Issuu

ISSUE 6 - JUNE 2022

INSIDE THIS ISSUE IN THE HOT SEAT WITH RACHEL O’CONNOR, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT COLOURTREND.

CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP PULSE SURVEY – THE RESULTS

NEW PROJECTS ANNOUNCED FOR KILDARE INNOVATION CAMPUS

‘OUT & ABOUT’ PHOTOS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Corporate Partners 2022

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

C o nt e n t s

Lilywhite News Snippets

K Club to host Horizon Irish Open 2023, 2025 & 2027

Gannon Office Solutions – Post Pandemic Landscape

Malone & Co. – Accounting for Growth

Movers & Shakers

Chamber Membership Pulse Survey – The Results

In the Hot Seat

20 been Kildare Innovation Campus we’ve 22 Crystal Air – 25 Years in Business d healthier 25 Membership Listing d home 28 Upcoming Events cross years

Gannon Office Solutions Post Pandemic Landscape

In the Hot Seat with Rachel O’Connor Managing Director at Colourtrend

Crystal Air Celebrating 25 years in business

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER Welcome to the latest edition of the Chamber Chronicle. At long last we are back to in person events and it is great to be able to meet so many our membership at recent gatherings. In May we welcomed the US Ambassador to Ireland to a corporate partners luncheon in Kilkea Castle which was swiftly followed by our President’s Luncheon in The Osprey Hotel with guest speaker Bertie Ahern. Our Dail Dinner was a great success where we welcomed Senior Government Ministers to meet with our corporate members. Domnick Ward David O’Brien Managing Director, Sales & Design Engineer

Contracts Director

Over the coming months we will be hosting our annual social evening in Naas Racecourse, our Annual Golf Classic in The K Club and we will be launching our Annual Awards Night which will take place in November in The Killashee Hotel. Our lobbying activities continue and Sinead Ronan, Public Affairs Manager at County Kildare Chamber, is actively engaging with our membership to ensure business can continue to succeed in Kildare. This month we visit Boston to continue with our business activities stateside and I will be in both Quincy and Boston with the President and Vice President of the Chamber to sign a MOU with Quincy Chamber and to meet with several businesses and education facilities in the Boston area. As always, reach out to the team as we are always on hand to support the membership where we can. Yours Sincerely

Allan Shine CEO, County Kildare Chamber

The Chamber continues to reduce our print run of the Chronicle in line with our Sustainable Goals – Read online at issuu.com

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organisation and we have watched both Caroline and Mick develop and share their skills with our customers and staff

01 way and The road has not been without bumps along the most businesses we encounter supply chain delays, resou

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

MGS MFG Company invest further in Kildare The €7 million investment will see a 20,000ft extension to the plant located on the Kildare Innovation Campus, housing ISO class 8 cleanrooms, new offices, injection moulding machines, precision measurement laboratory and warehousing space. Established in Wisconsin, USA in 1982 initially as a small mould making shop, MGS MFG now spans 11 facilities around the world, employs more than 1200 people globally and completed the acquisition of Formteknik in Europe in early 2021. The Kildare plant, established in 2011, has continued to go from strength to strength over the last decade, employing 120 locally with plans to double this footprint to meet the new facility’s needs.

Sherry FitzGerald Brady O’Flaherty opens new office in Celbridge Sherry FitzGerald Brady O’Flaherty have opened their second office in Co. Kildare. Their new office in Celbridge compliments their existing flagship office in Maynooth, where they have consistently provided an excellent level of service to their Kildare customer base. The official opening was performed by Allan Shine CEO of County Kildare Chamber.

Auxilia Consultants and The Grey Matters Network Merge to form AuxiliaGroup AuxiliaGroup, a newly formed merger of Auxilia Consultants and The Grey Matters Network (GMn) delivers the power of 650 highly experienced professionals, providing solutions to its rapidly growing client base. The merged entity will combine strengths from both companies to benefit clients and associates alike. Prior to the merger, Auxilia Consultants were primarily a consultancy business while GMn were primarily a contract placement business, filling interim and contract roles with experienced professionals. AuxiliaGroup will offer clients the solutions to challenges facing companies globally today. Solutions include process improvement, strategic business planning, IT strategy review, talent sourcing, business performance analysis and implementing real business/operations solutions to improve efficiency with hands-on guidance and support.

Chamber welcome best performing route option decision for Kildare - Meath Grid Upgrade County Kildare Chamber welcomed the emerging best performing route option for the grid upgrade by Eirgrid. This follows extensive consultation with Eirgrid and the County Kildare Chamber membership throughout 2021. The Kildare-Meath Grid Upgrade is a high-capacity underground cable connecting Dunstown substation near Two Mile House in Kildare and Woodland substation near Batterstown in Meath. Allan Shine, Chamber Chief Executive said, “ Option A (the Red Option) has been identified as the emerging best performing route option. The route option agreed upon will require extensive dialogue with both landowners, businesses and community groups. The upgrade will enable further growth in the mid-east region which is critical as we must meet the growing demands for electricity.

KILDARE gets its very first reverse vending machine in March at Dunnes Stores in Naas. This green initiative has been promoted by the Irish branch of Going Plastic-Free (GPF) which is based in Naas. “This is the first reverse vending machine in County Kildare and the dualpurpose machine accepts both plastic bottles and aluminium cans,” said Senator Vincent P Martin, who is also the founder and Chairperson of GPF. “A 10 cent voucher which can be spent in the local Dunnes Stores is given for each individual can or plastic bottle deposited in the machine,” he explained. The RVM rental and maintenance is being funded through grant aid from Naas MD in the form of unused property tax.

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Primark Sod Turning The sod was officially turned on the site of the new Primark €75 million warehouse and distribution depot on April 8th 2022. Measuring 500,000 square ft, the facility will comprise of a distribution centre, warehouse and office space on a 38 acre site. The depot will act as an allisland facility, creating additional capacity and will serve Primark stores in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The depot is expected to be completed by Q3 2024. This will be a major jobs boost for Newbridge and will be an excellent addition to the increasing number of employers choosing Kildare in which to do business.

Ventac Celebrate 50th Anniversary Ventac celebrate their 50th Anniversary this year, 1972 – 2022. “Ventac have been surrounded by the absolute best people in business – our employees, our customers and our partners who have turned the vision into reality, and we are very grateful to everyone who has joined us along their journey. Our customers and the super Team at Ventac are the reason we are celebrating 50 years in business this year. The team and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers, friends, associates, neighbours, and community partners. Serving them has been our privilege and we want to personally thank everyone for letting Ventac be part of their story.” – Darren Fortune, CEO of Ventac

Kildare Chamber member wins first ever Guaranteed Irish Award A Kildare company has won the inaugural Guaranteed Irish Business Award for Professional Services – Multinational with a Global Impact. Manguard Plus, Ireland’s leading privately owned Irish security company scooped the much-prized accolade at an Awards Ceremony at the Shelbourne Hotel (24th March 2022). The awards, the first in the national brands’ long history, were held to celebrate trusted, leading businesses across Ireland who support local and look global, and who are committed to supporting jobs, their local communities, and contributing to Ireland, its people and economy.

OUT AND ABOUT We are back! In person events are now in full swing at County Kildare Chamber and we couldn’t be happier. It’s been great catching up with familiar and new faces over the last few months.

