County Kildare Chamber Chronicle June 2021

ISSUE 3 - JUNE 2021

INSIDE THIS ISSUE IN THE HOT SEAT WITH MAGS BRENNAN, HEAD OF BUSINESS BANKING AT PERMANENT TSB

BUSINESSES THAT PIVOTED THROUGH THE PANDEMIC

NEW CHAMBER POLICY ADVISORY Chambers lead the way on COUNCIL & SUSTAINABILITY Sustainable Development ADVISORY Goals. COUNCIL

THE FUTURE OF IRELAND’S ELECTRICITY SYSTEM

Corporate Partners 2021

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

C o nt e n t s

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02 Lilywhite News Snippets

Chamber Sustainability Advisory Council

04 Chamber Golf Society 05 Businesses that pivoted through the pandemic 06 Chamber iHUB 09 Chamber Sustainability Advisory Council

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11 Movers & Shakers 12 Gannon Office Solutions 14 The Future of Ireland’s Electricity System

The Future of Ireland’s Electricity System

16 In the Hot Seat 18 MERITS 20 Building Sustainable Communities with Glenveagh 22 Chamber Policy Advisory Council 24 New Members 26 Membership Listing

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In the hot seat with Mags Brennan, Head of Business Banking at Permanent TSB

FOREWORD

Welcome to the latest edition of our Chamber Chronicle. As covid restrictions ease and the economy reopens, our focus continues to be supporting businesses in the region. Our new policy advisory council recently formed will focus on supporting our membership and ensuring businesses in the region have the necessary tools to thrive going forward.

Our new sustainability council will guide and enable the Chamber to deliver on a suite of training and mentoring services that our SME’s require as we all seek to play our part with the climate crisis. The next number of months will be very challenging for businesses as supports from Government will lessen. Our lobbying and engagement with Government will continue, we are committed to ensuring that Kildare is the location of choice for both existing and potential business enterprise.

2021 has been an extremely busy year to date and we are very fortunate to have the support of over 25 businesses engaging in our new advisory councils, an extremely active board and a membership that continues to grow. Thank you for your continued support and enjoy the latest edition of the Chamber Chronicle.

Allan Shine CEO, County Kildare Chamber 01

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

Economic impact report shows Curragh Racecourse & training grounds worth almost €100M to economy, supports 1,176 jobs The Curragh Racecourse and Training Grounds which covers 1,500 acres is the epicentre of the horseracing industry in Ireland supports 1,176 jobs with a direct and indirect economic impact valued at almost €100m (€99.6m) according to an economic impact assessment of horseracing, racing tourism and thoroughbred training of the area. The report, carried out by economist Jim Power, also calculated that current development plans for the Curragh Racecourse will comfortably deliver a significant economic contribution of €110 million to both the local and national economy in just two years by 2023.

Intel job announcement Intel have revealed plans to double their manufacturing capacity in Leixlip which will create 1600 additional, permanent high-tech jobs. $7 billion has already been invested in the expansion from 2019 to 2021 which is designed to bring Intel’s latest generation 7nm-process technology to Europe to “drive economic growth in the region” said Intel Ireland General Manager Eamonn Sinnott.

Chamber welcomes EirGrid’s decision to select the underground cable option for key Kildare-Meath project EirGrid’s decision to select an underground cable option for a critical, new electricity project that will reinforce the network across Kildare and Meath has been warmly welcomed by County Kildare Chamber. Allan Shine, CEO of the Chamber said, “This project is crucial so that the network is strong enough to carry extra electricity and handle power generated in a variety of ways from many different renewable sources. County Development plans for Meath and Kildare require a sufficient electricity supply in order to zone commercial land. Large indigenous SME’s and our cluster of multi nationals need to be confident we can provide a steady supply of power into the future. We require a modern and stable infrastructure with a capacity to meet future demands, we must remain competitive and this project will support the growth of the economy in the region. The demand for data centres particularly in Kildare will be supported by the completion of this project”.

