TWO Sligo companies have been announced as finalists in the SFA National Small Business Awards 2019. Good4U in the Exporter of the Year category and SME Sales, a nominee in the Outstanding Small Business award.
The SFA National Small Business Awards are now entering its 15 th year are a celebration of the achievements of the 245,000 small firms in Ireland, who collectively employ 700,000 people, half the private sector workforce.
The Awards aim to promote excellence, achievement and innovation amongst small businesses in all sectors and parts of the country. Some 38 companies have been selected as finalists, from 14 different counties, across eight categories.
The Awards prize package for all finalists includes participation in the SFA Business Connect event in February, a strategic management masterclass weekend. The category winners will be presented with a trophy and free membership of the Small Firms Association for one year.
The awards ceremony takes place next February.
Louise Clarke, Early Careers Programme Manager, AbbVie (pictured with the ‘Early Career - Best Organisation Learning and Development’ trophy) is joined by AbbVie colleagues from sites across Ireland (and representative from sponsors KBC Bank, far right) at the Irish Early Careers Awards event in the Mansion House, Dublin recently. AbbVie was among the winners at this month’s Irish Early Career Awards when the company was announced as the best in Ireland for ‘Early Career - Best Organisation Learning and Development’. Last year, Michael Redmond, a mechanical engineer at the company’s Manorhamilton Road site in Sligo, won ‘Professional of the Year’ and ‘Best Engineering Professional of the Year’ at the annual event. AbbVie is the only company in the award’s history to win all three of its top prizes. The Irish Early Career Awards provides an important opportunity to recognise exceptional young professionals in the early stages of their careers and the organisations who are leading the way in fostering talent and supporting employee training and development. AbbVie fended off stiff competition in this category from Dalata Hotel Group, AIB, Northern Trust, Kuehne + Nagel and Lidl .