Corporate members vist Dáil Éireann

Recently, the Chamber had our annual event for our corporate members at Dáil Éireann, where we were kindly hosted by Minister Martin Heydon. 40 businesses were in attendance and got to meet and have discussions with An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, and many different Ministers & TD’s.

US Ambassador to Ireland, Claire D. Cronin visits Kildare

County Kildare Chamber hosted the new US Ambassadors’ first ever speaking engagement to a business organisation in Ireland at Kilkea Castle. In attendance were 100 Kildare businesses who had the opportunity to network with one another before the opening address from President Luke Hanahoe, followed by an address from Ambassador Cronin.

Bertie Ahern visits Kildare

The Chamber recently hosted our Presidents Luncheon with guest speaker; Bertie Ahern. Our host venue, the Osprey Hotel, kindly sponsored a prosecco reception – which was followed by a 3-course meal and a Q&A session between Bertie Ahern and Chamber CEO, Allan Shine. Mr. Ahern was then gifted with a caricature picture which was kindly sponsored by the Sheehy Motor Group.

THE K CLUB TO HOST HORIZON IRISH OPEN IN 2023, 2025 AND 2027 •

Ireland’s national open to return to The K Club for first time since 2016

•

Former Ryder Cup venue will also host Challenge Tour’s Irish Challenge in 2022, 2024 and 2026

•

Announcement underlines growing momentum in Irish golf in anticipation of 2027 Ryder Cup

The Horizon Irish Open will return to The K Club as part of a long-term deal with the DP World Tour, which will see the island of Ireland’s national Open played at the former Ryder Cup venue in 2023, 2025 and 2027. The K Club’s commitment to the development of Irish professional golf is further enhanced by the news that the resort’s second Arnold Palmerdesigned course, Palmer South, will also play host to the Challenge Tour’s Irish Challenge in the intervening years, beginning this July and again in 2024 and 2026. The announcement continues the momentum surrounding the Horizon 04

Irish Open, with Horizon Therapeutics - the global biotechnology company headquartered in Dublin – having signed a six-year title sponsorship deal in February, beginning with this year’s event at Mount Juliet Estate from June 30-July 3. Next year will be just the second time The K Club has hosted the Irish Open, having done so for the first time in 2016, when four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy claimed a famous victory which will live long in the memory of Irish sports fans. Ten years prior to that momentous occasion, the stunning Kildare venue made history when it became the first Irish venue to host the Ryder Cup. Under Captain Ian Woosnam, Europe marched to a commanding 18½-9½ victory over the USA – with recentlyannounced European Captain for 2023, Henrik Stenson, holing the winning putt on his debut in the biennial contest. Guy Kinnings, the DP World Tour’s Deputy CEO, Ryder Cup Director and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We share a special connection with The K Club through their hosting of the 2006 Ryder Cup, and we thank them for

their commitment to the development of Irish golf through this long-term deal with both the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour. “This news, along with the announcement earlier in the year of Horizon as title sponsors of the Irish Open until at least 2027, underlines the strength of our sport in Ireland, as we build towards the return of the Ryder Cup to Irish shores for its centenary edition in five years’ time at Adare Manor.” Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers TD, said: “Ireland has a rich tradition in producing world-class golfing talent and I am particularly delighted to see so many Irish golfers in the field for the 2022 tournament. “The Government’s investment in the Golf Ireland Professional Scheme continues to assist Ireland’s emerging professional players as they strive to progress through the ranks. The Horizon Irish Open is a wonderful showcase for Irish golf and for Ireland as a tourism destination.

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

“Our passion for golf, combined with our renowned tradition of hospitality, makes us want to share our courses and our companionship with visitors. The K Club will be the perfect host for the spectators present and for an international audience, following play from around the world.” Paul Heery, General Manager of The K Club, said: “The K Club has always been well known as a venue for hosting successful, international golf events and now with the guidance and fresh energy from new ownership, we are delighted to be back hosting tournaments of this calibre once again. “The K Club is evolving. We are on a journey to establish a new legacy at the resort where supporting the golfing community in Ireland is an extremely important focus for us. The team at The K Club are incredibly proud to be making this long-term commitment to Irish golf which will see us host six years of high profile tournaments in Ireland. “We very much look forward to welcoming players from all over the world to The K Club and watching the dramatic action unfold on the fairways of our Arnold Palmer designed courses once again.” Timothy P. Walbert, Chairman, President and CEO, Horizon Therapeutics: “To have this historic tournament associated with one of Ireland’s most prized golf

venues signifies the momentum that is building for the sport and for the Horizon Irish Open. “As we continue to grow as a company in Ireland, we also look forward to doing our part to grow the interest in the island’s national open and are excited for what the future will bring with The K Club and the DP World Tour partnerships.” Dr Una May, CEO Sport Ireland, said: “It’s an exciting time for this tournament and I look forward to working with the DP World Tour and all of the tournament hosts over the next few years to help bring this great event to new levels of success. “I am delighted that Sport Ireland, through its sponsorship of the Horizon Irish Open, has been able to offer two invitations to emerging Irish golfers. This will provide players with the opportunity to play in a top class DP World Tour event on home soil, and help further their careers as professional golfers.” Like the Ryder Cup, the Irish Open was also first played in 1927 and it is now one of the world’s most famous national opens, boasting former champions such as Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo, Pádraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Rory McIlroy, Colin Montgomerie, José María Olazábal and Jon Rahm. The 2022 edition will once again form part of the Open Qualifying

Series, with the top three players not already exempt earning a coveted place in the 150th edition of the Open Championship, taking place two weeks later on the Old Course at St Andrews. The Irish Challenge returned to the Challenge Tour back in 2015 and has been played every year since – barring 2020 due to the pandemic. The Ladies European Tour, meanwhile, will return to Irish shores for the first time in ten years when the Women’s Irish Open takes place at Dromoland Castle this September. It was announced in February that all general admission tickets for Sunday at the 2022 Horizon Irish Open have sold out, the earliest sell-out day in the history of the DP World Tour. Limited tickets still remain for the Wednesday Celebrity Pro-Am, as well as the first three tournament days – Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Premium Experience hospitality packages are also selling fast, with The Range Club – an ideal offering for smaller groups wishing to relax in style and enjoy outstanding service in a relaxed hospitality environment – already sold out on Sunday. General admission tickets and Premium Experience hospitality packages, which also include the Green on 18 experience, can be purchased here and fans are encouraged to purchase in advance to avoid disappointment.

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ISSUE 6 - June 2022

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ISSUE 6 - June 2022

Post Pandemic Landscape

Gannon Office Solutions is a Celbridge based family firm which is to the forefront of bringing ‘the office of the future’. The company is celebrating 41 years in business this year. Currently the company serves clients from one person operations, SMEs with offices typically holding 4 to 50 employees to large multinationals with 2,000 + employees. Gannon Office Solutions is accredited to the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 management systems through the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). Offices and workplace practices have been revolutionised over the past 2 years as companies battled the fallout from the COVID 19 pandemic. Now workplaces are set to change accommodate these new work practices (hybrid working) and to encourage employees to return to the office environment in a safe and controlled manner.