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ISSUE 3 - June 2021

Resilient indigenous Kildare business sectors make huge export gains in new Asian and African markets despite pandemic challenges Despite the global pandemic the top six sectors are all thriving in the county with animal products, food and beverage ingredients, oral hygiene products, pharmaceuticals and peat moss making up the top export sectors to 51 different countries with the Philippines market showing the greatest increase overall of 186% since 2017 followed by China (29%) and India (15%). Other key growth countries that Kildare companies have been successfully targeting are Hong Kong which has grown by 38% since 2018 and even Mozambique which has grown by 1350% in just two years.

County Kildare Chamber CEO Allan Shine said “We are amazed at how resilient business has been especially during the pandemic with our member companies constantly finding new markets for their exports in Africa such as Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Senegal and onto the likes of French Polynesia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Mozambique, Northern Cyprus, and Vietnam. Companies here are really playing to their strengths and its fantastic to see equine product exports at the head of the non-EU exports list along with the likes of animal and food/beverage ingredients from what are primarily Irish SMEs.”

O’Kelly Sutton appointed to the Revenue Commissioners Panel of Experts O’Kelly Sutton are delighted to have been appointed to the Revenue Commissioners Panel of Experts to provide assistance to the Revenue Commissioners with regard to the valuation of unquoted shares. This will further enhance O’KellySutton’s private company valuation services and capabilities.

In order to assist Revenue with the full and proper application of the various taxation codes, particularly with regard to the market valuations of private companies, Revenue recently formed an expert panel to enhance its valuation service in respect of all forms of unquoted shares.

Fresh scones anyone?

New store opening in Naas SCÓN - The Flavoured Scone Specialists. From sweet to savoury, we offer the largest range of flavoured scones in Ireland. We currently offer delivery throughout Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath. Our first store is on Friary Road, Naas, Co. Kildare. We will continue to run our delivery service from the Naas branch but also offer click and collect and a grab and go service.

Carton House, A Fairmont Managed Hotel – An extraordinary house to call home this Summer A new chapter in the centuries-old story of Carton House begins this summer, when the extensive twoyear, multimillion-euro, complete refurbishment will be unveiled. The renewed splendour of the great estate will be uncovered following a magnificent refurbishment of the original house, surrounding hotel and stunning grounds. For more than 250 years, Carton House has been the finest Georgian estate in Ireland. It now reopens its doors as a Fairmont Hotels & Resorts property and one of the finest hotels in the country, ready for hospitality on a grand scale, just as this imposing estate was originally intended.

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ISSUE 3 - June 2021

Businesses that pivoted through the PANDEMIC

Mary Fennin-Byrne Managing Director of Clanard Court Hotel

Michael Morrissey Managing Director of Magnet Marketing

We have certainly dug deep to re-invent and reimagine our business during these Covid times! Our first action, was to adapt ourselves to a new Dine @ Home Take Away offering, that then needed to go online, so we opted for a ready-made platform.

Later we launched our own custom made Clanard Court Online Store to include this take away service and Christmas Gift Shop including Festive Food & Drink Hampers, partially filled with our homemade Bailey’s Pantry range and Revive Spa Shop items to promote the retail side of our new Revive Spa (opened August 2020).

Managing Director of MyWebinar.ie

A big thank-you to Jacqui McNabb and team at Kildare LEO for all their help with the online trading voucher and to Niall Reck and his superlative team in Graphedia for our online shop.

The Online Store has since evolved with a Valentine’s and Mother’s Day shop selling gifts and meal offers, plus a Home Spa shop. Our Afternoon Tea Boxes have been a huge success and we recently added

Prior to March 2020, Magnet Marketing’s core business was sourcing promotional merchandise for the corporate sector including contract management warehousing, logistics and promotion management. One year on and the medical arm of the company, Magnet Medical, whose origins came about due to the pandemic, now accounts for well over 90% of sales. With over 25 years in the business Michael Morrissey and his team were adept at meeting rush orders and providing a very fast turnaround for their client base including customers like the ESB and Irish Distillers. That expertise stood to them when they seamlessly pivoted their business into the world of PPE and www.magnetmedical.ie was born.

regulations. This agility earned them a large new client base of Hospitals, Nursing Homes and other essential service providers. Never standing still, they also offer Corporate Antigen Testing services, which they can quickly scale. With an eye on the future, they are ramping up their ECO range of promotional merchandise for when large scale events are back. They are also working on other revenue streams where synergies exist within the business namely in Digital and Media.

