24 May 2019

WEXFORD COMPANY AIMING FOR NATIONAL SUCCESS AT ENTERPRISE AWARDS

One of Wexford’s best small businesses, Harte Outdoor Lighting, will represent Local Enterprise Office Wexford at the National Enterprise Awards on the 29^th May at the Mansion House in Dublin.

Run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in the local authorities nationwide, the National Enterprise Awards are now in their 21st year and offer an investment prize fund of €40,000. The Awards take place on the 29th May in the Mansion House in Dublin and feature businesses from a variety of sectors. The Local Enterprise Office Wexford’s 2019 representative, Harte Outdoor Lighting was founded by Liz Harte. Harte is the only manufacturer of cast iron outdoor lighting in Ireland. The company supplies directly to customers nationally and via select lighting specialists. The product range has been extended to include contemporary steel lights, cast-iron free standing and in-built post boxes.

Previous Wexford representatives include Coatek, Gorey and Natural Ice Cream Ltd, Wexford Previous winners of the National Enterprise Awards include Irish Yoghurts (1998), Obelisk (2000), Simtech Aviation (2008), Digiweb (2004) and Design Pro (2013). Last year’s winners, Terra NutriTech, are an AgTech company, backed by Local Enterprise Office Kildare. Established by brothers Padraig and Tom Hennessy, their company specialises in precision liquid supplementation for livestock. Since winning in 2018, Terra NutriTech have become a client company of Enterprise Ireland, adding a further seven staff and hope to double their workforce by 2021 following a recent €2million investment. Local Enterprise Offices Representative Tom Banville, said;

“The National Enterprise Awards are very much a benchmark for excellence for small businesses across the country. It is much more than just awards. The businesses involved avail of mentoring and guidance as the process develops and generate connections and leads from other businesses along the way. They also receive signposting for their business helping them to move their company forward, irrespective of whether they win an award. Those who do take part always see the benefit, our winners are now employing over 830 people and are exporting across the world with annual revenues in excess of €130million. The class of 2019 looks to be well prepared to follow in their path.”

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 Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE). 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 five years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 18,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with over 7,000 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