Post pandemic landscape: In our previous Chronicle post (June 2020), we wrote about how the COVID 19 pandemic had become the catalyst for a number of changes that had been expected to take place within the workplace. Improvements in technology (video conferencing, file sharing etc.) had promised a mechanism for remote working, however, this concept had not been widely tested.

went each morning, were assigned tasks which were to completed under direct supervision. The pandemic forced us to change the daily schedule (get up, go to work, work in the office, come home, repeat) that we had become accustomed to over decades. It also forced us to ask ourselves some tricky questions like: •

Can we actually work from home”?

We also wrote that the pandemic would certainly affect how the workplace of the future would look, however, at the time, we were unsure how it would affect future work environments.

•

Can we trust the employees to work from home?

•

Can employees be as productive at home as we are in the office?

The pandemic forced us all to change how we worked. Prior to the pandemic “Work” was seen as a place where we

The pandemic proved that not only can employees be as productive working from home, some studies

demonstrated that employees were in fact more productive working from home than they had been in the office.

How we work: While many relished the flexibility and avoiding the rush hour traffic that working from home offered, many missed the social aspect of work. There were also some aspects of remote work that did not work so well, the lack of body language and feedback in meetings, the loss of that casual interaction that happens within workspaces that so often sparks an idea or gets the creatin process going and the two minute in person chat that takes 30 minutes to arrange via video conference calls.

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Rethinking our workspaces: Technology such as video conferencing and cloud computing has allowed us to work successfully from home over the past two years. This technology isn’t going anywhere and has helped to reshape the new office workspaces. Going forward, we are unlikely to have our own designated desk anymore. “Hot Desking” or “Hotelling” will become widespread. Employees will be able to book both a desk and storage locker remotely for the days that they plan to be in the office. As employers no longer have to have a designated desk for each employee, offices will be redesigned to meet the changing needs of the workplace. Organisations will move away from traditional office layouts towards an environment which mirrors how we really live and work. In short, workplaces will designed to be flexible and more collaborative. Workplaces will change from a place you go to do individual work (“me” work) to a place that you go to meet and collaborate (“we” work).

How will this affect the traditional office layouts: Increasingly, the main purpose for the office will be to provide an exciting venue to foster a sense of community, knowledge transfer, collaboration and to promote the company’s unique culture. Features such as gyms, full food service and creativity zones, once only the privilege of big tech companies, will become more commonplace.

Employees in the office will spend less time on individual work which can be completed at home and more time on collaborative tasks. This increased focus on collaboration, networking and socialising will be key re-engaging with employees, fostering creativity and overcoming the feeling of isolation which has proved difficult for some during the pandemic.

So, what does the future workplace look like? The workplace of the future will have significantly less desks and will have more collaboration spaces to foster creativity. There will be less individual office with management sitting in open plan areas and there will be a greater emphasis on acoustics within the office area with phone pods and meeting pods offering spaces for people to take and make video calls.

The workplace of the future will revolve around 3 main principles: •

Flexibility: Agile working environment which will allow employees to work in a space that they choose.

•

Wellness: Topics like ergonomics and acoustics will become increasingly important issues going forward.

•

Connections: Workplaces will be designed to strengthen the connection between the company and the collaboration and connection between fellow employees.

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

Accounting for Growth: In conversation with Malone & Co. Principal Damien Malone

There is cause for optimism for Irish SMEs after two tough years, and opportunities for growth are there. Businesses just have to be in the right place to exploit them, as Damien Malone explains. For the first time in two years, many business owners started 2022 looking forward with confidence. With the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic over, and a return to something resembling ‘business as usual’ for the economy in progress, those that have weathered the storm are looking to grow and exploit new opportunities. While Covid-19 affected every business, and the familiar facades of many local shops and long-established community businesses have disappeared, with only some replaced, it wasn’t all negative and many enterprises not only managed to survive but found new opportunities and grew. “It’s out of such economic challenges that opportunities arise,” says Damien Malone, founder and managing partner of Dublin and Kildare-based accounting and tax firm, Malone & Co. “For instance, some businesses pivoted to provide products and services – such as PPE and sanitary/janitorial products – to new markets and found new customers, as well as selling more to

existing ones. Meanwhile, others found new ways of working that were more cost-effective and efficient – such as homeworking – and are now well placed to grow as the economy continues to recover throughout 2022.” It is no surprise that Damien is optimistic. His business has grown significantly in the past two years and the team now includes 20 accountants from three professional institute bodies, four tax advisors, a solicitor, two bankers and accounting and payroll technicians. Along with the day job, Damien is the chairman of the Damone Investment group, a niche micro and small asset/ investment group with equity, debt and property holdings in Ireland and the UK.

Surviving the pandemic What allowed Malone & Co to prosper during the pandemic? Damien says the key was simplicity and communication. The firm offers clients a no-frills, value added, customer centric-based compliance and advisory service where the focus is on the constant evaluation and improvement of their clients’ businesses and profitability. The team recognises that all business owners’ primary objectives are the safeguarding and maximisation of their hard-earned profits and cashflow.

In short, Malone & Co. has succeeded by helping others to survive and thrive during an unpredictable and difficult time. Through this, the team offered clear, concise advice, and ensured they communicated regularly with clients through a variety of media, including Zoom, phone calls and emails. At a time when guidance and the legal landscape was changing regularly as the pandemic developed, it was important to keep clients fully briefed so they were able to use that knowledge to function to their full capacity. “We work with SMEs and business owners who want to build bigger, better, scalable more profitable, sellable businesses for themselves and their families,” Damien says. “Our client base includes some of the most entrepreneurial-minded business owners in Ireland, indigenous companies looking to enter and crack new markets, and international brands and investors that have commercial interests in Ireland.

“We also have a niche area which is working with SME owners that have a desire to build property portfolios through leveraging their business profits.”

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Building a Strong Team Malone & Co. also has its own internal tax department that employs former ‘Big 4’ and ‘Top 15’ staff. By adapting a policy of only recruiting top, experienced talent, the business has built a team of multidisciplined professionals who are routinely retrained on emerging regulatory requirements, amendments in legislation and, of course, the ‘tricks of the trade’ to ensure clients’ affairs are structured as efficiently as possible from a tax perspective. Recent recruits include director of client services Lesley McCormaic, who is a practice veteran with 20 years’ experience across a diverse range of owner-managed companies, professional firms, regulated entities and the not-for-profits. Another recent recruit is Joanne Kelly, who is well known in banking circles and is now the in-house anti-money laundering compliance lead for Malone & Co.