They built up a reliable, local supply of CE approved products complying with all safety and testing

How did we survive as an Event Production Company when there were no events? The option we looked at was beginning to mature.... And our timing was perfect. We set up a subsidiary to All Event Productions Ltd. called MyWebinar.ie

Martin Cullinan

a new Grazing Antipasti & Cheese Box. We set up Nationwide Courier Delivery for the gift items and offer a local Click + Collect plus a Level 5 Delivery Service for food too.

We pivoted 100% into Online Event Facilitation with great effect. In 2019 we had purchased a 6m x 3m LED Videowall, a €60k investment, and we already owned other broadcast-quality streaming equipment, cameras, etc. At the same time people were struggling with platforms like Zoom, in the professional sense. We had been in the livestreaming space anyway since 2017 so we had a great jump on our competitors and could very quickly start to help customers deliver their online events without the stresses and worries they were enduring. It helps too that James and I are qualified electronics engineers.

We also created a ‘Pop-Up’ Studio allowing us to live-stream directly from a client’s premises.

Although restrictions have limited the use of our Live-stream Studio, to date we have facilitated nearly 100 virtual conferences, AGMs and Awards Ceremonies from our two remote control-rooms.

Hybrid is the future and we are perfectly positioned to service these events when the floodgates open again.

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€250 + VAT per month

Please note the above is a stock image & not a photo of the iHub. Viewings can be arranged by calling the office on 045 894074

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WE’RE IRELAND’S FIRST BANK PLEDGING TO OPERATE AS CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2030 using a net zero approach.

At AIB, we understand that it takes long-term commitment to build a sustainable business. That’s why we’re pledging to Do More.

By 2030 we will reduce greenhouse gas emissions across our operations to zero, eliminating carbon not just offsetting it.

Yet, no matter how much we do, we know more is required.

That’s what we tell ourselves every day.

And that is why we pledge to DO MORE.

AIB Sustainability We pledge to DO MORE.

Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

S U S TA IN A B IL IT Y

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ISSUE 3 - June 2021

County Kildare Chamber Sustainability Advisory Council Taking serious and bold action to mitigate climate change is an urgent business issue.

Failure to do so will hurt us all. Businesses must go beyond the bare minimum and take transformative action. We in County Kildare Chamber will play our part and our aim is to support the SME community on our journey to educate businesses to how we can all make a difference.

Launching later this year, representation on the new Chamber Sustainability Advisory Council will come from Kerry, Pfizer, HPE, SEAI, Eirgrid, AIB, Intel, Schneider Electric and Maynooth University.

Our Sustainability Council will advise and support the Chamber in delivering a suite of training and mentoring programmes that will enable our membership to make a difference on our journey to become carbon neutral.

We want to ensure our members gain a competitive advantage Supply chain leaders, investors, shareholders, consumers and employees are increasingly looking for business to adopt ambitious climate-related targets, with some supply chain leaders now formalising climate action in their procurement policies. Stay ahead of the curve with the Chamber.

Our members will manage their business risk Left unchecked, climate change represents material risk to business cash flow and economic growth, by increasing operating costs, limiting resource availability, causing shifts in demand, disrupting supply chains and forcing business closures. Prepare for tomorrow, today with your Chamber membership.

Chamber members will improve efficiency and reduce costs Businesses that look to use and manage resources more efficiently can tangibly reduce their operating costs and increase profitability, while improving business preparedness. Begin to take steps today that are good for your business and the climate by availing of our learning programmes.

