COUNTY ENTERPRISE BOARD CELEBRATE 15TH ANNIVERSARY
OVERALL WINNER, ACUSPREAD BASED IN HAGGARDSTOWN WINS €5,000 IN TECHNICAL SUPPORT March 2008
LOUTH County Enterprise Board celebrates 15 years in existence at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and honours nine leading companies at its awards night.
Overall winner, Acuspread, based in Haggardstown, is presented with a prize of €5,000, technical support from Louth County Enterprise Board and a painting by local artist, Patricia Murphy.
Minister Dermot Ahern does the honours.
Category winners: New Business, Anne Hamilton Interiors; Manufacturing, Acuspread; Service, Servisource; Innovation, Mcor Technologies; Women, Brandt Translations; Craft, McNulty Knitwear; Creative, The Spirit Store; Environment, Neptune Education Centre; Export, Leinster Environmental.
Ronan Dennedy, CEO of the enter- prise board, says, ‘It is a special night for entrepreneurs in Louth, and for us, celebrating 15 years in existence.
‘Our staff and board demonstrate our continued support for emerging and growing entrepreneurial talent in Louth.’
Mr Dennedy continues, ‘While everyone who is short-listed shows their talents, we have to pick nine category winners.
‘Overall winners Acuspread demonstrate exceptional entrepreneurial talent and success in their short existence.’
Acuspread, led by David McWeeney and Noel Mackin, and founded in 2007, already employs 14 staff.
They manufacture a range of multi-purpose tailed spreaders for the distribution of chemical fertilizers, lime, sand, salt, grit, poultry waste and eco pellets.
Acuspread identify that new methods of farming in Europe create a need for top quality precision-built spreaders.
‘We are delighted with the win. We weren’t expecting it, and are quite shocked,’ admits Mr Mackin.
‘It’s a great achievement, especially since we’ve only been open nine months.
‘About 70% of our goods are exported, mainly to the UK and France, and 30% are sold in Ireland.
Meanwhile, The Spirit Store, one of Dundalk’s treasures since opening its doors in 1999, is rewarded for its creativity.
The popular music venue is named ‘Creative Industry of the Year’.
‘We are delighted with the win,’ says proprietor and Green Party councillor, Mary Dearey.
‘It is great fun on the night. Ian Dempsey (MC) sings the praises of The Spirit Store, so that is nice.’
The Quay hostelry is up against tough opposition from Drogheda publishing company Special Stories, and web design company, Aquaweb.
‘Although The Spirit Store is a bar, it is also a meeting place in Dundalk for creativity, and we have always been involved in the arts and promoting culture,’ Mark continues.
Indeed, the diversity of the creative arts in The Spirit Store is clearly evident on awards night.
As some of the team are enjoying a black-tie affair in the Crowne Plaza, the pub plays host to transvestite act ‘Joanna Ride’!
As part of its prize, The Spirit Store receives €3,500-worth of business advice from consultants, and a technology audit.
‘We’re looking forward to getting some advice on the business-end of things, and the technology audit will be reviewing our sound system and website.
‘I will be looking into developing our website to let more people know about the events we have on,’ says Mark.