Eyes Toward the Horizon Damien has exciting and ambitious plans for 2022 with expected, continued growth and further international expansion: “We want to try to get as close to a Big 4-style service, delivery and advisory while adhering to our core principle, which is focused around cultivating our client/trusted advisor relationship,” he says. As Ireland continues to attract unprecedented levels of foreign direct investment, not only does Malone & Co.

support international entrepreneurs and corporations looking to expand into the Republic of Ireland, it also helps Irish SME clients do business internationally. This is aided by its membership of several international professional service networks and associations such as IR Global, Centuro, ISFIN and Fusion Tax Network and further evidenced by the recent announcement that they have been chosen as a finalist for the INT-X Awards 2022 Tax & Accountancy firm of the year, an award that recognises the services, innovativeness, and impact of true game changers within the Global Expansion Industry. Malone & Co. streamlines the complexity of doing business internationally by staying on the cutting edge of modern practice. Damien explains: “We use automated solutions that make it easy for clients to upload bills and receipts using their desktop, mobile device, email, or scanner – giving us access to the documents you need, when you need them.” Domestically, Malone & Co is also looking to be active as, with COVID restrictions now lifted in Ireland and the economy moving to a post-pandemic phase, companies are looking for growth, and many will need advice to ensure that their business is structured in the most streamlined and efficient way to achieve their goals. There will undoubtedly be many M&A opportunities to take up for Irish businesses in 2022. Some business owners may have been planning to exit for some time but have held onto the business until such time as economic conditions mean they will get market value. Others, meanwhile, may have experienced such losses from the pandemic that they feel they cannot continue. This means there will be good businesses available for acquisition that could provide real value for acquirers, if the business is integrated effectively. Again, expert advice will be required. SMEs doing business in the Republic of Ireland would be wise to take a note from Malone & Co. Where some see difficulties, Malone & Co. find opportunities. There are undoubted economic problems across the globe, including supply chain issues and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which are likely

to continue for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, there remain real causes for optimism as there are also opportunities that progressive businesses can exploit, whether that be international growth, developing new markets or growing by acquisition.

Working with Malone & Co. Malone & Co. provides accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, VAT, payroll, company secretarial services and corporate services. This also includes tax evaluation and planning for business, personal and family, tax residence planning for internationally mobile clients, tax efficient remuneration of owners and key staff, and revenue audits and investigations. As chartered tax advisors, the firm is affiliated to the Irish Taxation Institute, the premier Irish body for tax advisors and members of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. The firm has offices in Rathcoole West Dublin and Naas in Co. Kildare. Malone & Co provides clear and concise advice and services to customers in a wide range of business sectors, but always at reasonable prices. The firm looks to work with clients over the longterm, rather than one-off projects, and as a result their advice is always takes a holistic view of the business and what is best for it in the short- and long-term. For more information on how Malone & Co can help your business, please contact us on [phone] or [email] to set up an initial meeting.

SARAH FAGAN - Adare Human Resource Management Adare Human Resource Management is delighted to announce the appointment of Sarah Fagan as Managing Director. Sarah takes over the position from Derek McKay, the owner and founder of the business. Sarah, a highly experienced HR and Employment Law practitioner, has been with Adare Human Resource Management for over five years and was most recently Consulting Practice Manager. Prior to joining the business, Sarah supported public sector employees for almost a decade in one of Ireland’s largest Secondary Teachers Unions. Planning for this change has been underway for some time and this appointment further strengthens the business for future growth under Sarah’s direction. Founded in 2003 by Derek, Adare Human Resource Management has grown to become one of Ireland’s leading HR, Employment Law and Health & Safety consultancies. Ownership of the business remains with Derek, who is joining the Board of Directors.

ARRAN MAHER - Teamworx Due to continued expansion, Teamworx are delighted to announce the appointment of Arran Maher to the Team. Arran will be joining the Hospitality & Retail Division and will have responsibility for a number of key clients in this area. Arran brings a mix of Recruitment and HR experience from his previous roles with Teagasc and the Lidon Group and is a HR Graduate of Waterford Institute of Technology. Arran prides himself on his positive, motivated attitude and is also an active Rugby Team Player in Portarlingtonn

CHERYL JOHN Digital Communications Manager at Cloudtech Cheryl John originally trained as a doctor but decided last year to take a major career decision and join Cloud Technology Limited as their Digital Communications Manager. Cheryl has always had a big online engagement and decided that this new role was a way forward that combined her interests in marketing, communications, business and technology. Since last year she has grown the company’s social media presence significantly using engaging content and blog posts across multiple channels. As a key member of the team, Cheryl also works directly with Clients implementing Zoho applications – this gives her real world experience showing the value to businesses of digitalization. Cloudtech provides total solutions for companies - including managing their people, recruitment & training processes, improving security, productivity, and efficiency.

PAUL RYAN - CEO of AuxiliaGroup Paul Ryan (F.C.C.A) has over 30 years’ experience as a Senior Business executive having operated in General Management, Finance, Sales and Supply Chain roles primarily in the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Industry. Paul worked with United Drug Group (UDG) plc and Uniphar plc and prior to that worked with Shannon Aerospace Ltd. He ran his own successful consultancy business for 4 years prior to partnering with Michael Broderick at Auxilia Consultants in 2020 and has recently been appointed as CEO of AuxiliaGroup. With his expertise in business including strategy, business modelling, fundraising and business development, Paul is prime for leading the team at AuxiliaGroup.

GREEN YOUR BUSINESS with help from Local Enterprise Office Kildare Cost Savings Increased Resource Efficiency Improved Corporate Image Reduced Emissions

The Green for Micro programme will help you reduce your environmental footprint and provides increased resilience to climate change. Learn more about the GREEN FOR MICRO programme and all our other business supports, training opportunities and grant schemes at www.localenterprise.ie/Kildare Phone 045-980838 or email localenterprise@kildarecoco.ie

in partnership with

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

Chamber Membership Pulse Survey The biannual County Kildare Chamber Membership Pulse Survey also found concern with challenges arising from remote and flexible working as well as the possible impacts and effects of the current crisis situation in Ukraine with the high levels of uncertainty surrounding Ireland’s fiscal outlook for the coming year and the knock on effects of the war currently being seen in fuel and energy costs as well as rising inflation also playing a part. The Chamber conducted this survey over a period of two weeks from the 28th March – 8th April 2022. The Economic Pulse Survey is carried out twice annually and gains considerable feedback from the regions large indigenous employers, multi nationals and our wide and varied SME members Of the total responses received, 23% where from businesses with 50 plus employees, while 77% came from businesses with staff

THE RESULTS In the first significant economic business sentiment survey taken since the outset of war in Ukraine of 207 businesses employing 28,000 employees has found an alarming 88% being either concerned or extremely concerned with the effects of the crisis on their operations and profitability.

ranging from one to 50 employees. Over 60% of the responses came from the Life Science and Manufacturing area, Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure, Retail, Education and Training and the service industry. Again related to the crisis in Ukraine the survey results also showed that specifically reducing costs are also a big challenge facing businesses with 23% of firms concerned about this with current rising inflation due to the ongoing as a result of the Russian invasion. As a key commuter belt county as well as being one of the key business economies in the country with many multinationals and large SMEs in situ the survey found that 40% of businesses are worried about the provision of housing for their employees with 15% citing public transport as not being adequate enough to serve the population.

How concerned is your business with the current crisis in Ukraine? 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

Extremely Concerned

Concerned

Slightly Concerned

Not Concerned

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The comprehensive survey by the Chamber which is the largest business organisation in the mid-east region of Ireland representing an employer base of 400 businesses and over 38,000 employees across the county found that there is still a substantial hangover from the Covid 19 pandemic along with ongoing effects of Brexit creating several very challenging years for businesses. With Covid 19 having fundamentally changed the rules around employment 51% of businesses said staff retention & recruitment is the biggest challenge facing

them. We are living through the age of the Great Resignation. According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the months of April to June 2021 saw 11.5 million employees quit their jobs, and this trend is being replicated around the world including in Kildare. Businesses are still trying to grapple with this, by introducing a number of measures including flexible working, revised benefits, mental health resources, access to training and development, improved communication and diversity policies.