Grow your business and brand Membership of the Chamber ensures businesses are part of a global network of like-minded businesses seeking to improve themselves, their community and the planet. Being part of this network offers far reaching collaborative and commercial opportunities to grow your business and be a leading brand, as market trends shift to a low-carbon economy. Your membership includes membership of EuroChambres and the International Chamber of Commerce.

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ISSUE 3 - June 2021

County Kildare Chamber

BOSTON 2022

County Kildare Chamber Travel Mission 2022 - Boston MA. Our next trade delegation visit to Boston takes place in March 2022.

The Trade Mission is also part of the business agenda to increase the export market penetration and diversification of Kildare companies post Brexit.

The Trade visit is part of the Chamber’s ongoing efforts to raise Kildare’s profile internationally, to improve the already strong bilateral trade and investment linkages with Boston, and to provide a forum for Kildare companies active in the Boston area to develop their relationships with customers, partners, and other stakeholders.

County Kildare Chamber hosted visiting delegations to Kildare from Quincy MA & from the Boston Irish Business Association in 2019.

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Green Generation turns your food waste into renewable energy. We use anaerobic digestion to convert agricultural and food waste to renewable gas. But that's not all...

We're an innovative company using patented technology to transform mixed waste plastic into recyclable, high value products. Follow our circular economy journey at www.greengeneration.ie

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Businesses interested in joining us on this trade mission, please contact Allan for more information: Allan@countykildarechamber.ie

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

MOVERS &

SHAKERS

EAMONN FITZGERALD Irish healthcare executive, Eamonn Fitzgerald, has been appointed vice president for health services at UPMC in Ireland. In this newly created role, he will lead and manage medical services across UPMC’s three hospitals, two cancer centres, an outpatient centre and other services.

“Eamonn is highly regarded for his expertise in the healthcare industry and brings knowledge to UPMC that will help us expand services, build long-term partnerships, and ultimately provide better care for the patients and communities we serve across Ireland,” said David Beirne, managing director of UPMC in Ireland.

Fitzgerald brings a wealth of experience from 30 years in the Irish healthcare industry. Most notably, he spent 14 years as chief executive officer of the Hermitage Medical Clinic in West Dublin, where he oversaw four hospital

accreditations by The Joint Commission International. He most recently served as executive director of the cancer, ortho/spine and ophthalmology centres at the Mater Private Network.

“I am delighted to join UPMC and excited about the vision we have to change healthcare in Ireland. We have an Irish management team and Irish employees along with the ability to tap into the expertise of UPMC around the world,” said Fitzgerald. “This means Irish patients receive the benefit of the most advanced medical, research, and technological capabilities.”

Fitzgerald is also vice president of the European Hospital Healthcare Federation and a board member of the Health Management Institute, as well as an adjunct faculty member at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland’s Institute of Leadership.

EAMON FENNELLY Eamon Fennelly is the new County Kildare Territory Sales Manager for Permanent TSB – which covers the county and incorporates branches in Maynooth, Newbridge and Naas. Eamon has managed branches in various locations in Dublin and has also worked as SME Business Manager in Dublin and North East regions of the bank. Excellent customer service is the key priority for Eamon and he instils this in the teams he manages on a daily basis. He has extensive experience in personal and commercial lending and would be delighted to speak to individuals and businesses about their financial needs.

ANDY NOLAN The K Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Andy Nolan as the Head Chef of The Palmer, the elegant new all-day dining venue at the five-star resort. A committed and driven individual, with a wealth of experience in five-star hotels and top-quality restaurants, Andy joins The K Club from The Shelbourne, where he was Executive Sous Chef since 2017, responsible for 37 chefs and the running of the kitchen operation daily, overseeing all dining outlets including the restaurants, the bars, pastry and banqueting functions. A local man, originally from Maynooth, Andy is an avid coarse fisher who also enjoys nothing more than spending time dining out in fine dining and Michelin restaurants, and is a passionate Munster Rugby supporter.

