County Kildare Chamber Chronicle April 2023

Corporate Partners 2023

Welcome to the latest edition of the Chamber Chronicle. 2023 is already a few months old and without doubt businesses are engaging more with the Chamber than ever before. Our activity is extremely strong, and this year we are introducing new bespoke opportunities for our membership to engage with each other and with the Chamber team.

Our recent open network morning proved extremely popular with 49 businesses in attendance, our revamped Business After Hours will be a firm favourite this year starting off with a visit to Keurig Dr Pepper and our regular webinars are also proving very popular with over 60 companies attending our most recent webinar in partnership with Gas Networks Ireland.

In May, our Public Affairs Manager Sinéad Ronan will be attending Select USA with several of our members – this is the ideal opportunity to explore the US Market for those interested in expanding their businesses internationally. Also in May, we host our Presidents Luncheon and our guest speaker this year is Minister Michael McGrath TD.

A warm welcome to our new members who have joined recently and as always, to all our members, please do reach out to the team if you require any assistance no matter how small you may think it is.

Allan Shine Chief Executive, County Kildare Chamber

Kildare County Council confirm Major Milestone for Athy Distributor Road project

Kildare County Council has confirmed the successful installation of the steel bridge beams for the new bridge over the River Barrow. This is a major milestone in the Athy Distributor Road project and the culmination of many months of planning and hard work by BAM Civil Ltd, their various subcontractors, bridge designers Roughan and O’Donovan and Kildare County Council.

Works on the bridge will be ongoing over the coming months as the precast deck panels are installed and the remaining elements of this iconic bridge are completed.

Sinéad Ronan, Public Affairs Manager at County Kildare Chamber said; “€8m has been allocated towards the ongoing works on Athys’ Southern Distributor Route. The allocations to the Athy Ring Road will see the road construction completed and open to traffic in 2023. This is a very positive funding announcement for Kildare’s local and regional roads and to ensure continued progress on Athy’s Southern Distributor Route in particular which will bring great benefits to residents and businesses in South Kildare.”

One of the first foals has arrived at the Irish National Stud

The foaling season is well underway & the team welcomed a beautiful filly foal by Kodi Bear out of Yulong Studs Lucky Sister. Lucky Sister is by Irish National Stud stallion Free Eagle & is a halfsister to Irish National Stud stallion Lucky Vega.

Born at 8pm on January 25th, both first time mum and foal are doing well.

Matheson ranked Number One Irish law firm for M&A in 2022

Matheson LLP has been ranked as the top Irish law firm for Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) by deal volume during 2022 by leading publication, Mergermarket. The firm advised on 44 deals valued at over $2.1 billion.

David Fitzgibbon, partner in Matheson’s Corporate M&A department, said; “Matheson’s ranking at the top of the Mergermarket table for 2022, following on from our number 1 ranking in 2021, is a reflection of the strength and depth of our Corporate M&A team. We are particularly grateful to our clients and our hard working, ambitious team of lawyers and business support functions.”

Taoiseach visits Kildare in advance of St Brigid’s Day

Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar visited Solas Bhríde Centre & Hermitages in Kildare where he gave his support for the Saint Brigid’s Day, Pause for Peace movement, an initiative spearheaded by IntoKildare and Solas Bhríde. Pause for Peace saw the residents of County Kildare (Ireland) calling on people all around the world to stop for a minute’s silence at 12.00 noon (local time) on the 1st of February 2023.

€15.8 million has been allocated to Kildare County Council (through Transport Infrastructure Ireland) for national roads and greenways in the county in 2023.

Including:

• €10.9 for capital investment (protection and renewal and active travel)

• €410,377 for current maintenance (protection and renewal)

Joe

Mallon Motors announced as regional winners 2023 ZEVI Electric Vehicle dealership of the year awards.

Zero Vehicles Emissions Ireland (ZEVI) an office within the Department of Transport, and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) announced the regional winners of the 2023 ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year Awards. These awards recognise and reward outstanding efforts in promoting and encouraging electric vehicle (EV) uptake in Ireland. This year, ZEVI has introduced a new level of awards, the Regional Awards, with a winner announced for each of the four provinces. Congratulations to Joe Mallon Motors who were announced as Leinster winners. The dealership was selected from a shortlist of county award winners, evaluated on several criteria including showroom visibility of EVs, salesperson knowledge of EVs, sales approach, EV training, sales trends and website presentation.

• €4.1m for our greenways, extending the Grand Canal Greenway from Alymer Bridge to Sallins and from Sallins Bridge to Clonkeen Co.Offaly.

• Among the highlights include €460,000 for the Naas Newbridge Bypass upgrade, under new road construction.

Permanent TSB opens for business in former Ulster Bank branches in Celbridge and Kilcock

Permanent TSB has now opened for business in Celbridge and Kilcock branches following its recent acquisition of the locations from Ulster Bank. This builds on Permanent TSB’s existing presence in Co. Kildare (through its branches in Newbridge, Naas and Maynooth) as part of a major expansion from 75 to 98 branches in communities across Ireland.

As Irish private businesses navigate through a new wave of challenges and considerations presented to them in today’s evolving business landscape, one consideration which remains constant for business owners who wish to exit and transition their business to the next generation is to provide for an appropriate succession plan.

In order for a family business to successfully transition from one generation to the next, proper planning is key and should be considered as a long term process that business owners should fully invest in. It is a process encompassing many considerations, ranging from tax implications (for both parent and child) to the future financial wellbeing of the business; from corporate governance to ensuring a robust business strategy is in place. All of these considerations are critical to provide comfort to both the business owner who is “handing over the keys” and to their successor who takes on the task of ensuring the business can survive into the next generation of successful trading. Interestingly, however, PwC’s latest family business survey highlighted that only 23pc of Irish family businesses have a robust, documented and communicated succession plan in place, compared with 30pc globally.

Take control of the future of your business

Succession planning can be a challenging topic for business owners. It involves several important decisions

that can impact the future of the company and the family. Seeking professional advice is crucial.

Creation of a Succession Plan

Creating a plan for the future of your business involves answering challenging questions, including;

● What direction is the business headed?

● Who can help the company to thrive?

● Is family ownership the best option?

● Can and should ownership and management be separated?

Additionally, considering the views of family members and communicating your plan clearly is very important - this can alleviate conflict down the line.

Effective Governance Structure

Governance in family business is a group of functions including internal controls and decision making processes which ensure that both the family and the business’ best interests are taken into consideration. All parties to the governance structure should be included in the preparation of the governance policy as this involvement can promote the fair use of policies and manage expectations regarding any future conflicts. At their simplest family governance policies should

incorporate rules around conflict resolution such as: voting rules - who can vote and what majorities must be reached, how are deadlocks resolved, payment package structuring and minimum requirements to sit on the board etc.

Ownership v’s Management

In the past ownership and management may have been viewed as inseparable functions, whereas in the modern day this is not the case. The separation of such functions may be viewed as critical to ensure that the business can “succeed” in the hands of the next generation.