What is the biggest issue for Kildare’s competitiveness? 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

Housing Availability

Availability of skills & talent

Infrastructure (water, energy, broadband)

When it came to staff recruitment and retention almost 60% of businesses stated staff turnover had been an issue within the last year. 50% of businesses stating competitive salary was a key incentive in attracting new employees. Positive work culture as a tool for recruiting and retaining staff also scored along with flexible and remote working.

Public Transport services or traffic congestion

Public service (education & health etc)

Business taxation levels

However it wasn’t all pessimism and despite ongoing fears showed the majority of Kildare businesses are optimistic about their outlook with 57% hoping to increase staffing levels, 60% forecasting an increase in revenue and 45% anticipating an increase in profits perhaps showing an increasing resilience and ability to cope with economic adversity.

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

What is the biggest challenge facing your business over the next 12 months? 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

Staff retention & recruitment

Managing flexible & remote working

Access to finance

Responding to climate change

Increasing productivity

Maintaining market share

What measures does your business find most effective in attracting & retaining staff? 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

Flexible & remote working

Competitive Saleries

Positive work culture

Employee benefits

As a key commuter belt county as well as being one of the key business economies in the country with many multinationals and large SMEs in situ the survey found that 40% of businesses are worried about the provision of housing for their employees with 15% citing public transport as not being adequate enough to serve the population. County Kildare Chamber is the largest business organisation in the mid-east region of Ireland representing an employer base of 400 businesses and over 38,000 employees across the county. Kildare is the location of choice for existing & potential business enterprise. Our highly skilled workforce & the attractiveness of our region coupled with the quality of life we enjoy, our excellent infrastructure provision and 16

Wellbeing programmes

Permission to work...

Environmental ethos

connectivity ensures we are well placed to secure foreign direct investment. County Kildare Chamber will continue to work closely with key government agencies and local and regional stakeholders, and the feedback from this survey will allow us to advocate effectively and on the issues which matter most to you. This survey will be circulated to our membership, government departments, public representatives, and our agency partners. It will assist the Chamber in formulating our policy submission for Q2 & Q3, particularly with our Prebudget submission and Kildare County Development Plan submission. The survey will also help to strategically focus the ongoing work of the Chambers Policy Advisory Council.

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

Chamber CEO Allan Shine said “ Kildare has shown itself to be one of the key engine rooms of the Irish economy as in the last two months alone Intel has announced 1,600 jobs with a further €12 billion being invested in their Leixlip plant up to the end of 2023. In the last week the Kildare Innovation Campus announced 140 new jobs – 40 with Nikon Precision Europe and 100 with MGS Manufacturing LTD who themselves are also investing €7 million in a 20,000ft extension to the plant on campus. However to note a sound of caution regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine with the resultant rampant inflation which will affect competitiveness on our island we need Government to act smartly and look at various tax incentives and grant funding for business- particularly around offsetting energy costs for businesses and the immediate expansion of work permits to enable businesses to recruit in countries outside of Europe to offset the huge skill shortages our members are facing at present across all sectors of industry. Sinead Ronan, Chamber Public Affairs Manager said “The last two year have been unique and challenging for every business in Kildare. This survey has been conducted by County Kildare Chamber to definitively define the main concerns of our businesses and membership. When initially preparing for this survey in early Quarter 1, no one could have suspected the crisis which would be unfolding before our eyes in Ukraine. This is the first business survey nationally to be conducted since the crisis in Ukraine began and results clearly shows businesses are concerned and will remain concerned to the knock-on effects over the months ahead. I welcome the results of the survey, which we as a Chamber will now examine and use as a tool to define our policy goals and areas which need petitioning going forward. This is a biannual survey, with a follow up to be completed in Quarter 3/4. If you have any feedback or further comments, and would like to discuss the survey, please contact me on sinead@ countykildarechamber.ie.

Profits

Revenue

Staff Training

Staff Numbers 0%

10%

20%

30% Stay the same

40%

50% Decrease

60%

70%

80%

Increase

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

IN THE HOT SEAT

with Rachel O’Connor

Interviewed by Sinead Ronan Public Affairs Manager at County Kildare Chamber

Next year General Paints Group will celebrate 70 years in business. Tell me more about the company and what sets you apart from your competition? GPG was founded May 1953 by my grandfather Ronan. He was a chemical engineer and after graduating he moved to San Francisco where he worked in a paint factory for many years. The company eventually asked him to move to Mexico to set up a new branch of the business. He almost took the job, but thought to himself, well if I’m going to open a paint factory why not do it at home. So, he moved home and in 1953 set up General Paints Group in Celbridge. At the time, there were a handful of employees, and everything was done manually. Things over the last 70 years have modernised, but the essentials of mixing materials together to create the products haven’t changed. My father, Kevin, took over in the business in the 1980’s and he was Managing Director for 35 years. He is a chemist by background, and continued Ronan’s legacy of making only the highest quality paint. He also focused on marketing and building the Colourtrend brand through TV advertising. Kevin retired in February 2020, and I then stepped into the role of MD. Our parent company is General Paints Group, or GPG, but we are best known for our brands Colourtrend and Curator. We sell Colourtrend paint through 170 stockists throughout Ireland and seven company owned stores. Our flagship store is in Celbridge, and we also have a Newbridge store. Many of our stockists share similar ethos and values to us; they are family-owned, independent businesses who have strong connections to their communities. We also export to the UK and the US and are currently working with Enterprise Ireland on exporting to the EU market. We have recently moved into the online space, selling primarily to the domestic market in Ireland, the UK and the US.

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

General Paints Group has changed a lot over the last 70 years. Where would you like to see the future direction of the company go? A project we are currently working on is to tell the GPG story to all of our stakeholders, whether that is our employees, our customers, our suppliers and the communities we are located in. I am biased but we have a really good story to tell! We have a lovely company culture and family heritage here, which is something I am very proud of. We also have the ambition of becoming a B-Corporation, which is a business that has a positive impact on all stakeholders and is a leader in ESG and Sustainability. It is a very rigorous process to become a B-Corporation, it will take a couple of years to get there, and it is a key part of our strategic plan.

Head Quarters for GPG is a former famine workhouse, and a historic gem. How are you planning on using this space into the future? The building is a big part of our identity as a company. A line drawing of the workhouse appears on all our Colourtrend products and marketing material. We have been slowly renovating it over the years, and our offices which were completed just over a year ago are a great example of combining the old historical building with modern architecture. We would like to open the building up to the public more, especially around Heritage week and Culture

night. It has a sad but fascinating story to tell, and we have worked with a local historian to understand the building and the many people who lived there since 1841. It was originally built as a workhouse, was later a TB hospital, it housed Belgian refugees during WW1, and was used by the Free State Army directly after the War of Independence, so the building itself has a lot of history in the walls and shows glimpses of different parts of our past as a country. All of our operations are located within the building; our production plant, our warehouse and our distribution centre, which we are in the process of modernising.