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ISSUE 3 - June 2021

Gannon Office Solutions is a Celbridge based family firm which is to the forefront of bringing ‘the office of the future’ to you and how we will work safely and comfortably both at home and in offices all over the country. They currently work with sole operators, small Irish companies and multinationals employing 12 people but few people know it all started exactly 40 years ago when Barry Gannon started the business on his own as a stationery and furniture shop on the main street of Lucan. Barry’s first employee was his wife Patricia whom he brought into the business whilst on maternity leave from her then job when she had their son Eoin and together, they grew the business to the point where the aforementioned son, Eoin, was handed the reins in a smooth transition two years ago. Importantly for the business Barry made sure that Eoin got plenty of experience elsewhere before allowing him to re-join the company back in 2012 as Operations Manager and the company has since been going from strength to strength and expanding the business into many different sectors around the country.

Currently the company serves clients from one person operations to SMEs with offices typically holding 4 to 50 employees to large multinationals with 2,000 employees and over. Offices in the home and in the larger workplaces have been revolutionised over just the past 3 years as employers strive to retain employees and make their workplaces more homely and welcoming, creating communities which fosters more collaboration and hence more productivity. Now all this is set to change again with the pandemic induced necessity and encouragement of remote working where the employer is duty bound to make sure their employees have everything they need to work safely and comfortably with all the correct ergonomics.

So, what will the office of the future look like when we’re allowed to go back on a full or part time basis?

Post pandemic landscape:

The COVID 19 pandemic has become the catalyst to a number of changes that were expected to take place within the workplace over the coming years. Improvements in technology (video conferencing, file sharing etc.) had promised a mechanism for remote working, however, the concept had not been widely tested.

A year into the pandemic, these systems have been well and truly tested!! While this sudden change in our working life has been stressful at times, technology has facilitated employees to work productively from home/remote locations.

40 YEARS IN BUSINESS

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Is the office dead?

No, but then again, neither is the home office.

Remote working has allowed employees to work effectively from another location. While this has been ideal for some (no commute, reduced costs etc.), some people have not enjoyed the experience. Feelings of isolation, stress (why isn’t this f***in thing connecting????) and musculoskeletal issues associated with poor working environments have increased during the pandemic.

Numerous surveys have indicated that while some will prefer to remain working from home full time (range 15 – 25%), the majority intend to return to the office once open.

Hybrid working:

Of those who plan to return to the office (circa 75% of the workforce), 25% intend to remain in the office full time, while the remaining 50% intend to mix their time working remotely and from the office, a term known as “hybrid working”.

Home working.

As mentioned earlier, home working is here to stay, however, this will be more flexible for employees and will help to facilitate a greater work-life balance.

It is expected that as hybrid working becomes a more permanent feature within society, employers will be required to provide the same working experience for employees at home as they do within the office. Employers (if they have not already done so) will be required to provide appropriate ergonomic work equipment and IT infrastructure for their employees to work from home.

How will this affect the traditional office layouts?

The change in working habits will have a profound impact on the office environment in the future. New working norms (increased desire for personal space due to social distancing) and trying to entice some employees back to the office will force companies to change how their office will look. We may see a return to more traditional style desk and pod working to allow employees more “elbow room” and spacing between their peers.

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.

Meeting rooms will increasingly feature technology that will connect on-site employees with remote workers to lessen the disadvantages of virtually joining a meeting and maintain this sense of community within the community when not on-site.

Employees in the office will spend less time on individual work (“me” work), which can be completed at home and more time on collaborative tasks (“we” work). 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 landscape is still constantly changing, however it is anticipated that future workplaces will offer employees a better and more flexible environment to work in. If you require any help or advise with either your office or home office, feel free to contact me.

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The future of Ireland’s

ELECTRICITY SYSTEM

Mark Foley, EirGrid Group Chief Executive, said: “The grid requires unprecedented change in the next ten years. This transition to clean electricity will affect everyone in Ireland and will unquestionably be difficult, however the benefits will be truly transformative at both a societal and an economic level.”