In the event that ownership is kept within the family, it is imperative that careful consideration is made over the ownership/management profile of the successors. The question is raised as to whether only those family members working in the business should inherit ownership of the business. It must also be considered whether family members are properly equipped to deal with the challenges that accompany ownership of significant assets. It may be appropriate to consider the traits of potential owners and how they might treat perceived power when forced to collaborate with other shareholders. Appreciating the difference between ownership and management, and understanding the particular responsibilities of family business ownership, are becoming more important too, because “owningonly” is a trend gaining momentum.

“Handing over the keys”

The importance of implementing a Succession Plan for family businesses

Claire Shanahan PwC Private Tax

Tax Considerations

Business owners should take into account the potential tax costs associated with transferring ownership and business wealth and how such costs will be financed. Oftentimes, family businesses have most of their wealth tied up in the company, but any tax costs incurred during the transfer would be personal costs to be borne by the business owner and their children.

Capital Gains Tax

When disposing of chargeable assets, capital gains tax of up to 33% may apply on any gains arising. The gains are calculated by establishing the appreciation in the market value which has arisen on the assets from the date of acquisition of the assets to the date of disposal (the date of the transfer of the assets and /or shares to the owner’s child).

However, it may be possible to rely on some form of CGT relief, such as retirement relief or entrepreneur relief. Retirement relief may be available to reduce the overall tax cost for the business owner when transferring shares to their children (subject to the satisfaction of numerous conditions). If the ownership transition occurs before the business owner turns 66, full relief from capital gains tax should apply. However, in order to avail of the relief, the disposal must consist of qualifying assets (i.e. certain business assets or family company shares). After 66 years of age, the relief available to the parent is limited to €3 million.

In the alternative, Entrepreneur Relief operates whereby qualifying business owners can effectively avail of a reduced CGT rate of 10% (from 33%) on the first €1 million of aggregated lifetime gains. As in the case of Retirement Relief, there are a number of conditions required to be satisfied in order to avail of the relief.

Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT)

For children who receive shares in a qualifying familycontrolled company, CAT business relief may be available to lower the effective CAT rate from 33% to 3.3%. Again, this relief may be limited if part of the company’s value is not derived from trading business assets.

In the case of Retirement Relief and CAT Business Property Relief, the reliefs are subject to clawback if assets are sold within six years.

Again, appropriate tax planning advice is recommended prior to the implementation of any succession plan to ensure that the conditions required to avail of the respective reliefs have been satisfied.

Stamp Duty

Stamp duty is also an additional tax cost for the successor to consider. Stamp duty is a tax on documents and depending on the class of the business assets transferring, rates as high as 7.5% may apply to certain transfers of assets. A rate of 1% applies to the market value of the shares in the family company ( where the company does not derive its value from non residential land, however to the extent that the company does derive its value from non residential land, a stamp duty

rate of 7.5% may apply). The higher 7.5% rate may also apply to transfers of other business assets.

Implementing a succession plan - action points

1. Timing is key: consider the timing of your succession process. If you are approaching the age of 66, it might be worth contemplating transferring some or all of your business in the near future to potentially take advantage of significant tax benefits.

2. Passing over control: Is relinquishing control in the short to medium term an option or would you like to retain some element? Consider a “special” share when relinquishing ownership which may give you veto rights over certain aspects of the business.

3. Identifying what assets shall pass to which family members: Although it may seem reasonable to distribute your business equally among your children, in reality, it could create conflict if some of them are not involved in the business. In this regard, it is recommended that business owners take stock of their asset portfolio including identifying business assets and non- business assets (i.e. rental property). Consider whether it may be more appropriate to transfer investment assets that you would rather transfer to those children who are not actively involved in the business. If those investment assets generate a stream of income that you will still need after retirement, assess whether it would be more suitable to pass on those assets while keeping a life interest in them.

4. Put in place a will: If you have not yet decided on a succession plan to be implemented during your lifetime, then you should put in place a tax-efficient will. This allows for the assets of your estate to be distributed in line with your wishes while simultaneously ensuring that the assets can pass to the beneficiary in a tax efficient manner. This can provide control over the payment of CAT as inheritance tax, and specifically the low thresholds and immediacy of tax collection, can have devastating implications for families (and their businesses) without tax efficient plans in place.

At a minimum, we would recommend the implementation of tax efficient wills, which facilitate:

● a more orderly disposal of assets,

● the opportunity to access relevant reliefs, and

● control over tax payment dates.

Managing ownership of a family business is a unique and complex challenge. Managing a generational transition is one of the biggest challenges that a family business can face. Therefore, our experience shows that when business owners embrace the succession process in a timely manner and prepare adequately for a successful transition, it results in a smoother process and a higher likelihood of long-term success. At PwC Private everything we do is built around you and your business and our experience can help you to navigate the process. Contact our team today and we can help to ensure the success of your family’s future.

Claire Shanahan is a tax director in PwC Private’s tax practice. https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarieshanahan

Testimonials

Ted Walsh Enable Me Coaching

I started my business in late 2017 and things began very slowly. A chance meeting with Bernie Everard, who at the time was the business development manager of the Kildare chamber, just before Xmas changed everything. Bernie invited me to come to the Kildare Chamber B2B meeting in Jan 2018 as a guest. That meeting turned out to be transformative for my business. I joined the Chamber shortly afterwards and have been a member ever since. I am now going into my 6th year as a Chamber member. Every business has its own reasons for joining a network. I have two. The first reason is to grow a community of likeminded people who get the challenges of being a small business owner. These people become your support network. They become your “go to” people. The second reason is to grow my business through connections made through the Chamber. Kildare Chamber has excelled for me on both fronts. I have a fantastic network of people I can call on when I have an issue that I have met through Kildare Chamber. As regards growing my business, 17% of my turnover can be directly attributed to connections I have made through Kildare Chamber. When it comes to renewing my memberships each year, it’s a no brainer when it comes to Kildare Chamber. I highly recommend Kildare Chamber to any business.

Niall & Sarah Reck

Graphedia.com

We at Graphedia.com have had the pleasure of working with the County Kildare Chamber for the past 9 years and we cannot thank them enough for their instrumental role in our growth in County Kildare.

The Chamber has always been so welcoming, their expertise and professionalism together with the great events that they organise has helped us expand our network and connect with other businesses in the area.

We appreciate the range of networking events they offer, which has allowed us to engage with a wide variety of businesses. The County Kildare Chamber team, Allan, Jennifer & Sinead are simply brilliant to work with and be a part of, I would highly recommend joining the Chamber to grow your business.

Sharon Farrell FACE Credit Consultancy

Since starting FACE Credit Consultancy in 2019 the County Kildare Chamber have been a terrific support. The weekly networking mornings have provided me with opportunities to meet local businesses which has helped to grow and develop the business. Our business turnover doubled in 2022 and 70% of new business won was as a direct result from networking with the County Kildare Chamber. I can honestly say that without the Chamber we would not be where we are today. I would highly recommend the County Kildare Chamber to businesses locally and nationally.