In February 2020 you took over the role of Managing Director of GPG. At the height of a worldwide pandemic, this must have been a baptism of fire? Yes, it was! We were one of the fortunate companies, in that there was such high demand for home improvement projects over that last two years. Our challenge has been managing our supply chain, as we source raw materials from all over the world. In 2020 raw material availability was an issue, so our lead times went from weeks to months. In 2021 and this year the price of raw materials has gone up hugely. It has been a baptism of fire, but I have really enjoyed it and learned a lot. We have fantastic people within the business and a great leadership team, and that’s why I enjoy going to work in the morning.

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

New projects announced for Kildare Innovation Campus

as new ‘Science & Technology Campus’ launches

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, announced 140 new jobs in IDA Ireland client companies, Nikon (Japan) and MGS Manufacturing (US) as he attended the launch of Kildare Innovation Campus (KIC) in Leixlip. Under new ownership, the 78-ha site formerly developed by Hewlett Packard, is to become home to a new science and technology park, which has been re-branded as Kildare Innovation Campus. Over 1,000 people are currently employed on-site, and its new owner’s vision is for the campus to accommodate potentially in excess of 4,000 jobs over the next ten years in the fields of life sciences, innovation, and technology, including biotech, med-tech, pharmaceuticals, quantum computing, data analytics, photonics, AI, and robotics, among others. The Tánaiste said: “This is great news for Kildare and also for Ireland’s overall offering for foreign direct investment. This campus will act as a real beacon, attracting jobs and investment to Kildare, where companies can expect to find a wealth of talent and a network of other global leading companies. The news that MSG is creating 100 new jobs and Nikon is creating 40 is a fantastic boost and I hope a sign of things to come. Congratulations to the management teams who have worked so hard to create these jobs and to all involved in making the Kildare Innovation Campus a reality.” Speaking on behalf of the owners, Iwan Iwanow, Partner, Kildare Innovation Campus said: “KIC is being developed with an ESG-focussed, long-term investment view. The overall vision for the Campus is to re-establish the widely recognised importance of the former Hewlett Packard site as a major scientific and technological hub, thereby contributing to the fast growing knowledge economy which characterises Kildare and its neighbouring counties. We chose to invest in KIC for that reason as well as the exceptionally high quality of the local talent pools; potential for collaboration with third level education bodies; and its connectivity to key transport nodes. We look forward to establishing the Campus through a phased development programme as a major hub for science, innovation, and knowledge-based industries over the next ten years. With this launch we are now ready and open for engagement with interested parties in this regard.”

Welcoming this announcement and its potential to drive economic development, research and innovation in County Kildare, Maynooth University has indicated that it would explore opportunities for collaboration and activity at Kildare Innovation Campus. Speaking on behalf of the owners as planning advisor, Gavin Lawlor, Director, Tom Phillips + Associates, said; “KIC is an exciting new development which seeks to capitalise on north Kildare’s long association with science, innovation, and technology. The former HP campus will be redeveloped in line with a new masterplan which will see the expansion of facilities and companies on-site in the science and technology sectors. The ambition for the site is that the companies located here will be synergistic and the best principles of ESG will apply to the future development of the campus. The masterplan, which we are currently working on, will also be designed to accommodate the provision of two instrumental pieces of public infrastructure, a new public road and a new pedestrian and cycle overpass of the M4. The new public road has been an ambition of Kildare County Council over multiple Local Area Plans for Leixlip. In this regard the masterplan will include the new public road to connect the Celbridge Road (at KIC’s entrance) to the M4 Interchange Junction 6. The new road will be delivered entirely by the owners as part of the initial phase of development. The masterplan will also seek planning permission for the delivery of a pedestrian and cycle overpass of the M4, linking the Wonderful Barn at Leixlip to Castletown Demesne in Celbridge. This will help to achieve an objective set out in the 2020 Leixlip LAP and the future Greater Dublin Cycle Network. We are currently working with Kildare County Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and other key stakeholders to agree the funding and delivery of the new bridge. KIC have confirmed that they will contribute substantially to this important piece of community infrastructure.” Upon completion, the new overpass will facilitate new linkages between Celbridge, Leixlip (via Castletown House), KIC and the nearby Wonderful Barn, providing a unique off road facility that maximises safe pedestrian and cycle links and sustainable transport between the two towns. Welcoming the KIC initiative, Allan Shine, CEO of County Kildare Chamber said; “These announcements illustrate that Kildare is the location of choice for potential business enterprise in the region. Our proximity to Dublin City, its airport and port, rail and motorway networks, ensures that Kildare is the most accessible county in Ireland. Kildare Innovation Campus can now attract leading Irish and international science and technology companies. The campus with its new investors and the companies it will engage with, will create a cohesive cluster, facilitating collaboration around science and technology with cutting edge innovation.”

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

At Crystal Air, we’ve been helping to build healthier workplaces and home environments across Europe for 25 years

Established by Domnick Ward and David O’Brien in April 1997, we provide services to mechanical contractors and end users of HVAC in the retail, ofﬁce and hospitality sectors. Many of our ﬁrst customers are still with us today, trusting us to continue delivering projects on time and within budget, with dedicated 24/7 support. When we started, we knew that there was a great opportunity to work with a small number of consulting engineers to provide them with a service that was beyond their expectations. This allowed us to grow a complete support section of technical engineering, business development, after sales and preventative maintenance and a full in-house finance team.

People are at the heart of what we do We have a superb staff of 103 full time employees. Many have been with us in excess of 20 years and we value the input and commitment from our colleagues at all levels. Two of our board members have been promoted from within the 22

organisation and we have watched both Caroline and Mick develop and share their skills with our customers and staff along their own journey. We have a really strong management team in place, with ISO 9001:2015 as our QMS. Innovation has always been one of our unique selling points. Gas engine technology, CO2 heat pumps, Thermal energy storage using phase change materials, Hybrid VRF systems and Indoor Air Quality solutions. We are surrounded by innovative suppliers such as Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, Daikin, PLUSS and many other major brands. By adding value to the products we supply, our customers have multi-national manufacturing backed by locals that care. We have been recognised by many during these 25 years and are proud of our awards and recognitions. The most recent was presented to us by SEAI at the Energy Show in 2022 for our innovative approach to waste heat storage, backed by our R&D project in our purpose built lab at our HQ in Clane, County Kildare.

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

2,160+

projects installed to date Total Value: Domnick Ward

Managing Director, Sales & Design Engineer

David O’Brien Contracts Director

€190m

Caroline Campbell

Service & Maintenance Director, Marketing

The road has not been without bumps along the way and like most businesses we encounter supply chain delays, resourcing of staff during peaks and the ability to scale during foot and mouth in 2001, the Celtic Tiger crash in 2008 and more recently Covid 19 in 2020. Again, strong management and continuous review and improvements in what we do has allowed us to survive each of these situations and drive forward to the next level of growth. Investment in training and staff has always been important to us and never has it been more so than right now where we have apprentices at all stages of their cycle within our trade along with recruitment from overseas. We have a plan in place for recruitment, training and upskilling and monitor this regularly.

