Business & Finance

Three Wexford business people elected to ISME Council

Ross McCarthy, Keystone Procurement Board Member & ex. Chair (pictured below)

Ross McCarthy is Managing Director of Keystone Procurement, a commercial strategy and procurement advisory company based in Wexford but with a national and international focus. The business is built around procurement and commercial services related to sourcing and procurement. Prior to setting up Keystone Procurement in 2014, Ross worked in management consultancy with leading firms Accenture and PwC and in telecoms with British Telecom before this.

Ross is among the most prolific writers on procurement matters in Ireland and the company website holds the most comprehensive, free to access procurement related resources in Ireland. He has a strong interest in business policy. This interest is informed by and influenced by the regular work he undertakes with SMEs in Ireland and internationally.

Ross holds a Masters in International Relations from DCU, a BA in European Business from DCU, the Diplôme en Études Supérieures Européennes de Management from l’École Supérieures de Commerce Reims in France and a Diploma in Procurement and Supply from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). He is a member of CIPS and has fluent French.

Tanya Thompson, Sluamor (pictured above)

Tanya is a driven business leader with a wide range of corporate technology and business management experience at senior levels in Ireland and Jamaica, where she lived prior to moving to Dublin. Tanya’s hallmark throughout her career has been producing excellent, creative solutions, and driving plans forward to successful implementation.

Tanya is the CTO of Sluamor.com, which is a two-sided online platform that SMEs can use to easily find and engage with suppliers, and identify sales leads where they’re likely to win new B2B contracts. She’s also a founder of Nohuts.com, a property based start-up, and currently an Adjunct Lecturer in TU Dublin supporting students within the School of Computer Science.

Although Tanya is Dublin-based, she has strong connections to Galway, the home of her Irish in-laws, who’ve given her a great appreciation of Gaelic football, hurling and camogie.

Ann O’Brien, Kent Stainless

Ann O’Brien has been Managing Director of Kent Stainless since 2010. She is a recognised business leader with over 25 years’ experience and is the first woman to lead this 30-year-old engineering company. Ann began her role in Kent Stainless in finance and then in HR. In her role as Human Resources Director, she implemented necessary changes for rapid expansion and contraction at various times due to the changing economic climate and other business variables. She has overseen the growth of Kent Stainless staff from 70 to over 140 employees and two acquisitions (one of which involved a factory move from Dublin to Wexford). The company has been successful in achieving many of its objectives, based on the development of knowledge and experience. Ann’s ability to adapt to change, along with her great management team, has enabled successful change to be implemented on a continuous basis.

Continuous improvement has been at the core of Ann’s strategy, modernising the company in terms of an ERP System, Capital Investment in Plant and Equipment, and Internationalisation of the business. The company has expanded considerably under her management and is currently undergoing a major growth period. Kent Stainless has been at the heart of some truly exceptional projects across multiple industries and geographies. Combining innovative design solutions with world class manufacturing facilities, it delivers projects that meet unique requirements and enhance industry reputation. Kent Stainless – a partner you can rely on! n

The Irish SME Association (ISME) has elected Margaret O’Rourke Doherty as the new Chair of the National Council for the 2021-2023 term. Margaret is the CEO of the Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation (HABIC) and is the 17th Chair of ISME and the second female Chair.

The new Council is the first with a female majority since ISME’s foundation in 1993 and is comprised of 56% female and 44% male members. ISME’s newly elected Chair, Margaret O’Rourke Doherty, meets with An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar after her appointment on May 25th.

Margaret O’Rourke Doherty said: “I am delighted and proud to be elected as ISME Chair for the 2021-2023 term, having served as Vice-Chair for the past two years... Female entrepreneurs and business owners are not often given due credit for the high number of businesses they run in the SME sector. Our new Council also reflects sectoral diversity, including service businesses, manufacturing, food, retail and technology.” With over 10,500 members nationwide, ISME’s new Council members are elected owner/managers of SMEs from all over Ireland and from a variety of sectors. 46% of members are based in Dublin, with 19% in the Midlands, 11% in both the North East and South East, 7% in both the North West and South West and 4% in the South of Ireland. n

Over 30% of remote workers inte

The Ireland South East Development Office (ISEDO) is a bottom-up, local authority initiative which works with leaders of the major regional industries as well as the Chief Executives of the councils of the 5 counties in the South East (Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford) and other public and private stakeholders. Its priority is to make the South East the first choice for business, careers, inward investment and tourists.

