2010 County Enterprise Awards

Has your business received funding from Offaly County Enterprise Board?

If so, you can enter for the 2010 Offaly County Enterprise Awards!

There are cash prizes to be won, good publicity for your business and an opportunity to represent the County at the National Enterprise Awards Final.

Closing Date For Receipt of Application: Friday, 23rd April 2010

Awards Ceremony: Wednesday, 12th May, Tullamore Court Hotel, 7pm to 9.30pm

Speaker: Terry Harmer

Download the Application form and send it in to us on or before 23rd April.


2009 County Enterprise Awards

Portarlington-based company, Riverside Furniture Ltd have been announced Overall Winner in the 2009 Offaly County Enterprise Awards.

7 businesses were shortlisted and each of the 7 finalists met with and were interviewed by the adjudicators.

At the awards ceremony on Monday 7th September last, on behalf of the Board, Orla Martin thanked the two judges – Maria Callinan, CEO with Laois County Enterprise Board and Denis Duggan, Manager with Shannon Development in Birr.

The businesses were judged under a number of category headings and these were: Business Plan, Marketing Strength, Financial Strength, Use of Technology & Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Skills of Promoter.

The Category Winners each won an engraved glass trophy and a cheque for €750. The overall winner was presented with an engraved glass trophy, a perpetual trophy and a cheque for €2,000.The prize fund awarded on the night amounted to €6,500.

New Business Award
Category Winner: Tomas Donoghue of EMSS Ltd. In a relatively short space of time, Tomas has built up an impressive client base and provides a specialised service to industry.

Artisan Food Award
Category Winner: Orla Clancy T/a Clanwood Farm Orla Clancy started her business in April 2007 making organic soups. The business has now grown (organically) to include pesto and hummus and more recently their own organically reared beef and eggs.

Business Management Award
Category Winner: Anne Fahey, Enviroco Management Ltd The judges were extremely impressed by this Managing Director who displays excellent management skills, building a strong team, putting good processes and procedures in place and taking firm corrective action when required. Enviroco Management provides unique environmental consultancy services to industry.

Creative Industries Award
Category Winner: Gary Hoctor, T/A Hello Camera The term “creative industries” describes businesses with creativity at their heart – for example design, music, publishing, architecture, film and video, crafts, visual arts, fashion, TV and radio, advertising, literature, computer games and the performing arts. Internationally, the creative industries are one of the fastest growing sectors in OECD economies. In just over 2 years, Hello Camera has progressed from corporate video productions to feature films – one already screened at the 2008 Galway Film Fleadh.

Internationally Traded Services Award
Category Winner: Caroline Lane, Equipeople Ltd. Companies that export or deal in Internationally Traded Services are hugely important to our economy. For micro-enterprise companies to do that, they need to find a niche and be very good at what they do. The judges selected Equipeople Ltd for this award. Equipeople is an international recruitment and student placement company.

Innovation Award
Category Winner: Martin Kearney, Kearney Fabrication Ltd. The ability to innovate or diversify is essential for any company. The judges chose Kearney Fabrication Ltd as winners of the Innovation Award. Kearney Fabrication Ltd manufacture silos for industry but in recent times have diversified to provide a unique Silo Auditing system.

Overall Winner
Riverside Furniture Ltd is the Overall Winner in the 2009 Offaly County Enterprise Awards. This Portarlington-based company established by Tom Leonard manufactures a wide range of high standard and customised furniture for the residential and commercial markets.