In March EirGrid and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan TD launched a nationwide consultation on the future of Ireland’s electricity system.

EirGrid, as operator of the national electricity grid, announced it was seeking feedback on Shaping Our Electricity Future; a new initiative that details fresh approaches to developing the electricity grid in order to meet ambitious 2030 renewable energy targets.

The initiative is EirGrid’s response to the Government’s request that it transforms the electricity system in anticipation of a future without coal, oil, new peat and ultimately one with net zero emissions. Specifically, EirGrid must redevelop the grid to manage 70% of Ireland’s electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030.

Shaping Our Electricity Future comprises four approaches to achieving this, as well as meeting the projected increase demand for electricity over the coming years.

Each of the four approaches requires numerous investments in network development projects throughout the country, with costs ranging from €500 million to €2 billion. There are some foundation projects that are common to all four approaches and the final plan is likely to include elements of all approaches, strongly led by one of them.

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The Kildare-Meath Grid Upgrade is a key project that will enable EirGrid achieve its goals.

The project is a high-capacity connection between Dunstown substation in Kildare and Woodland substation in Meath. These two substations are the endpoints for two high-voltage power lines from Moneypoint in Clare, which are used to transport large volumes of renewable energy from the west across the country to the east coast.

The project will help to more effectively transfer this power and distribute it efficiently within the electricity network in Kildare, Meath and surrounding counties.

The Kildare-Meath Grid Upgrade will also help meet the growing demand for electricity in the east of the country. This growth is due to increased economic activity and the planned connection of new large-scale IT industry infrastructure in the region.

EirGrid last year wrote to 57,000 homes across Kildare and Meath seeking feedback on five technical solutions for the project. The five options were connecting and ‘up-voltaging’ two 220 kV overhead lines; a new 400 kV overhead line; a new 220 kV underground cable; a new single 400 kV underground cable; and a new 400 kV underground cables along two separate routes.

Earlier this month, following extensive local engagement and a multi-criteria assessment, EirGrid announced that the single underground cable emerging as the best-performing option.

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

Michael Mahon, EirGrid chief infrastructure officer, says: “Earlier studies indicated that the ‘up-voltaging’ solution was the emerging best performing option, with the single underground cable as the best-performing alternative.

“When we studied the ‘up-voltaging’ option further, we found that to carry out the necessary works on the line would require longer outages where it would be out of service. This would extend the timeline for delivering and negatively impacted its assessment. We examined the single underground 400 kV cable further by undertaking more in-depth studies and found that it could be constructed in a narrower trench than we had assumed before. This would result in a more efficient construction timetable.”

In the meantime, the Kildare Meath Grid Upgrade has moved into Step 4 of EirGrid’s six-step process for developing grid projects. This involves identifying where exactly the project should be built.

Where feasible, EirGrid aims to install the underground cables in the public road network, as opposed to through private lands. This approach allows for easier access if the cable needs to be repaired or for regular maintenance.

impact to traffic and communities during the cable installation works.

Over the coming months, the project team will develop route options between the two substations and seek feedback on them. It is anticipated this round of consultation will take place from September for a 12- week period. A community forum is currently being established on this project.

The forum will be made up of community representatives and will act as an on-going engagement space between the community and the project team.

Michael Mahon adds: “The responses to last year’s consultation will help us plan and manage our consultation and engagement in the next step of the project. We are grateful to everyone who provided feedback and look forward to the next phase of engagement on this key project.”

Further information on the technology selection can be found in the Best Performing Option Report, and community forum. Further information on the project can be found in our Spring 2021 update, available at eirgridgroup.com.

The cable route, while not yet designed, is likely to require the use of regional and local roads and will involve crossing the national road network.

Michael Mahon explains: “Discussions with key stakeholders, such as local authorities and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, will be required in the coming months before it is able to confirm a specific route for the project. However, we will consider cross country routing where significant constraints and potential adverse impacts arise.”