Ruth Murphy Elevate Marketing

I joined County Kildare Chamber the same month I started my business in 2019 and it has honestly been the best decision I have ever made. Starting off, the Chamber provided me with a solid network whose support has been invaluable, as my business has grown it has provided me with a team of external salespeople who are happy to provide referrals as they have got to know both me and my services. Allan and the team at Kildare Chamber are proactive in continually moving forward with lobbying, events and training, the strength of the chamber is a testament to their work.

Maureen McCowen Soft Skill Success

Being a member of Kildare Chamber has helped me grow my business. I have delivered coaching to individual Chamber members and training to Corporate members.

Kildare Chamber is a well-respected organisation, and my membership adds extra credibility to my business.

Upcoming Events

Weekly Networking Mornings

Every Wednesday morning, the Chamber hosts a networking event in our Chamber HQ in the Naas Town Centre, where tea & coffee is available from 07:45am. Meet other like-minded business people, promote your brand/ offering and grow your business. Non members can attend up to two meetings before joining.

Every Wednesday ¦ 8am – 9:30am ¦ County Kildare Chamber Offices, Naas Complimentary Event

Chamber Presidents Lunch

Supported by Endress+Hauser

Members, join us on the 17th May at 12:30pm for our annual Chamber Presidents Luncheon in honour of our sitting President, Mairéad Hennessy. Enjoy a two course meal and hear from our guest speaker, Minister Michael McGrath TD.

Wednesday 17th May ¦ 12:30pm ¦ The Osprey Hotel, Naas Member Only Event - €75 + VAT pp

Summer Social Evening at Naas Racecourse

Sponsored by VEI Global

Join us on Wednesday the 28th June from 5pm at Naas Racecourse for our annual summer social evening. We will be in the Nas na Ri Suite overlooking the racecourse with an array of tasty finger food to enjoy for the evening. Included in your e-ticket is the Race Tipster, Finger Food, Racecard and a guaranteed great night out!

Wednesday 28th June ¦ 5pm ¦ Naas Racecourse €25 + VAT (Members) €75 + VAT (Non-Members)

Chamber Golf Classic

Join us on the 6th July for our annual Chamber golf classic on the Palmer North course in the K Club. Lunch will be available from 12:30pm with a shotgun start at 2pm, followed by dinner after the golf. Fee includes a goodie bag. Both members and non-members welcome.

Thursday 6th July ¦ Shotgun start 2pm ¦ The K Club €695 per team (Members) €895 per team (Non-Members)

Out & About

Allan Shine, CEO of County Kildare Chamber, pictured with HE Aisha Farooqui, Pakistan Ambassador to Ireland, and members of the Pakistan Ireland Business Council at Barberstown Castle.

L-R Sinéad Ronan & Allan Shine (County Kildare Chamber) pictured with Morgan O’Callaghan from Viatel Ireland at recent Chamber open day.

L-R Frank O’Rourke, Paschal Donohoe (Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform) & Allan Shine (CEO County Kildare Chamber) at a recent Barnhall Rugby Lunch.

Group shot from recent Chamber open day, where 50 businesses were in attendance.

L-R Dave Merriman (T&I Fitouts Ltd) pictured with Sinéad Ronan (County Kildare Chamber) recently at T&I Fitouts Ltd offices in Straffan.

L-R Kenny Deery (CEO Galway Chamber), Clodagh Higgins (Mayor of Galway City), Michael McGrath (Minister for Finance), Allan Shine (CEO County Kildare Chamber) and Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail Senator) at a recent Galway Chamber business lunch.

L-R Jenny Beresford (CEO, Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber) pictured with Sinéad Ronan (County Kildare Chamber) at the Chambers Ireland Centenary Dinner at Dublin Castle.

L-R Annalee Delaney (Annalee Delaney Photography) pictured with Elaine Coen (Teamworx) at recent Chamber open day.

L-R Martin Heydon (Minister for State of the Department of Agriculture), Allan Shine (CEO County Kildare Chamber & Leo Varadkar (An Taoiseach) pictured at a St. Bridget’s Day event in Newbridge.

L-R Ruth Murphy (Elevate Marketing) pictured with Ted Walsh (Enable Me Coaching) at recent Chamber open day.

L-R Sinéad Ronan & Jennifer Forster (County Kildare Chamber) pictured at a recent Sustainable Kildare tree planting event at Barretstown.

L-R Ian Talbot (CEO Chambers Ireland), Sinéad Ronan (County Kildare Chamber), Allan Shine (CEO County Kildare Chamber) and Darren Devane (Bam Ireland) pictured at the Chambers Ireland Sustainable Business Impact Awards launch.

L-R Allan Shine (CEO County Kildare Chamber), Michael McGrath (Minister for Finance), Claire Davey (Director at KPMG Ireland) and Duncan Graham (MD at Retail Excellence) at recent ITI dinner.

Chamber CEO, Allan Shine, presenting at recent EirGrid Energy Citizens Roadshow event.

Our recent business after hours event at KDP Ireland.

A Global Chamber

County Kildare Chamber, an affiliated member of Chambers Ireland, EuroChambres and the International Chamber of Commerce, is the business organisation in the region that ensures member companies meet the challenges of global expansion. Expert advice is on hand for businesses researching international expansion.

The Chamber this year embarks on a trade visit to Boston, attends the World Chamber Congress in Geneva, various EU conferences in Brussels and will attend the Select USA Investment Summit in Washington DC with members companies.

The Chamber supports businesses doing business internationally in many forms. Our in-house team legalise and certify export documentation for those exporting primarily to the middle east and Asia. We advise companies exporting product to Mainland Europe & the UK, and offer support and training to businesses looking to research new markets. Our network and relationships with Chamber’s worldwide ensure that member companies are briefed with up-to-date information at all times.

Our annual trade delegations to Boston benefit our members hugely. Over the past number of years, many visiting members have now commenced commercial activity in Boston.

“The trade visit far exceeded our expectations with high quality meetings that gave us a real feel for the Boston culture and our future plans for US expansion”. Llyod O’Rourke VEI Global

The Chamber hosts visiting international delegations on an ongoing basis -most recently, the Boston Irish Business Association, the Economic Development team from Kentucky and the Abu Dhabi Investment Department.

The Chamber is here to support business expansion and access to an experienced, professional network of service providers through our vast membership. The advantage of the Chamber for many is that we have a membership that have tried and tested expansion to all global markets and these businesses are here to support, mentor and advise members looking to expand.

L-R Anthony Cooney, CEO Fingal Chamber, Allan Shine, CEO County Kildare Chamber, Kate Forbes, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy of Scotland, Gabby Mallon, CEO DLR Chamber and Peter Byrne, CEO of South Dublin Chamber.

Quincy Chamber of Commerce delegation to County Kildare in March 2022, visiting Kerry Group.

L-R Allan Shine, CEO County Kildare Chamber, Maureen Bergin, Community & Business Relations Director at Kildare Village & the then President of County Kildare Chamber, Jacqui McNabb, Head of Enterprise at LEO Kildare, Peter Carey, the then Chief Executive of Kildare County Council & Tim Cahill, CEO of Quincy Chamber of Commerce.

Boston delegation to County Kildare in November 2022, visiting the Pfizer plant in Newbridge.

