paul Reid, Chief Executive, Fingal County Council, Michael Culleton, Managing Director, Stayhold and Michael Rochford, Managing Director, Motorcheck.
Fingal Enterprise Award Winner 2014 to be announced during Ireland’s biggest Enterprise Week
Four local enterprises have been unveiled as the finalists for this year’s Fingal Enterprise Awards, the winner of which will be revealed during Fingal Enterprise Week 2014, running from October 6th to 10th.
Organised by Fingal Local Enterprise Office, Fingal Enterprise Week 2014 is sponsored by Vodafone Ireland, Regus, Bank of Ireland and Newstalk. It is the largest and most successful local Enterprise Week in Ireland with 16 major events and more than 1,500 small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs expected to attend the seminars, networking events, workshops and mentoring clinics taking place over the course of the week.
The four finalists for this year’s Fingal Enterprise Awards come from a broad range of business sectors, including Software, Babywear design, Innovation and Sports Science.
Motorcheck, based in Swords,supplies consumers and motor related industries with automotive data; Happynest in Blanchardstown is an Irish brand of premium quality reversible nursery products and babywear; Stayhold also based in Swords is a start-up offering a simple solution for people carrying goods in their car boot and NADA (National Athlete Development Academy) provides coaching, exercise and sport science services to athletes at its 10,000 square foot facility in Dublin 15.
The winner of the 2014 Fingal Enterprise Awards will be announced during the ‘Success Leaves Clues’ networking event in The Grand Hotel, Malahide on Thursday 9th October. Hosted by broadcaster Ian Guider, the Keynote Speaker will be Sean Gallagher who will share business lessons learned both from his own experience and that of Irish entrepreneurs around the country.
On the announcement of the Fingal Enterprise Award nominations, Head of Fingal Local Enterprise Office, Oisin Geoghegan, said: “We would like to congratulate all four finalists in this year’s Fingal Enterprise Awards. These companies provide a terrific insight into the innovation that exists among enterprises all over the country and their example will give encouragement to people setting up and growing their own businesses.”
He added: “Offering a wide range of go-to events, Fingal Enterprise Week 2014 aims to inspire and connect entrepreneurs, supporting enterprise and business development in the region. With strong interest already in many of the sixteen business events taking place during the week, we’re encouraging local business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to be part of what is the country’s largest enterprise week, with full details on the FIngal Enterprise Week website.”
Last year’s Fingal Enterprise Award winner was Celtic Rider, a motorcycle rental and self-guided tour business based in Blanchardstown. Set up in 2007 by Paul and Siobhan Rawlins, Celtic Rider went on to be a finalist in the National Enterprise Awards in November 2013. The winner of Fingal Enterprise Awards 2014 will go forward to represent Fingal at the National Enterprise Awards.
Also to be announced at the ‘Success Leaves Clues’ event will be the young entrepreneurs chosen to represent Fingal in the €2million ‘Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur’ competition.
Further highlights during Fingal Enterprise Week 2014 include the flagship event ‘Fingal Start-Up Day’ on Wednesday, October 8th, in association with Vodafone Ireland, along with free business advice clinics throughout the day. ‘Future Tech Trends’ will launch Fingal Enterprise Week on Monday, October 6th, with predictions from an expert panel on what technology trends will impact on business life in 2015 and beyond, while the topical issue of ‘Food-On-The-Go’ will be in the spotlight at the Dublin Food Chain event, in association with the Dublin region Local Enterprise Offices, Bord Bia and Irish Exporters Association.
Fingal Enterprise Week 2014 is taking place in venues across Fingal with online bookings and more information on the full schedule at www.fingalenterpriseweek.ie. Places are limited and only nominal fees apply so early booking is advised. The official Facebook account is www.facebook.com/LEOFingal, Twitter is @LEOFingal and the official hashtag is #few2014.
ENDS
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Photography Note: Photography of organisers, sponsors and companies involved in Fingal Enterprise Week 2014 is available on request from Engage Ireland.
The four companies shortlisted for the Fingal Enterprise Awards are:
Motorcheck – www.motorcheck.ie / www.benchmark.ie
Motorcheck (Benchmark Automotive) was founded in Dublin in Oct 2002 by Michael Rochford and Shane Teskey. It is a provider of technology driven products and services to the Fleet and Automotive Industry and Ireland’s leading supplier of automotive data services to the insurance industry, motor trade and related sectors.
Happynest – www.happynest.ie
Christine Carolan isfounder and designer of Happynest™, an Irish brand of premium quality reversible nursery products and babywear, specifically designed for either a baby boy or baby girl. Following redundancy in 2012, Christine decided to follow her passion for designing clothes and start a business with the Happynest brand launched in March 2014.
Stayhold – www.stayhold.com
Stayholdproducts offer a simple solution for people carrying goods in their car boot and prevent their items from getting damaged. Essentially a plastic wall with hook tape that sticks firmly to the carpet, it is sold through both online and retail channels with QVC, Qoqa.ch, Topaz, Home Depot, Shell, Woodies DIY, various garden centres and independent hardware outlets stocking the range.
NADA (National Athlete Development Academy) – www.nada.ie
NADA offers a professional exercise and sport science resource to developmental athletes in Ireland.
A family run business, with owner Martin Kennedy and his wife Mairéad both directors in the company, the company was set up in 2008, beginning life in a small sitting room in Portmarnock, Co. Dublin. The company is now based in a 10,000 square foot facility in Ballycoolin, Dublin 11 – strategically located just off the M50 and beside the National Sports Campus and employs over ten people.
Full profiles of the Fingal Enterprise Awards nominees are available on request.