Three businesses from Clare, Cork and Limerick are heading to Tullamore for the Irish Local Development Network Enterprise (ILDN) Awards on Thursday 16 May.
Having beaten off tough competition in the Mid-West region, KM Financial Brokerage (North & East Cork), Fabricate (Limerick) and Margaret O’Connor Millinery & Design (Clare) were announced as winners of the ILDN Regional Enterprise Finals.
The winning businesses were nominated by their Local Development Companies, having been supported by the Department of Employment Affairs & Social Protection supports under the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance as well as by the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP).
“All the companies and entrepreneurs at the ILDN Mid-West Regional Finals are winners in reality. They have created viable startups to viable, profitable businesses. They have all shown real determination, business acumen and market knowledge, and have benefitted from on the ground support of Local Development Companies and the Department of Employment Affairs & Social Protection. Congratulations to Fabricate as the winner, and KM Financial and Margaret O’Connor Millinery & Design as runners up. We wish them every success at the ILDN National Enterprise Awards next month,” said Eamonn O’ Reilly, vice-chairperson of ILDN.
Nominated by the PAUL Partnership, Karen Cunneen Bilbow won the ILDN Mid-West Enterprise Award for her company, Fabricate, which designs and manufactures bespoke quality lampshades, textile products as well as delivering craft training and workshops. Karen operates from her studio at Burlington Business Park Corbally, Limerick.
KM Financial, nominated by Ballyhoura Development, will go forward to the ILDN National Enterprise Awards for their successful financial services firm, which has offices in Charleville and Dungarvan. Having taken a redundancy package in 2016, Michael Knightson and David Mulvihill established a client focused service based around their financial needs and goals. Since starting the business, they have grown the business to over 300 clients.
The Clare Local Development Company nominated winner Margaret O’Connor, Millinery and Design from the Burren. Having trained with Philip Tracey, made hats for the Royal Wedding and Lady Ga Ga, Margaret is a very talented milliner and now a successful entrepreneur. Margaret will now proceed to the ILDN National Enterprise Award Final.
All three award winners will now go forward to the ILDN National Enterprise Awards, which takes place in Tullamore on 16 May.
10 Finalists for Mid West Region
Cristiona Ni Hici, started her own Kombucha and bone broth health drink company, Ceile, in 2017. These drinks can have a big beneficial impact on your health and wellbeing. Cristiona supplies her drinks to health food shops, food co-ops and selected pubs and has collaborated with western herd brewing company to expand the business. Clare Local Development Company
*Margaret O’Connor, Millinery and Design is a native of the Burren, Co Clare. Trained with Philip Tracey, made hats for the Royal Wedding and counts Lady Ga Ga as one of her customers. She has won National and International awards.
*Mike Knightson, KM Financial brokerage. Mike, who also has Clare connections, turned his redundancy in 2016 into an opportunity by opening a client focused service based around their financial needs and goals. Since starting the business he has grown the business to having over 300 clients.
Caroline Conroy, is owner of Yoga Walks Ireland started in 2018. She offers a range of services including Yoga Walks, Yoga Classes, workshops and accommodation for those visiting from outside the area to avail of her services.
Declan McCann, offers a mobile Bicycle Repairs service currently operating in Tipperary but plans to expand. Started in 2018 this is a move away from Declan’s previous career as a champion x jockey. He has rode in over 1500 races worldwide. Declan’s first job was repairing bicycles and he started this when he was 10 years old.
Esther Aherne, owner of Aherne Health & Safety Wellbeing Consultancy and Training started her business in March 2017. Over two years Esther has built up a loyal and repeat customer base including Corporate, Local Government and private clients.
Karen Cunneen Bilbow, is the founder of Fabricate. Karen designs and manufactures bespoke quality Lampshades, Textile products and delivers craft training and workshops. Karen operates from her studio at Burlington Business Park Corbally, Limerick. Karen’s business began in February 2018.
Kathleen Forde, Countryside Pet Grooming. Kathleen was made redundant from Andersen Ireland having spent almost 29 years employed in the production area. Kathleen was faced with re-inventing herself in her early 50s and decided to turn her passion for dogs into a career and trained at Creedon’s College Cork to become a professional Dog Groomer establishing Countryside Pet Grooming in 2018.
Roger Kennedy , Kennedy Steel & Weld offers a bespoke welding service to his clients and takes pride in the high quality of his work. Rogers father has been an inspiration to him and got him interested in machinery, from a young age he remembers his father restoring an old tractor which now is on display in a museum in Glasgow, Scotland. Roger is a keen enthusiast of vintage vehicles and attends and partakes in shows with his own vintage car.
Szilard Gonda, CC Cleaning & Maintenance Service. After relocating to Ireland from Hungary in 2007, Szilard and his wife Maria worked for many years in the Courtenay Lodge Hotel, Newcastle West, until both were made redundant when the hotel closed in 2014. Having failed to secure employment and with their first child on the way, Szilard established CC Cleaning & Maintenance Services in February 2016 and now employs 3 additional part time staff and has two vehicles on the road to meet the demands of his ever growing client base.