THE RECENT Limerick Chamber Business Awards has herald the best of Limerick entrepreneurship in what has been described as “challenging times”.
At the awards, Northern Trust was hailed ‘Overall Business of the Year’ at the 2012 Limerick Chamber Midwest Region Business Awards last Friday night. The awards, sponsored by LIT, were announced at the Limerick Chamber President’s Dinner at the Limerick Strand Hotel and the gathering of almost 500 were addressed by Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, Chamber president Gordon Kearney and Dr Maria Hinfelaar, president of LIT, the awards main sponsor.
Many of the region’s top business leaders and local government officials attended the annual dinner and awards ceremony which featured a keynote address by the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan who said that a further 400 jobs were in the pipeline for Limerick and he wished to see his city reborn and strive again in prosperous times. He noted that Limerick could become a “centre for excellence in financial services” with the Treaty city having much to offer.
Presenting the Overall 2012 Business of the Year award, Dr Maria Hinfelaar, President, Limerick Institute of Technology, praised Northern Trust for its expansion of its global fund servicing capabilities and commitment to Limerick.
“Northern Trust’s office in Limerick is regarded as a fund administration centre of excellence. It has clearly harnessed all opportunities presented to it and looks set to enjoy long-term success,” she added.
In addition to the 12 business awards contested on the evening, a special award was handed out by the President of Limerick Chamber, Gordon Kearney.
Paddy O’Sullivan was the recipient of the Limerick Chamber President’s Award. Mr O’Sullivan was honoured for his 46 years of service to the Limerick Chamber and his lifelong contribution to the Irish language, education and society.
The full list of the 2012 Limerick Chamber Midwest Region Business Awards winners is as follows:
Best Start-Up / Emerging Business Award: Q3 Security Systems Best Services Award: Harmonics Best SME Award: JJ O’Toole Best FDI Business Award: Dell Best Exporter Award: Samco Agricultural Manufacturing Best Hospitality Business Award: Masterchefs Best Retail Business Award: The ZipYard Franchising Best Large Indigenous Business Award: Frawley Group Best Technology Award: Action Point Technology Group Best Sport, Art & Culture Award: Great Limerick Run Overall 2012 Business of the Year Award: Northern Trust
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Limerick Chamber President, Gordon Kearney, congratulated all the winners as well as those who were shortlisted, commenting that “whether you are a winner or not, these awards unite us in excellence and we should all be proud of our achievements, congratulations to all.”
Best Start-Up / Emerging Business Award: Q3 Security Systems Established in March 2012 and already employing 10 people, Q3 Security Systems has achieved NSAI accreditation for its systems and secured significant contracts throughout Ireland. With initial contracts already secured in the UK, the business is focused on developing its export potential in the year ahead.
Best Services Award: Harmonics With almost 40 people working for the business, Harmonics has grown to become a recognised leader in outsourced career coaching, recruitment and financial planning to many of Ireland’s leading corporate businesses.
Best SME Award: JJ O’Toole Operating in a very competitive sector and following significant challenges to the business in the last decade, JJ O’Toole have successfully implemented change in the business, kept the focus on customer’s needs, invested in people and increased profitability whilst maintaining the traditions and values that will see the business celebrate its centenary in 2 years’ time.
Best FDI Business Award: Dell Limerick had evolved from a manufacturing plant to become a strategic global hub for Dell. A significant element of Dell’s Global Supply chain is managed from Raheen and the Solutions Centre is at the forefront of Dell’s focus on customer needs.
Best Exporter Award: Samco Agricultural Manufacturing Samco’s innovative approach, continued investment in R&D and focus on export markets has resulted in a significant increase in sales in each of the last two years. The business is now serving a growing number of export markets, which now account for 80% of sales and has created the potential to serve new markets in the future which will see further expansion in Adare.
Best Hospitality Business Award: Masterchefs From successfully delivering 35,000 meals as the hospitality provider to the Volvo Ocean Race Finale to catering for the weddings of international celebrities, Masterchefs Hospitality is a Limerick company competing with the best nationally and internationally with 320 full and part-time people employed by the business.
Best Retail Business Award: The ZipYard Franchising From its establishment in Limerick in 2009, The Zipyard has used the franchise business model to successfully grow its operations to 15 locations throughout Ireland which now employ 127 people. The business has experienced significant growth is sales and profitability and are investing in the establishment of 3 further locations before the end of 2012.
Best Large Indigenous Business Award: Frawley Group Creating nearly 50 new jobs in the last four years and supporting numerous local suppliers, The Frawley Group has successfully expanded its businesses in Limerick and Cork and is recognised nationally as one of the leading innovators in the restaurant and bar sector in the country.
Best Technology Award: Action Point Technology Group Founded in 2005 as a Software Development company, Action Point will employ 30 people by the end of 2012 and earlier this year announced plans to increase this to 70 by 2015. The development of its outsourced innovation services, opening of offices in Dublin and Cork and its expansion into overseas markets have been key factors in the company’s success.
Best Sport, Art & Culture Award: Great Limerick Run Since its inception in 2010, over 20,000 participants have taking part in the Great Limerick Run, making it the fastest growing participatory sporting event in Ireland which is now contributing €2.5m to the local economy and attracting visitors to Limerick from every county in Ireland and from 23 countries throughout the globe.
Overall 2012 Business of the Year Award: Northern Trust Currently employing over 300 people, the expansion of its global fund servicing capabilities and recent announcement of the creation of 400 new jobs for Limerick has established Northern Trust Limerick as a key site in the Northern Trust Group and these developments have been central to the establishment of the financial services sector in the Midwest region.
President’s Award: Paddy O’Sullivan
A lifelong devotee to the Irish language and to education, Paddy O’Sullivan was actively involved in workers education as a member of the Limerick Industrial Relations Committee and is one of the last two surviving members of the University for Limerick Campaign Committee.
He is also the founder of the highly successful gaelscoil in Southhill and was involved in the establishment of the gaelscoil in the city.
He is the longest standing member of the Limerick Market Trustees and has been a Member of Limerick Chamber for 46 years since 1966 in which he still actively engages. He served as President in 1987 and is the only honorary life member of the Chamber.