Quincy Chamber of Commerce delegation to County Kildare in March 2022, visiting the Irish National Stud & Gardens.

L-R Laoise Moore, Consul General of Ireland to New England (Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) and Allan Shine, CEO of County Kildare Chamber during a recent trade visit to Boston.

NIAMH GAFFNEY Recruitment Partner - Operations, Compliance and Professional Services at Clark

With a Degree in Social Care and over 9 years’ experience in the management of administration, customer service and client care management, Niamh is passionate about working with people to help them achieve their career goals. As Recruitment Partner on our permanent team Niamh specialises in Operations, Compliance and Professional Services roles at all levels for clients from SMEs to large multinationals. Her objective is to build relationships with all stakeholders to ensure she is introducing the right candidate to the right client to facilitate successful, lasting partnerships.

ALI CROSS Recruitment Partner Temporary Division at Clark

With over 12 years’ professional experience gained in demanding customer facing roles, Ali has over 2 years’ recruitment experience as a Senior Placement Consultant within the financial and hospitality sector where she specialised in the placement of medical doctors. Skilled in locum placements, roster management and people management, she takes a very personable approach when dealing with candidates and clients. She is passionate about building strong working relationships and excels working in a fastpaced temporary division.

ANNIE RAFTERY Sales & Wedding Manager at Barberstown Castle

Having worked in the UK, Ireland and most recently for the last 13 years in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the Middle East, Annie joined the team in Barberstown Castle in September 2022. She has brought with her over 20 years’ expertise within all aspects of hospitality, tourism, travel and sales for corporate, leisure, weddings and group clients. Annie holds a BA Hons degree in Tourism Management from South Bank University, London and leads the Sales, Events & Wedding Team at Barberstown Castle, thanks to her excellent communication skills and broad customer service experience. She enjoys meeting her clients and wedding couples, ensuring the hotel exceeds expectations for all wedding, corporate and leisure needs.

EDDIE CONDON

Business Advisor at the Local Enterprise Office Kildare

Eddie is new to the LEO team bringing an extensive career background in banking and retail management.

Kildare County Council’s Local Enterprise Office team, act as the first point of contact for businesses seeking advice, financial support, training, mentoring, access to dedicated business networks, product and service development, micro-finance loan fund, sustainability initiatives and digitisation.

Now based in MERITS Innovation Hub, Devoy Park, Naas - the LEO aim to promote entrepreneurship, foster business start-ups and develop existing micro and small businesses to drive job creation and to provide accessible high quality supports for the business community.

econdon@kildarecoco.ie / 087 270 8930

1,000 trees planted at Barretstown to celebrate Sustainable Kildare Initiative

Over 80 companies took part in the year-long campaign with 56,106kg in emissions saved.

A tree-planting ceremony was held at Barretstown on Thursday 26 January, to mark three ‘sustainable kildare’ campaigns which took place throughout 2022. The campaigns encouraged businesses and their employees to reduce their carbon emissions by making small changes to their daily activities, such as taking shorter showers, turning off unnecessary lights, and walking, using public transport or cycling instead of driving. Participants could log the climate friendly activities and see CO2 savings made in real time.

Speaking at the tree planting ceremony, County Kildare Chamber CEO, Allan Shine said: “This challenge raised awareness and educated participants in the idea that everyone can make a difference in the conversation around sustainability and climate action. In total, 56,106 kgCO2e was saved during the campaigns which was achieved through participants completing 41,716 activities. If everyone in Ireland took on this challenge and achieved the same results, nearly 780,000 tonnes of CO2 would be saved. This again highlights the idea that small daily actions taken by each individual can have a hugely positive impact on the environment.

Dee Ahearn, CEO of Barretstown said: “Barretstown was delighted to take part in the Sustainable Kildare Challenge and are honoured that 1,000 trees will be planted here in Barretstown in recognition of this wonderful initiative. Sustainability is at the heart of how we operate here at Barretstown and these trees will support our plan to be carbon neutral by 2030. We were delighted to welcome businesses from across Kildare to our beautiful campus in Ballymore Eustace and highlight how these trees will enhance our environment for children and families living with serious illness that we serve through our therapeutic programmes.”

The campaign was first launched in October 2021 and hosted by County Kildare Chamber with support from Intel Ireland. It was the first ever climate action championship to take place in Ireland.

Speaking about the campaign Intel’s Communications Manager Sarah Sexton added: “Sustainable Kildare has created an important opportunity for businesses across the county to come together on the topic of climate action. The campaign demonstrates the power of small actions and the impact that can be made with a targeted focus. Intel was delighted to support the Chamber on this wonderful initiative and we would like to congratulate all of the participating companies”.

Orla Farrell, Easy Treesie Project founder said: “We’d like to congratulate all involved in this great planting initiative today, here in County Kildare, home of our charity CrannTrees for Ireland.”

CHAMBER POLICY

Membership Sentiment Survey Report Q1 2023

The Chamber conducted its quarterly survey over a period of two weeks from the 24th January – 7th February 2023.

Of the total responses received, 40% where from businesses with 21 plus employees, while 60% came from businesses with staff ranging from one to 20 employees. Over 55% of the responses came from the ICT & Digital economy area, Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure, Retail, Agri food & drink and the service industry.

The survey concentrated on the key business challenges of competitiveness in Kildare, Energy Costs, TBESS, Sustainable Development and Post-Covid employment. It particularly highlighted continuing challenges Kildare businesses are having with regards to housing availability and the cost of energy, all of which businesses see as substantial barriers to competitiveness within Kildare.

The survey found that 75% of businesses are either concerned or extremely concerned with the effects of rising energy cost on their operations and profitability. It is becoming increasingly clear that housing is a profound challenge in maintaining Kildare’s competitiveness as a county. The crisis in the availability of housing and rental accommodation in Kildare is becoming the critical barrier to the continued growth and development of our economic ecosystem. The housing crisis has increasingly become a concern in relation to cohesion in the workplace and society more broadly. Younger workers, in particular, are facing significant financial pressure by ever-increasing rents, scarcity of property and the decreasing prospect of homeownership.

This ultimately also has a knock on effect into issues around well-being and productivity in the workplace,

while long term, will also create emerging challenges in terms of pension adequacy and people’s broader ability to participate in society over the coming decades.

At a time where there are multifaceted challenges pulling stakeholders in different directions it is imperative that Kildare addresses any structural weaknesses that work against long run competitiveness and more widespread productivity growth, such as housing, business supports and talent attraction & retention.

You can read the full document online at ReportsCounty Kildare Chamber

Policy Advisory Council

The Policy Advisory Council held its first meeting of 2023 on 17th January.

Guest speaker Chief Executive of Kildare County Council, Sonya Kavanagh presented to the grouping and outlined how the Chamber & the Council can work together going forward for the betterment of the County.

The next meeting of the Policy Advisory Council will take place on 30th March 2023, with Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD.

The Policy Advisory Council is composed of members, interested in actively contributing to the success of our lobbying. The Council meets throughout the year, agreeing priorities and formalising working groups to develop specific topics for advocacy work. The focus of the Council’s work can be seen through the Chambers representative work to Local Authority and Government Departments.