SOUTH EAST REMOTE WORKING STUDY - MAY 2021 A South East study of 904 remote workers carried out by the South East Local Authorities and their Local Enterprise Offices, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and the Ireland South East Development Office shows that 30% of people who are currently remote working are interested in developing their own business.

Enterprise Ireland Regional Director in the South and South East, Martin Corkery said: “A strong start-up economy is absolutely vital to the future of Ireland’s regions and we look forward to working with the Local Enterprise Offices to support these individuals in realising their business vision”. Corkery continued to say, “The South East has become a prime nurturing environment for start-up activity with many examples of indigenous entrepreneurs inspiring others from across the country that they too can start and scale successfully in the South East.” The Study reveals almost 3 in 4 remote workers surveyed in the South East are saving at least an hour a day, and 24% are saving at least 3 hours a day, by remote working which provides a greater work / life balance and means that commuting is much decreased which helps to support the environment. Kathleen Holohan, Chief Executive of Carlow County Council on behalf of the South East Local Authorities stated, “The South East provides many unique options for remote workers depending on their needs and tops the poll when it comes to offering work / life balance. The South East region offers lower housing and childcare costs, rural/coastal lifestyles with great transport infrastructure. She further commented, ‘Most businesses, individuals and households have been affected significantly by a change of working conditions since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. As we look with hope towards the re-opening of our country and economy this study has given clear insights into the opportunity for remote workers in the South East through the development of a hub network supported by Enterprise Ireland, the South East Local Enterprise Office network and the South East Development Office. It also demonstrated the opportunity to provide start-up supports and training to these individuals that will foster a thriving start-up culture in the region.’

The key findings of the survey include:

The South East has an opportunity to be a hub for new, innovative, start-up supports for the new remote worker community as over 30% of respondents are interested in starting or developing their own business.

The South East has an opportunity to work with the current hubs in the various strategic locations and develop new solutions for remote working and enterprise development. The development of hybrid working

erested in starting own business

models will accelerate the achievement of the green agenda for the South East with the potential for significantly less people commuting than in the pre-Covid era.

Alan Quirke, Director, Ireland South East Development Office commented: “The South East region has numerous advantages to offer when it comes to remote working and this study provides a solid foundation to guide future policy development and implementation to the benefit of all remote workers in the South East.

“This includes, for example, the benefit remote working provides for the green economy through the reduction of commuting time which can also attract more remote workers by providing an improved work / life balance which in turn would bring a renewed vitality to the region. “Remote working offers employers a wider choice in facilitating the right person to work for their organisation from a location of their choice. This trend presents an opportunity for the South East’s towns and villages to market themselves as an attractive place to live.” n

Alan Quirke Alan Quirke – looking to make the South East the first choice for business, careers, inward investment and tourists...

Alan Quirke, an Enniscorthy native, is the Director of the Ireland South East Development Office, which has its headquarters in Waterford city.

Alan previously worked as an attache for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in Brussels and prior to that worked as an Economics Manager for the Financial and Evaluation Unit in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. Alan was raised in Enniscorthy and is a former pupil of St Mary's CBS in the town.

With a Master's degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Law from Trinity College, Alan is a highly respected economist who has extensive work experience particularly in the public sector.

The South East Remote Working Study Report can be found here: https://www.localenterprise.ie/Carlow/News/South-East-Remote-Working-Study-Report.pdf

Small Business Assistance Scheme for Covid

On the 18th May, the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD, extended eligibility for the Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) to include businesses operating from a non-rateable premises. SMEs who can now avail of support include: • Businesses operating from a non-rateable premises such as a home office or hot-desk now eligible for help with fixed costs.

• Self-employed working from home, wedding planners, on-course bookmakers, travel counsellors and photographers among those expected to benefit. The Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) is for businesses that are down 75% or more of turnover and are not eligible for CRSS or other sector specific grants. The extension of eligibility for the SBASC to businesses operating from non-rateable premises will assist in defraying ongoing fixed costs. Such costs can include utilities, maintenance of equipment and mobile business, security, IT systems fees, storage, legal and accountancy and costs required to provide a safe working environment.

Businesses will be asked to declare that they intend to resume trading in full once government Covid-19 restrictions are eased.

Those who applied under Phase 1 are still eligible to apply for a second payment of €4,000 if they continue to meet the criteria.