The electricity cable will be laid in a trench with a width of up to 2.5 metres.

EirGrid will also need a temporary working area to carry out the installation.

There will be local traffic restrictions while the cable is being laid. EirGrid says it will explore options such as passing bays at certain locations to reduce the

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Allan: The Chamber network’s involvement with SDG’s is gaining huge momentum, our alignment with Goal 13, Climate Action is front and centre of work in Kildare. What incentives or programmes have PTSB to offer to support SME’s?

Permanent tsb has started our own Sustainability journey and I am actually a member of the banks Sustainability Committee. While we are working on improving our own carbon footprint, we are also working on providing products, propositions and services to our customers to support their own sustainability plans. In the meantime, I would tell all SMEs to look at how energy efficient they are and look at putting some energy efficiency solutions in place in their own businesses. Something as simple as changing the refrigeration in a shop can generate huge savings in energy bills for a shopkeeper. These solutions will not only help with Climate Action but will also help with cost efficiencies for businesses which of course are even more important in a post pandemic or indeed post Brexit environment.

Permanent tsb want to support Business customers in financing an energy efficiency solution and will take future cost savings into account when credit assessing the loan.

Allan: The banking sector seems to be changing on a monthly basis of late, PTSB, a huge supporter of County Kildare Chamber plays an active role in engaging with businesses. Explain your business banking offering to our readers.

We have 25,000 SME Customers and we are building out our Business Banking offerings. We are establishing key partnerships to help build out our proposition and have recently announced a partnership with Bibby Financial Services which is providing Invoice Discounting solutions for our business customers. The Bank is continuing to make significant investment in building a Digital Business Banking offering which will rival any in the market. We really want to grow our lending business so we are happy to talk to any Business customer about their lending requirements.

Mags Brennan, Head of Business Banking at permanent tsb is also the current President of Chambers Ireland. Combining both roles ensures Mags has a good understanding of the pressures SMEs are currently facing regarding Brexit and of course of Covid.

Mags is no stranger to the world of Chambers, having been a Board member of Cork Chamber when Mags was based in Cork in a previous Banking role and now Mags has been on the board of the Chambers Ireland for several years representing Cork Chamber.

Allan: Lets start with your role as President of Chambers Ireland. Juggling your paid position in permanent tsb with your voluntary role in Chambers during a pandemic working in the banking sector is no easy feat I joined permanent tsb on March 4th, 2020 and nine days later we had the first lockdown. I did not have time to get to know the organisation in the usual way, but I got to see how we dealt with the crisis that was Covid by quickly supporting our customers, both Personal and Business, with Payment Breaks and other working capital needs. This was no easy feat for any bank given it was a first for all banks, but it was brilliant to see how permanent tsb became that community serving communities across the country. The experience I have in the SME market and indeed the experience I had dealing with the pandemic and ensuring our Business customers got supported gave me real insight into the challenges in the market. This has obviously really supported me in my role for Chambers Ireland also.

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Allan: Covid will soon we hope become less of an issue for businesses, SME’s will get back into offices and we all have go get used to the “new norm”. But SME’s may continue to have cashflow issues, lending requirements, legacy debts etc. How can PTSB support businesses in Q3 and Q4 of this year, what can you offer that differentiates yourself from your competition?

Well I guess while we have 25,000 customers, we are in a strong position to support Business customers across the market with their lending requirements including refinancing out of other banks or finance providers, which we believe will be necessary because of the changing market landscape and indeed the impacts of pandemic on businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors.

Allan: Businesses often say to me the bank said no, I’m still waiting to hear back, the banks aren’t lending….. you must hear that a lot in your role as President of Chambers Ireland also. What are PTSB doing to rectify this?

I hate to hear that but unfortunately it is the reality of the market. One of the reasons I took this role in Business Banking was to try and change that perception. I want permanent tsb to be the bank that responds quickly with Yes or No or indeed No but we can do this instead and I also want us to be the bank that has a faster turnaround in drawing down funds for our customer as this is the other issue in the market. The first piece should be happening now and second will not happen overnight, but we are working on it.

