Mullingar and Fore firms top county enterprise awards

A business from Mullingar is this year’s winner of the Westmeath Enterprise Award for 2023, Local Enterprise Office Westmeath has announced.

Paul O’Reilly of Watt Footprint Limited from Mullingar took the top prize of €5,000 and will now represent LEO Westmeath at the 23rd National Enterprise Awards at the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin on June 1.

Watt Footprint offer a one stop shop approach to delivering energy savings. From initial energy audit and delivery of upgrades to the measurement and verification of the savings. Watt Footprint have an in-house team of energy specialists including, energy engineers, energy auditors, metering specialists, software and technology experts and project managers.

Other winners at the Westmeath Enterprise Awards, held at Mullingar Park Hotel, included ECN Technologies Ltd from Mullingar, in second place (a prize of €1,500), and Lir Steelworks from Fore, third prize and €1,000.

ECN Technologies were formed by Brian McGinley to provide engineering and integration services to the industrial automation sector.

Lir Steelworks provide engineering fabrication works including the manufacture of wrought iron gates and railings, steel fencing, CNC plasma cutting service and a mobile welding service.

Watt Footprint Ltd will compete against 30 other finalists from every local authority area for a share of the €35,000 prize fund when national judging starts in May.

Categories this year include Best Export Business, Best Start-Up’ and Innovation, along with One to Watch and a sustainability award in addition to eight regional awards.

Companies from Westmeath have enjoyed success in the National Enterprise Awards in the past. In 2020, Bevcraft Limited from Mullingar were overall winners at the national finals.

The Westmeath County Enterprise Awards took place as part of Local Enterprise Week,March 6-10.

At the awards Christine Charlton, head of Enterprise with LEO Westmeath, said: “It is not one week in the year we should be celebrating enterprise. In my position, I get to meet many entrepreneurs and small business owners every week that I admire. Running a business is not easy. Micro businesses and entrepreneurs represented here today provide valuable employment and their contribution to the economy needs to be highlighted, celebrated and rewarded every day, but today is an opportunity for the LEO Westmeath to congratulate entrepreneurs in the county and to recognise their hard work to make their business a success and acknowledge the contribution they are making to the economy.”

Eight other local businesses shortlisted this year:

• 4E Virtual Design Limited, Athlone
• A Slice of life Limited, Athlone
• ECN Technologies Limited, Mullingar
• Instazap Limited, Mullingar
• Klaas Kickz Ltd, Mullingar
• Magico Foods, Athlone
• PARK Life Pet Limited, Athlone
• Sugar Plum Sweetery Limited, Mullingar

Among the guests at the ceremony were An Cathaoirleach, Westmeath County Council Cllr Aengus O’Rourke and chief executive of Westmeath County Council Pat Gallagher. Members of the judging panel included Catherine Kane, business advisor, LEO Longford, and Gordon Naughton of Tactive Commercial Advice.