Closing date for Phase 2 applications is 21st July, 2021. n

Planning granted for Bunclody tourism accommodation

A new tourism accommodation building to attract and support visitors to Bunclody and its golf course, has been granted planning permission. The broad range of leisure activities available around Bunclody, combined with its history, places this project in a prime position to attract weekend stays and also tap into the international tourism market.

The proposed design has been very much influenced by the existing natural woodland and is in a unique position just two minutes walk from Bunclody town centre. In the interest of protecting where possible the scenic and natural environment, the design proposal had to consider indepth the position, massing, footprint and overall architectural appearance of the building. With a large floor space, the challenge is to integrate the building to create lightness and verticality much like the surrounding woodland. This is being done by keeping the footprint small and using the existing levels on the site to its advantage. The building is intentionally designed to rise out of the ground resting on a lower platform and allowing the landscape to run right up to it. According to its designers, Stephen Carr Architects, Wexford town, “The roof overhang adds delicacy much like a tree branch or crown. We have taken this light canopy concept and designed large overhangs around the entire building mimicking the shaded canopy of a tree. To form a light building edge, a perimeter of tree trunks or solid timber poles wrap underneath the light structure of the roof. Every second tree trunk leans out giving another element of delicacy to this building.” n

Passing on the baton

Barbara-Anne Murphy is the new President of Enniscorthy & District Chamber having been a most effective Vice-President since her appointment to that role in 2020. She brings to her new role of President a wealth of experience from years of involvement in community and political affairs.

L-R: Former President of Enniscorthy & District Chamber of Commerce Maree Lyng with new President Barbara-Anne Murphy. Barbara-Anne was the Chairperson of Enniscorthy Municipal District up to 28th June and on that same date became Chairperson of Wexford County Council, following in the footsteps of her late father, Cllr Rory Murphy, who served as Chairman of the County Council in the past.

Taking over as President of Enniscorthy & District Chamber of Commerce from Maree Lyng – the President for the past three years, will be a real challenge for Barbara-Anne as Maree brought a new dimension to the role with her enthusiastic commitment to the workings of the Chamber. Maree involved herself in every aspect of the Chamber’s activities and unsparingly gave of her time and talents in promoting both the Chamber and Enniscorthy as a town and it may well be that only with the passing of time will her contribution be fully recognised and appreciated. Speaking on behalf of the Chamber membership, Jimmy Gahan, Chamber Development Officer, thanked Maree for her leadership and untiring work and wished Barbara-Anne well in her new role. n

Remote Working Hubs to boost jobs in Co. Wexford

MHO Space is launching a major remote-working centre in the M11 Business Park, Gorey, in partnership with Wexford Co. Council. The State-of-the-art office space will provide high-quality viable alternative to city commuting or working from home.

The hub will provide modern, state-of-the-art working facilities for up to 200 people. This initiative in Gorey is expected to be the first of up to four similar remote-working centres across Co. Wexford which MHO Space hopes to open in Enniscorthy, New Ross and Wexford Town.

With the Covid pandemic forcing tens of thousands of workers to switch from their former offices in Ireland’s cities and larger towns, the consequent explosion in working from home has accelerated the business case for remote-working hubs, which provide high-speed and secure broadband and all the other facilities of modern offices. This has two outstanding benefits: giving thousands of workers, who have been working from their homes, a locally-based full-office alternative, and avoiding a return to long-distance commuting when the lockdown eventually ends, and their former office re-opens. MHO Space not only develops the physical facility, but also manages all marketing and fulfilment operations to attract companies and individual workers to base themselves in these hubs. Councillor Joe Sullivan, Chairman of the Gorey-Kilmuckridge Municipal District, warmly welcomed the proposal by MHO Space to bring significant jobs to Gorey and to build on the success of the Council’s Hatch Lab Innovation Centre which had 30 small companies operating there prior to the pandemic. Councillor Sullivan also paid tribute to the investment by local developers Tom and Paddy Redmond in the M11 Business Park. Chief Executive of Wexford Co. Council, Mr. Tom Enright, said that the Council was seeing a lot of interest in remote working in Wexford by Dublin-based companies as people start to return to the office place and new hybrid models of work arrangements are being considered. He stressed that Wexford can offer a real alternative with affordable high-quality office accommodation, affordable housing and an unrivalled quality of life, all within a short distance of Dublin.