IN THE HOT SEAT

with Dave Merriman Director at T&I Fitouts Ltd

Tell us a bit about yourself;

I’m originally from Straffan and moved across the border into Clane where I currently live, I have always had split loyalties, playing football for Straffan and Soccer for Clane! I went to school in Clane and then went on to study Surveying in Bolton Street DIT. I’m an avid supporter of local sports clubs and feel they are an incredibly important outlet for kids and adults alike in the social media world we live in. I’m a passionate support of Kildare in all forms and I’m delighted that T&I is still based locally in Straffan and is supporting local businesses in the area.

Dave, you set up T&I Fitouts in 2010, with the company going from strength to strength over the years. In the midst of a recession, how challenging was that?

T&I setup in 2010, in the height of the recession, we had the choice of leaving for the middle east of trying something ourselves, I had just been let go from a company and was at a crossroads but received some great advice. ‘don’t ever

be wondering what if, give it a go and at least you tried it’ with this we used our redundancy and my upstairs bedroom and started making calls. We landed a small project with an old client in Ebay, they gave us a chance which I will be forever grateful for as with their name as were able to open so many other doors. Setting up in 2010 was extremely hard but also a blessing. People and subcontractors wanted to work and were willing to give 110% to any chance they got, salaries were also down so our risk exposure and overheads were lower. This allowed us to be competitive against our bigger rivals. There is always a positive, even in really challenging times! Over the years we received some great grants from enterprise Ireland which allowed us to develop our digital construction technologies which has allowed us to become an industry leader in the use of technology such as BIM, Holobuilder, Smartsheets and VR. We also found the chamber invaluable in linking us with likeminded suppliers and subcontractors which are the life blood of what we do.

With this help and persistence, our turnover went from 255k in 2010 to €62 million in 2022. One massive aspect of our business model has always been thinking outside the box, whether with technology, sustainability or hiring strategy, we have found that if you need to react to a new trend it’s too late, you need to read the trends and position yourself as the standout leader in your sector delivering on it. We have always tried to push ahead of the curve and have an incredible team of pro-active like-minded people without which we could not achieve what we have. The secret sauce is the people! We have always hired the person not the CV, experience will come, work ethic, passion and personality you are either have or you don’t.

T&I recently won Overall Company of the Year & SME of the Year at Kildare’s Business Awards, what can we expect from you for the coming year?

Firstly, this was an incredible honour, to be recognised in your home county like that was amazing, a county championship

of the business world! We are never ones to rest on our laurels, so from a business perspective we have opened a new hospitality division which is currently completing the Westbury Hotel Renovation, this will be our fourth division with commercial fitout, data centres and public works contracts, on the technology side we have now developed our own internal software system, specifically built for the speed of the fitout industry which will launch this year and will simplify and speed up every aspects of the construction management process. We are also looking to push on with our carbon engineering division, this team will look to revolutionise the way fitout is done over the coming years, with new innovation technology. We have completed 2 case studies for Ebay and Accenture this year reducing the carbon content through reuse and recycling by up to 46%. We are also rolling out a college apprenticeship programme, we will look for bright and talented people who may not have had the opportunity to pursue college courses or careers in the construction industry.

Climate action is at the forefront of everyone’s mind today. Is sustainability an important part of T&I’s ethos? Sustainability is to the core of what we do. We see ourselves as an industry leader, trying to achieve sustainable construction has been no easy feat but we have risen to this challenge with our Head Office being

Net Zero Carbon and our operations ahead of schedule to be Net Zero Carbon by 2030. We are continually working with Design Teams and Clients on every project we undertake to push for the use of reused, recycled or upcycled materials where possible. T&I Carbon Engineering was setup in 2021 to provide a standalone Support System to T&I Fitouts which can provide Carbon minimization and engineering to our fit out projects. This consists of providing low Carbon alternatives to design elements within a project, to source, document and design these materials and services seamlessly into our fit outs. An essential part of this for the construction industry must be the reuse and recycling of existing elements, this has resulted in remarkable achievements in tandem with design teams in the last year, on projects such as Ebay, Focus Ireland, Bord Bia and Chapter House. We have also continued with our carbon offset strategy, planting a further 89 acres of diverse forestry this year, bringing our current forestry to 291 acres.

Do you believe Chamber membership has been important to your company?

I’m Kildare born and raised so it’s important to me to see our local economy flourishing. Although most of our projects are carried out in Dublin for large multi-national clients, we are very proud of our Kildare base and membership of the Kildare Chamber I

believe is in trying to achieve a vibrant, thriving and sustainable local economy that drives growth and prosperity in the area. We use a huge amount of local subcontractors and suppliers and try to be pro-active in the Kildare economy where we can. The chamber opens doors to other SME’s in our filed and introduces new companies and partners within the area that we would not have otherwise known about. It provides a fantastic opportunity for established companies to gain new enthusiastic vendors and new companies to find new established pathways to larger multinational clients. I would urge every local business to get involved if they can.

Kildare Business Awards

What it meant to our Winners…

Employee of the Year Award – John Mitchell, Barretstown

This was a huge honor for me personally and professionally, and very unexpected. The Kildare Chamber have been a fantastic driving force behind bringing businesses and people in Kildare together. I attended my fist network morning meeting in 2019 and was impressed immediately. I have made some fantastic contacts and some good friends along the way. I was delighted to represent Barretstown in this category and delighted for our fantastic organisation to get some recognition. I am very conscious that while I am the fortunate one who received this award there is an amazing team of hard working and dedicated people I get to work with daily. I received the award on behalf of all the employees in Barretstown who work, each day, to improve the lives of children affected by serious illness. Thank you to the Chamber and all the team in Barretstown.

Excellence in Communications – Intel Ireland

“We were delighted to receive the Excellence in Communications award at the County Kildare Chamber awards 2022. The award is a wonderful recognition of our commitment to share information about our operations here in Ireland, including our environmental strategy, in a clear, transparent, and comprehensive way. We take great pride in hosting communication channels, and implementing communication strategies, that enable us to directly and authentically engage in meaningful conversations with stakeholders across Ireland. We strive to create long-term relationships with our audiences that are built around the topics that matter most to them. We are particularly proud that the award reflects our environmental messaging across a number of innovative campaigns, such as the Intel Ireland Water story and the ‘What do you see’ animation series. The award recognised Intel Ireland’s strong passion for sustainability and the environment around us and how we communicate it.

The award is one of the first to recognise excellence in communications in this way. Throughout the application process we had the opportunity to showcase all of our key campaigns and the application form made this easy to do in a logical and straightforward way. The Chamber are always approachable for any questions if needed.”

Innovations in Business - Terra NutriTECH

Terra NutriTECH was fortunate to win this years Innovation in Business award. Receiving an award like this from a leading chamber of commerce in Ireland validates much of the hard work our team has undertook in the last few years. Attending a great networking evening in the awards ceremony, helps cement relationships with other business leader in the county as well as giving our hard working team a well earned enjoyable night. I very much look forward to next years gala event.

