10 minute read
Business & Finance
Michael Dempsey, The Haven, Rosslare, and formerly of John Street, Enniscorthy, is the new President of Enniscorthy & District Chamber of Commerce. He was elected at the annual general meeting held in December and replaces Colm Neville of the Riverside Park Hotel as leader of the town and district’s business community. The election of Mr. Dempsey to the Presidency is a major coup for the Chamber in that he is one of Ireland’s leading businessmen having served as Managing Director of Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals as well as Senior European Markets Director for the company also. In 2010, Mr. Dempsey was appointed by the Government to Chair the Board of FAS, the then State Training Agency which was mired in controversy at the time. With more than 1,000 employees on its books, the appointment was viewed by many as a ‘Poison Chalice’ but with Dempsey’s nononsense approach, the agency was turned round in record time and is today known as Solas, the State’s Further Education and Training Board. The new Chamber President also served two terms as President of the Irish Pharmaceutical Society and was nominated by the Government to serve on a Health Service Reform Review Group in addition to serving as a member of the State’s Fisheries Board.
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Mr. Dempsey was nominated by Eric Barron, Chamber Director, and seconded by Michael Bennett, also a Chamber Director, and was unanimously elected. The new Vice-President is Niall Byrne, Castlebridge, Wexford, the managing partner of well-known architectural firm NMB Architects. The company has offices in Temple House, Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, and is engaged in major architectural projects in Ireland, Europe and as far afield as Australia. He, too, was nominated by Eric Barron and seconded by Michael Bennett before being elected unanimously by the large attendance.
The new Treasurer is Mr. MJ Furlong from Adamstown. Mr. Furlong, the newly appointed Manager of AIB Bank, Enniscorthy, continues the long tradition of AIB Bank’s involvement with the Chamber with two previous Enniscorthy based managers, Maree Lyng and Emma Fox having served on the Board, Maree as President and Emma as Treasurer.
Maria Nolan, Bellefield, Enniscorthy, was returned unopposed as Chamber Secretary having served in that position for the past two years. Maria is a wellknown community activist and is the driving force behind the Wexford Literary Festival which has gained international recognition in recent years. Also returned unopposed were the two outgoing Directors, Michael Bennett and Eric Barron, while Eugene Doyle, Accountant, was returned as Company Secretary and Sheil Kinnear, Accountants, as Company Auditors. Outgoing President Colm Neville reviewed a very successful year for the Chamber while admitting the aftermath of the Covid pandemic presented some challenges, not just for the Chamber, but for the business community in general. Rising inflation, increased fuel costs, the war in Ukraine and uncertainty in the market place resulted in a plethora of problems for the business sector, he said, and members of the Chamber have not been immune from events and happenings on the larger stage, Mr. Neville told the meeting. Nevertheless, added the outgoing President, Enniscorthy and District Chamber can be proud of the role it played in promoting commercial activity in the town and district over the past year. “The Chamber has been to the forefront in supporting some very exciting developments, not least the new Technology Park at Salville where the Enniscorthy Forum is soon to be located. The Forum, a wholly owned company within the Chamber, is the new administrative body for potentially over 200 United Nations ‘Centres of Excellence’ around the world, thus placing Enniscorthy and the new Tech Park at the centre of the UN’s Economic Commission for Europe”, Mr. Neville told the meeting. Continuing, Mr. Neville added: “The Enniscorthy Forum opens up any number of opportunities for the town and district including job creation and company re-locations going forward and with ongoing talks with UN representatives continuing, there is a strong possibility other areas of energy conservation may also be re-located to Enniscorthy under the UN’s Charter.” n
Michael Dempsey, new President of Enniscorthy & District Chamber
Energy supports and resources
There are a number of government supports and resources available to help businesses mitigate the impact of energy price rises and become more energy efficient, whether you are beginning your journey to sustainability or at an advanced stage. https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/what-we-do/supports-for-smes/energy-supports/
Student Enterprise
The Student Enterprise Programme for its 21st year has added three new awards. See link below for details: https://www.studententerprise.ie
Start your own business!
Thinking of starting your own business in 2023? Sign up now for the online Local Enterprise Office Start Your Own Business Programme, commencing 17th January 2023.
Delivered over eight evenings, this programme will provide the practical skills and know-how to help bring your business idea to life and set you up for success. This course will be held two evenings per week over a four-week period, 6.30pm to 9.30pm, on the following dates:
Tuesday, 17 January 2023 Thursday, 19 January 2023 Tuesday, 24 January 2023 Thursday, 26 January 2023 Tuesday, 31 January 2023 Thursday, 2 February 2023 Tuesday, 7 February 2023 Thursday, 9 February 2023
The course tutor is Cosmo Mellon of TalentPool.