Building long-lasting relationships We are proud sponsors of local teams, charities, trade institutes and professional bodies such as IRI, ASHRAE, Engineers Ireland and are also patrons of the Irish Hospitality Institute. Our membership of Kildare Chamber has allowed us to network and complete business at a local and international

Mick O’Reilly

Technical Service Director

level. As a corporate member of the Chamber we are building a pipeline of ways to manage skills shortages and are excited to work with likeminded entrepreneurs. Our overseas experience in the Data Centre world has been invaluable to our operation. With projects completed and currently underway in many parts of Europe, its great to be part of Ireland’s ability to export our expertise in delivery of Hyperscale Data Centres for some of the world’s biggest names. We think the future will be energy driven. There is a market in Ireland for deep retrofit at residential and commercial levels, now measured through ESG and reduction of carbon. We look forward to sharing some of our past 25 years of learning, and partnering with others to help make Ireland as green as we possibly can. For more information visit www.crystalair.ie or to arrange a no obligation site survey or consultation call Crystal Air today on 045 893 228. 23

LEAN TECHNIQUES Streamline your small business with help from Local Enterprise Office Kildare

Lean For Micro is designed to encourage clients to adopt Lean business principles in their organisations to increase performance and competitiveness. Lean tools and techniques are helping companies across the globe to address competitiveness issues within their businesses by building the capability of their people to identify problems, improve operations and create a more innovative organisation. Cost Savings - Increased Sales - Improved Efficiency - Reduced Waste

Learn more about the LEAN FOR MICRO programme and all our other business supports, training opportunities and grant schemes at www.localenterprise.ie/Kildare

Phone 045-980838 or email localenterprise@kildarecoco.ie in partnership with

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

County Kildare Chamber Membership 2021

Accountancy & Tax Services

Grant Thornton KPMG Taxkey Wallace O’Donoghue Mark Graham & Co. Conway, Conway & Co Kealy Mehigan Accountants O’Neill & Brennan S. C. Dunne & Co Quinlan and Co Accountants Kildare Audit & Accountancy Services Brennan & O Reilly Accountants Truway Accounting Limited Resolute Advisory HTH Accountants John P Greely & Company O?KellySutton Chartered Accountants The Leinster Partnership Malone & Co Accountants

Agri Tech

Car/ Van Hire/ Lease/ Sales Sheehy Motor Group Go Rentals Joe Mallon Motors Toyota Naas

Catering Supplier

Catering Innovation Agency Ltd

Demesne Architects Dooley Cummins Architects & Engineers

Arts/ Theatre/ Cinema Odeon Cinema Moat Theatre Riverbank Arts Centre

Bank

Permanent TSB AIB Bank of Ireland

Bookkeeping

Premier Accounts Assist Ltd

Corporate Gifts Balloon HQ NearlySisters Ltd

Credit Union

CRM Systems Provider

Caterclean Ecokem Premiere Catering and Hygiene Products

Cold Storage Solutions

Dawsongroup TCS Ireland Ltd

Conference and Accommodation

Construction

Architecture

CarveOn Limited Magma Design

Cleaning and Hygiene Provider

Agriculture

Crystal Air

Corporate Branding

Croi Laighean Credit Union Life Credit Union People First Credit Union

Maynooth Campus Conference & Accommodation

Air Conditioning

Rafferty Writes

Barretstown KARE

Charity

Terra Nutritech

Conrow Ltd Robinson Farms

Copy Writer

Ballymore Group Boston Access Limited Killross Properties Crylock Developments Ltd Glenveagh Homes Mick O’Shea Heating & Plumbing Ltd Tradecraft Building Products Ltd Homes By Design Quattuor Developments Limited

Consultancy

Amberley & Associates Apex Evolution Auxilia Consultants Bruce McCormack Consulting CiviQ Complinet Enable Me Coaching En-Route Consulting Eolas Managed Solutions Ltd Galileo Energy Services JAH - Business Operations Specialist Jigsaw Better Business Organic Trust CLG Paul Murtagh Business Consulting Platform Energy Solutions Ltd. SAR Consultancy Sontai Data Solutions TW Performance Solutions Ltd Vulcan Consulting Ltd

Cloudtech Monread CRM Team Project

Distillery

Powerscourt Distillery Limited

E Commerce

ModusLink Otals Pangea Media Ltd

Education

KWETB Maynooth University Faculty of Capacity Development Leah Moran Stage School and Productions LTD Leinster Senior College

Electrical Services

Schneider Electric Ireland Netherbrook Ltd RGN Electrical & Communications Specialist

Engineering

Endress+Hauser Powercomm Engineering LTD

Enterprise Park

Kildare Innovation Campus Millennium Park Clane Project Centre Ladytown Business Park

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

Equine

Godolphin Ireland Irish Equine Centre BBA Ireland Ltd Centrepiece Rosettes Horse Racing Ireland Irish National Stud & Gardens

Equipment Supplier/ Hire Pumpwatch Superior Pipeline Products Ltd Loading and Lifting Solutions The Buggyman Ltd Southern Machinery Ltd Haven Hire

Estate Agents

Brophy Farrell Real Estate Alliance Coonan Property Jordan Auctioneers O’Neill & Co Remax Partners ¦ Bryan Little Remax Platinum Sherry Fitzgerald Brady O’Flaherty Sherry Fitzgerald O’Reilly - Naas

Events

52nd Street Band/ John Forde Piano Man All Events Audiovisual Follow Fox Events (VEMS) Mondello Park Mongey Communications Pop Up Races Ltd

Facilities Management

Advanced Workplace Solutions Elite Maintenance

Family Tree Design

ADOS Genealogy & Design

Finance

Bibby Financial Services Close Brothers Commercial Finance Grenke Tameric Investments

Financial Advice Cleere Life House of Finance Lifegoals Financial SISgate Pro

Financial Services

FACE Credit Consultacy Finance Ireland Leasing Traction Finance Verity Financial Consultants Ltd Brink’s Cash Services (Ireland) Ltd

Fitness

Infinity Hot Yoga Ltd K Leisure

Food & Beverage

Kavanagh’s Bar Lemongrass Urban Kitchen Wine Lab SCÓN 33 South Main Indie Spice Grill Lock 13 Brewpub Coghlans Artisan Bakery Bergin Family Butchers Grey Cuckoo Farm Rustic Kitchen

Food Producer

O’Brien Fine Foods Queally Group

Funeral Directors

Murphy Brothers Funeral Directors Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors

Gambling/ Bookmaking Lottoland Services Ltd

Garden/ Outdoor Area Supplier Sanctuary Synthetics

Gas Networks

Gas Networks Ireland

Government Agency

Eirgrid Plc IDA Ireland LEO Kildare Cill Dara Le Gaeilge Local Employment Service Network covering Naas, Newbridge, Kildare, Leixlip & Athy

Health & Safety

Dulann Kildare Simplicity Technology Ltd. Essential Health and Safety Training and Consultancy Ltd Zehnacker Ireland Healthcare Ltd EFAST EMS

Health & Wellbeing Deep Health

Healthcare

UPMC Kildare Hospital Elm Hall Nursing Home Homecare Solutions

Home/ Office Interiors

Gannon Office Solutions Wall to Workstations Alena C Design T&I Fitouts Ltd Vyvyan Byrne Interior Design

Hospitality

Palmerstown House Estate & Golf Club

Hotel

Kilkea Castle Osprey Hotel The K Club The Westgrove Hotel Tulfarris Hotel & Golf Resort Barberstown Castle Clanard Court Hotel Court Yard Hotel Glenroyal Hotel & Leisure Club Kildare House Hotel Killashee Hotel Maudlins House Hotel Moyvalley Hotel & Golf Resort The Keadeen Hotel