Large Business of the Year - Crystal Air Ltd

It was once said: “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we are curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Crystal Air was established over 25 years ago. Both owners Domnick Ward, Managing Director, and David O’Brien, Contracts Director, work closely in the company’s day-to-day running with a hands-on approach to getting things done. Looking back on our achievement we know that our team of over 120 staff are the backbone to our success. Our company revenues since we started have generate almost 200M euro since 1997, where we have won numerous awards along the journey, and installed 2160+ projects. We are humbled and proud that we would even be considered for the Kildare Business Awards 2022 in the nomination for “Best Performing Large Business of the Year”.

The industry award was sponsored by Eoin Gannon of the Gannon Group and hosted in Killashee Hotel. The venue was super and entertainment by Keith Barry just shows how other Kildare businesses are world-class. It is an acknowledgement of a job well done and justification for our efforts and challenging work. When considering the application, we identified innovation as a major component of what we do that makes us that little bit different from our competitors. Being part of a large network such as the Kildare Chamber and making the effort to keep involved repays us over and over again.

Well done to all the finalists and overall winners and the very best wishes to everyone for 2023.

Sustainable Development - Barretstown

Barretstown was honoured to win the Sustainable Development award, its fantastic recognition of our commitment to sustainability at Barretstown. Sustainability is a key focus of Barretstown’s overall strategy and our target to be carbon neutral by 2028. Barretstown strives to ensure we positively impact the environment, our people, and the communities we serve. Our new master plan sets out Barretstown’s development strategy for the next five years and its primary concept is to promote sustainable development in close proximity to the existing historical buildings on the Estate. Sustainability is at the heart of Barretstown. We wish to thank Kildare Chamber for the honour.

Best Emerging Business – RGN Electrical and Communications Ltd.

We were over the moon to win the award and it really meant a lot to all our super staff. We knew we had chance at winning the award, after a few very busy and productive years in which we have built up a great business model in such a short amount of time, however we never actually expected to win it, and we knew we were up against some stiff competition in the other nominees in our category. We put a good bit of time and effort into the application which was a good reflection on how far we have come over the last 5 years in business. Winning the award brought great exposure to the company and we have relished a great period since. It has really lifted our company profile and it’s an award we are very proud of.

2023 is shaping up to be another extremely busy year and we have already secured a large volume of work and recruited some additional senior staff to see us through this busy period and keep building and maintaining our company values. We would like to give thanks to all involved in the County Kildare Chamber, for the on-going support you have shown us over the years. We look forward to entering another category again this year.

Excellence in Customer Service - CarveOn

We were thrilled to win the Award for Excellence in Customer Service at the 2022 Kildare Business Awards. Winning it was a huge honour and achievement for us as a team, particularly considering the calibre of the nominees we were up against.

As part of the application, we had to demonstrate our dedication to customer service by outlining our policies and procedures, detailing our staff training programs, and providing customer testimonials that showcased how we try and go above and beyond. We try to make our service as personal as the products we make.

Since we started CarveOn Leather in 2011, being based in Co. Kildare has been fantastic for us. It’s a great place to do business. Being part of the Kildare Chamber gives great access to the local business community who have been very supportive to us as we’ve tried to scale our business.

Looking back on our win, we are most of all incredibly proud of our team. We remain committed to delivering exceptional customer service and to being a valued member of the Kildare business community. We would like to thank our local clients for recognising our hard work and dedication. We will continue to strive for excellence in everything we do.

Small-Medium Business of the Year, Net Zero Achievement AND Overall Business of the Year - T&I Fitouts Ltd.

It was an incredible honour, to be recognised in our home county like that was amazing, a County Championship of the business world! We submitted three entries at this year’s awards and put a lot of work into our submissions to reflect how far we had grown as a company in recent years. Not only commercially, but also in regards of our innovative Sustainability and Health & Wellbeing initiatives, as we continue on our journey to push ahead of the curve in the Fit-Out industry.

It was an amazing night and we would like to sincerely thank the Kildare Chamber for all their hard work in putting on a such a wonderful event. And to come away with three award wins on the night, including Overall Business of the Year, against some other fantastic Kildare Businesses was immensely rewarding for everyone associated with T&I Fitouts.

Diversity, Equality & Inclusion – Dooley Cummins Architects & Engineers Ltd.

At its simplest level, the Kildare County Chamber Awards evening was a great opportunity to give our staff a night out and an occasion to dress up for something special as a reward for their hard work during 2022. It was also great for us, as an SME, to feel part of something bigger within the business community, especially when you saw the calibre of fellow nominees.

Being nominated in two categories had already contributed to giving us a lot of positive publicity in advance of the event via Social Media. The Chamber did a great job on spreading the word. On the night itself, it added a bit of excitement to the proceedings – at bit like being at one of Co. Kildare’s racecourses and hoping you have backed the winner. Winning an award was the icing on the cake. It has been a tremendous boost to staff morale and something everyone felt part of and very proud of. We were pleasantly surprised at the extent of coverage for the winners and the feedback we continue to receive from our clients and business contacts. We will be entering again in 2023.

Excellence in the Community - Glenveagh Homes

The Glenveagh team was immensely proud to get shortlisted and subsequently win the Excellence in the Community award at the recent Kildare Chamber Awards. We work hard to understand and engage with our communities, having developed a full strategy around community engagement across Kildare over the past year. Our community and sponsorship funds have provided invaluable support to local initiatives in Maynooth, Leixlip, Kilcock, Newbridge and Kildare town including everything from grassroots sponsorship to local event support and other initiatives close to the heart of our communities.

Our awards application focused on the breadth of recent community activity and case studies across all Kildare communities including a successful Community Day for Ledwill Park residents, Kilcock; sponsorships that made a difference like Athgarvan LGFA jersey sponsorship enabling the newly formed U11 girls to play competitively as well as our charity fundraising for the Jack & Jill Foundation in Newbridge.

LOVE COMMUNITY OVER COMMUTING LIVE GLENVEAGH

Health & Wellbeing - Queally Group

As a team, we are very proud of the work we have achieved over the last number of years to create a health & wellbeing programme for our employees. Our health & wellbeing programme has become a key strategy for our business, and we are continuing to build on the initiatives created out of the pandemic.

Putting our application together allowed us to reflect on the immense task we set ourselves at the beginning of the pandemic to ensure our employees who came to work felt safe, worked safe and were safe. From our BE covidSAFE poster campaign, key updates via our intranet and company app, wellbeing training activities and welcome back to work packs, we ensured that our messaging and updates meant employees understood how to manage their mental and physical health during those most difficult and unprecedented times.

When we were announced as the category winners at the Chamber Awards, we knew that we had achieved something special. To be recognised for the critical role we played in a time of people crisis was fantastic and we are very proud of the programme and how our employees responded to that programme.

Outstanding Contribution to Business - Kevin O’Connor. General Paints Group

“It was an honour to be awarded the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Business Award ‘at the Kildare Chambers Business Awards, and I am so proud to accept the award. I see it as a huge achievement and recognition for what we have built at General Paints Group, a thriving business and employer, for 70 years.”