For full details on the Start Your Own Business Programme and booking: https://bit.ly/3VXfeGZ n
Slaney adSlaney buSineSS & finance A sparkling success story
Áine Breen’s introduction to meaningful symbols and language began in 2011 when she moved from Ireland to China with her husband and discovered her creative side. Eager to learn more about Chinese culture, Áine took a course in Chinese calligraphy. One of the first characters she discovered was for love, which she learnt meant ‘life to the heart and grace to the body’. “I was immediately struck by how subtle yet significant this moving heart and body character was. I wanted a necklace with these characters.” In a moment, Liwu Jewellery was born. Liwu is the mandarin word for gift. In 2014, Áine moved back home to Ballymoney, near Gorey, and started exporting direct to consumers almost immediately after launching her website in 2014. This was initially to the US and has now expanded into Australia, European countries and the UK. She acknowledges support from Wexford LEO including funding to attend trade shows to conduct market research. Within a short period of time, based on the success of online sales, international wholesale stockists now offer Liwu Jewellery. Products are designed with overseas customers in mind. Liwu Jewellery consists of a Celtic jewellery range which appeals to the Irish American community. It also offers a symbolism range, which appeals to the Chinese community and other cultures and a wellbeing range, which appeals to those who want to celebrate and mark a special moment or life milestone. Liwu’s culture is young, innovative and fast moving. A quick response to change is essential in the jewellery marketplace. It is a fashion business. Áine is constantly creating and launching compelling new products that serve a clear customer need, utilising technology to get closer to her customers. In this regard social media has dramatically levelled the playing field, allowing Liwu Jewellery to disrupt the marketplace with their fluency in speaking direct to its customers on social channels. Direct marketing and using a PR agency in the US is equally important, “To maintain our profile and customer relationships, we deliver strong email campaigns and automated flows are in place for robust communications. We pride ourselves on a friendly customer service. For wholesale customers, we connect and engage through traditional trade shows.” “Today, consumers look to brands to fulfil a desire for connection, purpose and deeper meaning. Being direct-to-consumer gives us opportunities in cross-selling and up-selling. We know our customers and what appeals to them to drive loyalty and repeat business. We focus on marketing to our ideal customers to whom our jewellery appeals to, mainly independent-minded women who want to express who they are in the world and articulate their hopes and appreciation for dear ones in a thoughtful manner. These women are in North America, Germany and Australia. We do have customers in the Middle East and Asia but they tend to be expats with links to Ireland. In North America, they are mainly but not always Irish diasporas.” Áine’s export vision is “to expand our presence in North America through retail stores and direct sales through our website. The Irish market is very small, without success in exporting we cannot
Áine Breen
continue to evolve the business and employ more staff.” Exporting success has brought about change with the necessity to outsource production within Ireland to meet demand and scale. As with success, there are also challenges and the biggest obstacle that impacts margins is international shipping costs. The impact of Brexit is another challenge: “UK customs charges are having a huge impact. Customers must pay customs now if they order online. We would have to register for VAT in the UK if we paid these charges. As a small business, exporting to the UK is very difficult. It is easier to send parcels to Australia and the US! As is finding the right calibre of staff within our budget.” The future is very positive for Liwu Jewellery. Áine is not content to stand still. She has ambitious plans “to continue to grow and expand in particular into the US market. I plan to segment the business into two separate divisions – a direct selling collection and a competitively priced wholesale range.” When asked what advice Áine would give to a company planning or starting their export journey, she advises: “Start exporting early on, it allows you to understand the potential of your business quicker and to believe in yourself.” Liwu Jewellery has a consistent growth record. It is the perfect illustration of the success of a culture of innovation, customer service and rapid response to change. n
Feasibility Study Grants
Feasibility Study Grants are designed to assist the promoter with researching market demand for a product or service and examining its sustainability. It includes assistance with innovation including specific consultancy requirements, hiring of expertise from third level colleges, private specialists, design and prototype development. The maximum Feasibility Study Grant payable shall be 50% of the investment or €15,000 whichever is the lesser. Expenditure may be considered under the following headings: Market Research - Consultancy Costs - Technical Development/Prototype/ Innovation - Salary/Own Labour Research - Miscellaneous Costs Please contact Wexford LEO for an application form for the Feasibility Study Grant. Phone: 053 919 6020. Email: info@leo.wexfordcoco.ie n
Business supports
The Business Expansion Grant is designed to assist a business in its growth phase after the initial 18 month start-up period. Sole traders, partnerships or limited companies that fulfill the following criteria can apply: - Located and operating within the LEO geographic area. - A business, which, on growth, will have the capacity to progress to the Enterprise Ireland portfolio - A business employing up to 10 employees - A manufacturing or internationally traded service business - A domestically traded service business with the potential to trade internationally. For more information and how to apply click here: https://www.localenterprise.ie/Wexford/Financial-Supports/Business-Expansion-Grant/ The Agile Innovation Fund is now available for small businesses: Introduced by Enterprise Ireland, the Agile fund will help clients of LEO Wexford respond more quickly to market opportunities and challenges like Brexit. Offering fast-track approval and a streamlined online application process, the new Agile Innovation Fund will allow companies to access up to 45% or 50% in support for product, process or service development projects with a total cost of up to €300,000. For more information click: https://www.localenterprise.ie/Wexford/Financial-Supports/Agile%20Innovation%20Fund/ n
Green for Micro
Sign up for The Local Enterprise Office Green For Micro programme – helping your business prepare for the low carbon, more resource efficient economy of the future. Book Now: https://bit.ly/3zW6RBn This FREE initiative is available to companies with up to ten employees, and provides the mentorship and technical support your business needs to go green, covering such as resource efficiency, understanding your carbon footprint, reducing costs and implementing an environmental management system. n
