Strikebox gears up for 2022 National Enterprise Awards
STRIKEBOX TO REPRESENT WESTMEATH AT NATIONAL ENTERPRISE AWARDS
An engineering business from Mullingar will represent Local Enterprise Office Westmeath at this year’s National Enterprise Award for 2022.
Strikebox Engineering won LEO Westmeath’s county final and will now represent Local Enterprise Office Westmeath at the 22nd National Enterprise Awards at the Mansion House in Dublin on the 2nd June.
John O’Reilly established Strikebox Engineering in Mullingar in late 2014, the focus of which is on the pharmaceutical /clean room sector producing high finished stainless-steel products such as chutes, hoppers, ducting and guarding. The business also focuses on the biotech, brewing, beverage, chemical, food, dairy and process sectors. In addition, the business offers CAD design services, prototyping, fabrication, fitting services and consultancy. Now employing eight people, the directors of the business are John & Maria O’Reilly.
Strikebox Engineering will now be competing against 30 other finalists from every local authority area for a share of the €35,000 winners prize fund as national judging gets underway in May. Categories this year include ‘Best Export Business,’ ‘Best Start-Up’ and ‘Innovation,’ in addition to eight regional awards. There are also two new National Enterprise Awards this year with a “One to Watch” award and a “Sustainability / Green” award.
Companies from Westmeath have enjoyed success in the National Enterprise Awards in the past. In 2021, Bevcraft Group, supported by Local Enterprise Office Westmeath, were named overall winners at this year’s National Enterprise Awards. A mobile craft canning company, Bevcraft, who are headquartered at Mullingar Business Park, took home the top prize at the prestigious event – after facing stiff competition from 30 finalists nationwide. Established in 2016 by friends Ciaran Gorman and Darren Fenton, the company has gone from strength to strength. The Bevcraft Group is a ‘craft can’ specialist. Bevcraft provides a range of services including mobile contract canning, can distribution, can decoration, testing, servicing, and training.The Group today has operations across six locations in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands and handles c. 100m cans / annum. In 2003, Grouse Lodge Recording Studio based in Rosemount won the National Title and subsequently went onto win the World Title. Grouse Lodge is a state of the art residential recording studio owned by Paddy and Claire Dunning. The Studio not only hosts recording and screening facilities but also up market accommodation and leisure facilities.
Previous winners of the National Enterprise Awards include Irish Yoghurts (1998), Obelisk (2000), Simtech Aviation (2008), Digiweb (2004) and Design Pro (2013), Terra NutriTech (2018) and Pestle & Mortar (2019).
Speaking ahead of the awards Christine Charlton, Head of Enterprise LEO with Local Enterprise Office Westmeath said:: “The National Enterprise Awards are a great barometer for what the Local Enterprise Offices are doing and every year the standard is getting better and better and we are delighted to have Strikebox Engineering representing us in the National Enterprise Awards final. They are an extremely progressive company and we wish them well. It is great to see a local company do so well.”
The National Enterprise Awards are one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow. Since their inception eight years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 20,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie
National Enterprise Awards 2022
Award Categories and Prize Fund
The 2022 National Enterprise Awards take place on Thursday, 2nd June in the Mansion House in Dublin and are organised by the Local Enterprise Offices
- Overall Winner, National Enterprise Awards 2022 (Cash Prize for business: €10,000)
- Best Export Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Best Innovation Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Best Start-Up Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Innovation / Green Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- One to Watch Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Eight Runner-Up Winners (Cash Prize for business: €2,000 each)
- Runner Up 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
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