“It has been a huge honour to lead the business for over almost four decades, to work with such a talented and passionate team in the heart of Celbridge and see the development of a business going from strength to strength. Having stepped back recently, I am very excited to have handed the reins over to my daughter Rachel.”

“Rachel is the third generation of our family to lead General Paints Group, and I have no doubt that she will be just as successful as previous generations in developing the company and leading the commitment to quality and innovation for decade to come.”

“Quality, innovation, and community are at the heart of the business – bringing cutting edge technology and an unrelenting commitment to quality to the group brands, that has served the company well since it was formed 70 years ago. “

County Kildare Chamber Membership 2023 A C

Accountancy & Tax Services

Grant Thornton

KPMG

Price Waterhouse Coopers

Brennan & O Reilly Accountants

Clinton Higgins Chartered Accountants

Conway, Conway & Co

HTH Accountants

John P Greely & Company

Kealy Mehigan Accountants

KT Accountants

Malone & Co Accountants

Mark Graham & Co Chartered Management

Accountants

My Debt Solution

O’KellySutton Chartered Accountants

O’Neill & Brennan

Quinlan and Co Accountants

S. C. Dunne & Co

Taxkey

The Leinster Partnership

Wallace O’Donoghue

Agri Tech

Terra Nutritech

Agriculture

Robinson Farms

Air Conditioning

Crystal Air

Architecture

Demesne Architects

Dooley Cummins Architects & Engineers

Arts/ Theatre/ Cinema

Odeon Cinema

Moat Theatre

Riverbank Arts Centre

Car/ Van Hire/ Lease/ Sales

Sheehy Motor Group

Go Rentals

Joe Mallon Motors

Toyota Naas

Catering Supplier

Catering 365

Charity

Barretstown

KARE

Teach Tearmainn

Cleaning and Hygiene Provider

Caterclean

Ecokem

Premiere Catering and Hygiene Products

Cold Storage Solutions

Dawsongroup TCS Ireland Ltd

Conference and Accommodation

Maynooth Campus Conference & Accommodation

Construction

Ballymore Group

Boston Access Limited

Killross Properties

Ampack Ltd

Crylock Developments Ltd

Glenveagh Homes

Homes By Design

Mick O’Shea Heating & Plumbing Ltd

Quattuor Developments Limited

Tradecraft Building Products Ltd

Consultancy

Amberley & Associates

Auxilia Ltd

Bruce McCormack Consulting

CiviQ

Complinet

Enable Me Coaching

En-Route Consulting

Galileo Energy Services

IP Asset

JAH - Business Operations Specialist

Corporate Branding

CarveOn Limited

Corporate Gifts

NearlySisters Ltd

Credit Union

Croi Laighean Credit Union

Life Credit Unionn

CRM Systems Provider

Cloud Technology Limited

t/a Cloudtech-HR & Cloudtech

Monread CRM

Bank AIB

BBank of Ireland

Permanent TSB

Bookkeeping

Premier Accounts Assist Ltd

Jigsaw Better Business

Paul Murtagh Business Consulting

PsycReality

SAR Consultancy

Skillsvista

Sontai Data Solutions

Vulcan Consulting Ltd

DDistillery

Powerscourt Distillery Limited

EE Commerce

Otals

Pangea Media Ltd

Education

KWETB

Maynooth University

St. Patricks College Maynooth

Faculty of Capacity Development

Leah Moran Stage School and Productions LTD

Learn International Education Consultants 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

Palm Logistics

Clane Project Centre

Ladytown Business Park

EEquine

Godolphin Ireland

Irish Equine Centre

BBA Ireland Ltd

Centrepiece Rosettes

Horse Racing Ireland

Irish National Stud & Gardens

Equipment Supplier/ Hire

Haven Hire

Loading and Lifting Solutions

Pumpwatch

Superior Pipeline Products Ltd

The Buggyman Ltd

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

All Events Audiovisual

Follow Fox Events (VEMS)

Mondello Park

Mongey Communications

Food & Beverage

33 South Main

Bergin Family Butchers

Coghlans Artisan Bakery

Grey Cuckoo Farm

Indie Spice Grill

Kavanagh’s Bar

Lemongrass

Lock 13 Brewpub

Rustic Kitchen

The Nude Wine Company

Urban Kitchen

Wine Lab

Food Producer

O’Brien Fine Foods

Queally Group

Taste of Goodness

Funeral Directors

Murphy Brothers Funeral Directors

Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors

GGarden/ 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

FFacilities 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

Mojo Finance

Financial Services

Brink’s Cash Services (Ireland) Ltd

FACE Credit Consultacy

Ger Brady Financial

Traction Finance

Verity Financial Consultants Ltd

Fitness

Infinity Hot Yoga Ltd

K Leisure

Hotel

Barberstown Castle

Kilkea Castle

Killashee Hotel

Osprey Hotel

The K Club

The Westgrove Hotel

Clanard Court Hotel

Court Yard Hotel

Glenroyal Hotel & Leisure Club

Kildare House Hotel

Lawlor’s of Naas

Maudlins House Hotel

Moyvalley Hotel & Golf Resort

The Keadeen Hotel

Human Resources

Adare Human Resource Management

Curran HR Consultancy Limited

Kala Management Solutions Limited

Peninsula

HHealth & Safety

EFAST EMS

Essential Health and Safety Training and Consultancy Ltd

Zehnacker Ireland Healthcare Ltd

Health & Wellbeing

Deep Health

Wild Poppy Wellbeing Emporium

Healthcare

UPMC Kildare Hospital

Elm Hall Nursing Home

Homecare Solutions

Home/ Office Interiors

Gannon Office Solutions

Wall to Workstations

T&I Fitouts Ltd

Hospitality

Palmerstown House Estate & Golf Club

IInformation Technology

Intel

Kendlebell Naas

Equine MediRecord

Hereworks Technology Limited

INIT

iPing IT Services

ITM

VEI Global

VM Group

Zinon IT Solutions

Inspection and Verification

SGS Ireland Limited

Insurance

Arachas Corporate Insurance Brokers

J F Dunne Insurances

Dooley Insurances

Murray Spelman Insurance & Finance

LLaw Firm

Matheson

Logistics

Oman-BeverlySmyth

Elsatrans Ltd

Tansey Transport

MMaintenance

Action Chimney

Escalator and Lift Services

Manufacturing

American Fruits and Flavors Ireland DAC

Etex Group

KDP Ireland

MGS MFG Group

Ash Technologies

Atlantic Bitumen

Labplan

Minch Malt

Profile Systems

Rampower

Ventac and Company Limited

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

OOffice Space Provider

Business Barn

PPharmaceutical

Pfizer

Photography/ Videography

Frame It Productions

Annalee Delaney Photography

Celtic Photography

Green Road Media & Film

Media Milk

Tadhg Nathan Photography

Tony Gavin Photography

Print Solutions

Character Print Solutions

EMS Copiers Managed Print Solutions

Printscan Support Services Ltd

Punctual Print

Studio Print

Product Sourcing

Made Personal

Property Management

Naas Property Management

Public Relations

Big Picture Communications

QQuantity Surveyor

Lambert Surveyors Limited

RRacecourse

Punchestown Racecourse

The Curragh Racecourse

Naas Racecourse

Recruitment

QLM Search

Recruitment Services

Clark Recruitment

Flexsource Solutions/ CPL

ISS Recruitment

Osborne Recruitment

Sparktel

Teamworx

Renewable Energy

Green Generation Ltd

Evergreen Agricultural Enterprises Limited

EVHACS

Off Your Grid

Retail

Aldi

Colourtrend

Kildare Village

Newbridge Silverware

Cross Retail Group

Dalys Pharmacy

Diamonds & Pearls

E&G Cutting Blades Ltd

Larkfield Pellet Products

Monread Fare (Lidon Group)