Human Resources

Adare Human Resource Management Albatel Ltd Curran HR Consultancy Limited Kala Management Solutions Limited MHR Global Peninsula

Information Technology

Intel Kendlebell Naas LeaconBI ITM Hereworks Technology Limited iPing IT Services VEI Global INIT Zinon IT Solutions Bokfink IP Asset

Inspection and Verification SGS Ireland Limited

Insurance

Arachas Corporate Insurance Brokers J F Dunne Insurances Dooley Insurances Murray Spelman Insurance & Finance

Law Firm Matheson

Locksmith

KC Security Locksmiths

Logistics

Elsatrans Ltd

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

Maintenance

Action Chimney Escalator and Lift Services

Manufacturing

American Fruits and Flavors Ireland DAC Etex Group KDP Ireland MGS MFG Group Labplan Rampower Ash Technologies Minch Malt Powell Profile Systems Ventac and Company Limited Atlantic Bitumen

Marketing

Elevate Marketing Salt Marketing

Mediation

Browne and Co Mediation

Medical

Blackberry Hearing International Medical Information Limited Magnet Medical Solutions

Mortgage Provider

EBS - Drumcondra Gerry Cuffe Financial Services Ltd

Opticians

Crowleys Opticians

Pharmaceutical Pfizer

Property Management

Naas Property Management

Public Relations

Big Picture Communications

Quantity Surveyor

Lambert Surveyors Limited

Racecourse

Print Solutions

Sport

Kildare GAA Millicent Members Golf Club Naas Driving Range

StartUp Support MERITS

Steel Stockholders RFL Steel

Taste and Nutrition Solutions

Recruitment Services

Telecomms

Clark Recruitment Flexsource Solutions/ CPL ISS Recruitment Osborne Recruitment Sparktel Teamworx

Removals

Oman-BeverlySmyth

Renewable Energy Green Generation Ltd

Retail

Colourtrend Kildare Village Newbridge Silverware Aldi Dalys Pharmacy Larkfield Pellet Products Precision Coatings Cross Retail Group Monread Fare (Lidon Group) Johnstown Garden Centre Vodafone Diamonds & Pearls E&G Cutting Blades Ltd

Security/ Security Systems Manguard Plus

EMS Copiers Managed Print Solutions

Signage Provider

Product Sourcing

Solicitors

Made Personal Sweetspot Sourcing

Hanahoe & Hanahoe Solicitors Moloney & Co. Solicitors Osbornes Solicitors Patrick J Farrell and Company Solicitors Stephen Walsh & Co. Solicitors

Punchestown Racecourse The Curragh Racecourse Naas Racecourse

Photography/ Videography Frame It Productions Annalee Delaney Photography Celtic Photography Green Road Media & Film Media Milk Tadhg Nathan Photography Tony Gavin Photography

Solicitors

Element Creative

Kerry

LogMeIn Ireland Ltd

National Broadband Ireland Ltd (Deployment)

Tourism

Celtic Horizon Tours Fairways and FunDays

Training/ Coaching/ Mentoring ActionCOACH Blue Sky Training Cenit Group Choice Training & Consultancy Ladybird Driving School Martinstown Lodge Rugby Academy Ireland Soft Skill Success Turas Nua

Travel Agency Freedom Travel

Voluntary group Naas Tidy Town

Warehouse Solutions Jungheinrich

Web Design Kola Digital Graphedia

Blasco Solicitors and Notary Public Coonan Cawley Solicitors Coonan Morgan Solicitors

ISSUE 6 - June 2022

Chamber

New Members

Kildare Innovation Campus

Bokfink Tech

Led by Iwan Iwanow and Toby Cooper, the new owners’ vision for Kildare Innovation Campus in Leixlip, is to re-establish the widely recognised importance of the former Hewlett-Packard site as a major scientific and technological hub, thereby contributing to the already booming Knowledge Economy which characterises Kildare and its neighbouring counties. Its comprehensive redevelopment will be accomplished through a masterplan to facilitate the transition over time from existing industry and manufacturing to uses which encompass life sciences, innovation and technology, including; biotech; med-tech; pharmaceuticals; quantum computing; data analytics; photonics; AI and robotics. With an ESG-focussed design approach and an aspiration to be one of Europe’s leading innovation hubs, the masterplan will set new standards in sustainability and wellbeing for its occupiers and employees alike, delivering circa 200,000 sqm of science & technology related floor space with associated amenity, alongside the generation of around 4,000 jobs across the campus.

Bokfink Tech is a consulting and software development company providing IT Management, Product and Software Development services to customers in Ireland. We help businesses with challenges related to technology adoption, software development and cloud computing.

www.kildareinnovationcampus.com

www.bokfink.com

Deep Health Wellness Deep Health Wellness Centre is based in Celbridge, Co Kildare and offers a wide range of therapies and services including Acupuncture, Mental Health Therapy, Mediation and Corporate Wellness training through the centre in person, on-site, on-line and through employee assistance programmes. Owned and operated by father and son, Austin, and Stephen Dunne the lads focus daily on providing effective yet different solutions to those same problems people face every day. Whether it be Anxiety or Stress through to Back Pain or Sport Injuries please call Stephen on 085 163 1722 or email at stephen@ deephealth.ie

Edel Walsh Coaching and Consulting Edel is a personal leadership and executive coach. She specialises in helping her clients who are feeling stuck, frustrated, or overwhelmed in their careers. She supports them to get clear about their purpose, their vision and their career aspirations. Owing to Edel’s background in education she also offers one to one and group academic performance coaching for students (Third Level and Professional students). Edel helps her students with goal setting, time management, resilience, mindset shaping, organisational skills, motivation, managing distractions, finding balance, managing exam anxiety.

CTO As Service is one of our core consulting services with the aim to provide Technical Leadership to SMEs without the need of a full time CTO or VP Of Engineering. Agile methodologies and release automation is key in keeping up with fast paced technological development. Keeping humans at the centre of all decisions is a philosophy that Bokfink Tech always follows.

Martinstown Lodge Martinstown Lodge - a multi award winning new business in County Meath delivers high quality equine centred leadership and team development workshops. We support our clients to increase awareness of their leadership style, improve communication and build trust. Leaders of the future require skills to help them respond quickly, adapt successfully, remain present and connect powerfully with their teams. Horses are adept at these skills. Working with them on the ground supports our clients to gain deep insight and unlock their full potential as highly effective leaders. We provide a space away from the norm, to reflect, to create and innovate.

Edel is qualified in Mental Health and Wellbeing Coaching and Corporate Wellbeing Coaching.

www.deephealth.ie

www.edelwalsh.ie

www.martinstownlodge.ie

We run evidence based programmes for men who: • Are struggling with mental distress • Are feeling alone and are not sure how to reconnect • Who have lost their mojo for life

What we offer:

• Tips & stragegies toward better mental health • Life skills, such as goal setting • A sense of purpose & meaning • An opportunity to share & learn from other men • Access to 1:1 counselling • Access to an online peer support group For more information, please contact: deirdre@countykildarelp.ie

085 106 8305

lorna@countykildarelp.ie

085 842 1347

HEADS UP Kildare