The CEO of the Cork-based MHO Space, Dave Burke, said that the company’s offering fully aligns with the ambition of Wexford Co. Council, and other local authorities, to reinvigorate towns and villages across rural Ireland. n

Scurri secures €9m in funding

Scurri, the Wexford cloud-based software provider connecting and optimising the eCommerce ordering, shipping, and delivery process, has announced a €9 million investment to accelerate growth in the U.K. market. Scurri currently derives over 70% of its revenue from the UK, and will power over 100 million parcel deliveries this year by enabling merchants to present the most efficient delivery option via more than 700 carrier services. Scurri’s platform also allows retailers to create accurate labels, track shipments from dispatch to delivery and provide analytics. Scurri helps businesses ship their products anywhere in the world through its network of carrier integrations. Customers include eBay, Everything5pounds, Vision Direct, Gousto and many others. The company currently employs 45 people, and now plans to triple its workforce to over 120 employees in the next two years. Speaking about the latest funding round, CEO and Founder of Scurri, Rory O’Connor stated:

“Since our inception in 2010, and especially over the past 5 years, we have grown into a trusted delivery management platform with a growing list of blue-chip and fast-growth companies with operations across the globe. The pandemic and the resulting acceleration of eCommerce adoption as well as trading and logistic complexities arising from Brexit have essentially resulted in significantly increased demand for reliable delivery management software and solutions. For Scurri this effectively represents a number of years’ advancement of the UK market in terms of online penetration and hence our need to now advance our growth and investment plans.” “We are also extremely proud and thankful to our amazing team here at Scurri who, despite the upheaval of both the pandemic’s disruption as well as increased trading and logistics complexities fuelled by Brexit, rose to this double challenge and helped the company capitalise on the growth opportunities. We pride ourselves on our status of one of the Best Workplaces in Ireland and we are delighted with the opportunity to now grow that team further as we bring forward our growth plans.” n

CEO and Founder of Scurri, Rory O’Connor.

Major plans for the Old Have your say now!

Wexford County Council is developing a masterplan that will support the redevelopment of the streetscape within the Old Dublin Road district (Enniscorthy North Business District) to improve its functionality and provide a consistent presentation that will be attractive to businesses and customers.

The masterplan will:

 Examine opportunities for improving active travel (walking, cycling, public transport) within the Old Dublin Road zone and developing a connection to the town area;

 Identify options for landscaping and signage;

 Develop short, medium and long term options for the expansion and improvement of the road fabric within the business district.

The plan will cover the zoned lands extending from Blackstoops roundabout to Scarawalsh roundabout.

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

The business district can be broadly sub-divided into 2 zones based on intensity of use: Zone A – Developed Business District Area Zone B – Underdeveloped Business District Area

Zone A - Developed Business District Area

The plan will make proposals for:

 Improving and enhancing the existing street and road infrastructure serving the zone;  Formation of an active travel loop around Zone A;  New signage strategy to support the business district including Welcome signage on the approaches;  Landscaping and soft boundary treatment along the Old

Dublin Road with trees and low hedging;  Provision of Meeting/Rest areas at key locations.

d Dublin Road district –

Zone B - Underdeveloped Business District Area

The plan will make proposals for:

 New infrastructure and services (footpaths, cycleways, public lighting) within this zone.

 Expansion of an active travel route around Zone A into

Zone B.

 A continuation of the landscaping and signage strategy within Zone B as outlined for Zone A.

HAVE YOUR SAY:

Wexford County Council would like to hear from you about its proposals for the Enniscorthy North Business District (Old Dublin Road) and invites you to make comments and give your feedback on its development of this master plan.

You may view masterplan information and design drawings in hard copy format within the restaurant area at Kilcannon Garden Centre, Old Dublin Road, Enniscorthy, and at Enniscorthy Chamber offices on Templeshannon Quay. Or online at https://consult.wexfordcoco.ie/

Comments and submissions should be made via the public consultation portal https://consult.wexfordcoco.ie/, no later than 5pm on Friday 5th July OR in writing, marked ‘Enniscorthy North Business District Masterplan’ to:

Special Projects Office, Wexford County Council, County Hall, Carricklawn, Wexford Y35 WY93.

All comments received will be recorded and considered during the ongoing design process.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT:

Wexford County Council will develop and finalise the master plan taking into account the comments and submissions received as part of this process.

The master plan will be presented to Enniscorthy Municipal District Council.

Wexford County Council will develop short, medium and longer term programmes of works to support the implementation of the master plan and to support funding applications for the works.

ANTICIPATED PROGRAMME:

Public information Period: 15th June to 5th July 2021.

Finalise the masterplan and present to Enniscorthy Municipal District Council meeting on 19th of July. n