Powell

Precision Coatings

Vodafone

Robotic Automation/ AI

Fanuc

SSecurity/ Security Systems

Manguard Plus

Signage Provider

Element Creative

Solicitors

Blasco Solicitors and Notary Public

Coonan Cawley Solicitors

Coonan Morgan Solicitors

Hanahoe & Hanahoe Solicitors

To change your category listing please contact Jennifer@countykildarechamber.ie

Solicitors

Moloney & Co. Solicitors

Osbornes Solicitors

Patrick J Farrell and Company Solicitors

Stephen Walsh & Co. Solicitors

Whitethorn Legal

Sport

Kildare GAA

Klub Kildare/KDUL

Millicent Members Golf Club

Naas Driving Range

StartUp Support

MERITS

Steel Stockholders

RFL Steel

TTaste and Nutrition Solutions

Kerry

Telecomms

LogMeIn Ireland Ltd

National Broadband Ireland Ltd (Deployment)

Tourism

Celtic Horizon Tours

Fairways and FunDays

Race and Stay

Training/ Coaching/ Mentoring

ActionCOACH

Babogue Ltd

Cenit Group

Discovery Playtime

Edel Walsh Coaching and Consulting

Ladybird Driving School

Martinstown Lodge

Soft Skill Success

The Dennison Training Academy

Turas Nua

Travel Agency

Freedom Travel

VVeterinary Practice

MyVet

WWarehouse Solutions

Jungheinrich

Web Design

Graphedia

Chamber New Members

MOJO Finance

MOJO Finance are advisors and brokers based in Naas, Co. Kildare. Director James Johnston states that:

“Our mission is to make a positive impact on people’s lives by vastly improving their financial circumstances.“ We provide impartial, goalsbased advice for people who may wish to:

o Become financially organised in all areas.

o Maximise the performance of their investment & pension assets.

o Protect their families and lifestyle from major financial risk.

o Grow their wealth tax efficiently.

o Plan for an early retired.

We work closely with Busy Professionals, Families, Retirees, Corporates and Business Owners, in the areas of financial planning, investments, risk management, income protection, pensions, and retirement planning.

We are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and qualified to the highest possible standards for financial advisors in Ireland. We are always delighted to collaborate with accountants, tax advisors and solicitors to achieve maximum benefit for clients.

www.mojofinance.ie

EVHACS

EVHACS is the world’s first electric vehicle charger and heat pump/air conditioning unit in one.

EVHACS helps to solve the lack of charging infrastructure globally by simply upgrading outdoor air conditioning units and heat pumps in their current environment or at point of fabrication to contain charging points using patent pending technology. EVHACS dramatically cuts the cost of device installation, takes up less space than having both appliances installed separately, uses fewer materials reducing wastage, and can be installed into almost any heat pump or air conditioner.

www.evhacs.com

Studio Print

At Studio Print we are a fully functioning Digital Printing Hub based in Clane, Co Kildare.

Our services include Graphic Design, Structural Design, Large and Small Format Printing, Bespoke Point of Sale, Exhibition Stands, Signage, Promotional Products, Branded Clothing & Web Design.

Our goal is to offer a one stop shop experience for our customers and to provide outstanding marketing solutions and materials through knowledge and experience in our field.

We work with a varied client base in all different industries and are always happy to give idea’s and offer advice if required. Contact us on 085 744 4383 / info@studio-print.ie

www.studio-print.ie

Wild Poppy Wellbeing Emporium

Wild Poppy Wellbeing is an Independent Health and Wellbeing store, located in Clane, Co. Kildare.

At Wild Poppy, we believe in nourishing supplements, brands with integrity, ethically sourced ingredients and cruelty free beauty. We also believe that small steps can lead to big results and big changes. With the support of the highly accomplished, kind and energetic Virginia Ziulu Nutritional Therapist and Organic Horticulturalist. We work with customers all the time to help them take those small steps.

We have also now extended our customer offering to include personalised wellbeing packs, specialised vegan, vegetarian and coeliac gift and birthday packs, specialist courses and bespoke wellness events.

At our unique little store, you will also find a wide range of ethically sourced essential oils, incense and gemstones. Gothic and mystical art, smudge sticks, fortune telling cups, dream catchers, spell candles and much more - because after all, everything is better with a little magic!

www.wildpoppy.ie

Learn International

Learn International is a study abroad working with American university students coming to Ireland for work-placements.

We are actively seeking host companies who are interested in gaining an extra pair of hands hosting one of our unpaid interns from a variety of sectors. Our interns all speak English, are gaining credits toward their degree program and are in Ireland from 8 to 12 weeks year-round.

We vet all the students, provide them with 24/7 support in country and manage all in-country logistics. We ask hosts to provide a warm, welcoming environment with assigned projects so our students can actively learn in a hands-on setting.

If you are interested we’d love to hear from you!

Please contact us if you’re interested or check out our website: https:// learninternational.ie/internship-placements-partners/ or email us at info@learninternational.ie.

www.learninternational.ie

Are you really sure your salary is covered if you are unable to work?

A lot of people may think that their salary is covered if they are unable to work for a prolonged period due to injury or illness. But once you check the details of your contract, you may find that your salary will only be paid for a certain amount of time such as 3 or 6 months.

At Verity Financial Consultants, we help clients identify and put in place the cover they need to make sure they are fully protected.

Income Protection will pay you a salary if you are unable to do your job due to ANY injury, illness or disability. Let’s say you slip and hurt your back – you’re covered!

A robust Income Protection plan is the only way to properly safeguard your Income. You can insure up to 75% of your Income and also importantly, the premium you pay can avail of tax relief at your higher rate.

Feel free to contact us on the office 01 6012691 or email enquiries@verityfinancial.ie and one of our Protection Consultants will be delighted to help.

Delivering critical infrastructure for Kildare

As operator and developer of Ireland’s electricity grid, upgrading the national grid is a vital part of our role. This work ensures society can prosper and businesses can grow.

We’re leading the transition to a cleaner, low carbon future. A future where Ireland’s world class potential in renewable energy is realised – supporting our economy and our energy security.

To enable this, the delivery of projects like the Kildare-Meath Grid Upgrade is vital.

This project will help to support more businesses and communities in the region, support our climate objectives and help the transition to a resilient, low carbon future.

Together, we must deliver this critical electricity infrastructure that Ireland needs to bring about this energy transformation.

For more, visit: EirGrid.ie/KildareMeath