Permanent tsb in County Kildare comes together as its 3 Branches located in Naas, Newbridge and Maynooth will operate as one Territory under the stewardship pf Eamon Fennelly, Territory Sales Manager.

Eamon has managed Branches in various locations in Dublin and has also worked as SME Business Manager in Dublin and North East regions of the bank. Excellent customer service is the key priority for Eamon and he instils this in the teams he manages on a daily basis. He has extensive experience in personal and commercial lending and would be delighted to speak to people who may need guidance in any of these areas. Eamon says “great customer care is the foundation of the success in our business and this is reflected by the large increase in our customer numbers in the last number of years. I look forward to serving the people and communities of Kildare.”

Permanent tsb brand has a history as a trusted and respected brand and we are open, supporting & providing banking services to customers throughout Kildare. These services have been greatly enhanced in recent years with a focus on simple ways to bank and backed up by the most up to date digital and telephone technology that allow our customers to avail of our banking services 24/7. Our focus on Digital Transformation continues in 2021 further enhancing the digital experience for both our customers and our colleagues.

These initiatives will support permanent tsb in delivering on our ambition to be Ireland’s best personal and small business Bank.

Permanent tsb is also prioritising SME customers with a new business banking team led by Mags Brennan. Mags explains why its personalised service is central to permanent tsb’s approach and needed in the current climate. “We can talk face to face, even if virtually, with every one of our business customers who is impacted by Brexit, or Covid-19, or both, and have a meaningful discussion. When Covid-19 hit in March 2020, we rang all of our customers, regardless of whether they are borrowing with us or not.

We are looking forward to continuing to support our business customers in Kildare and increasing business lending throughout 2021 and onwards.”

Eamon is ably assisted by Branch teams in Naas, Newbridge & Maynooth who provide an invaluable service to the communities of Kildare county. The Branch Lead in Newbridge Aoife Davy has been servicing the Newbridge community since late of 2017, prior to that Aoife worked in a number of Dublin branches over the course of 13 years. The majority of her team have worked in the Branch for many years and have developed strong relationships with our personal and business customers through positive interaction. Aoife says “a top class customer service and the guidance of our customers through their respective journeys are our key priorities”.

Permanet tsb have a team of Business Banking Managers covering Kildare, Killian O’Flynn, Regional & Sectoral Head of Business Banking (killian.oflynn@ permanenttsb.ie) and Robbie Leonard, Business Banking Manager (robert. leonard@permanenttsb.ie). So please feel free to reach out for all your Business Banking needs.

We are also pleased to give something back to our communities and this year we will be fundraising for our chosen charity partners Breast Cancer Ireland and Oranmore Maree Coastal Search Unit. We will be planning various fund raising activities throughout the year in support of the services both charities provide to so many people across the country.

17

ISSUE 3 - June 2021 Open for Business supporting Digital, Technology & Internationally Traded Services StartUps and ScaleUps across Kildare, Wicklow and Meath An Economic Development initiative of Kildare County Council and funded by Enterprise Ireland under the Regional Economic Development Fund, MERITS has been established to support Digital Technology businesses through their StandUp, StartUp & Scale Up journey.

Working in tandem with Kildare Local Enterprise Office, MERITS runs programmes and offers support to entrepreneurs and new businesses that will help them to validate their target customers & market, find partners and source appropriate funding. Key partners include KCC, Maynooth University, Kildare Chamber, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA.

Growth

Vision & Mission

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Product Market Fit

Scale

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

Ideation

Concepting

Commitment

Validation

Scaling

Expansion

Time

Fig 1: The StartUp Journey The MERITS building, a 1,200 sqm purposely designed premises, will open late Summer of this year, but the initiative is already very active, running Incubation and Accelerator Programmes for StartUps companies. MERITS is now open for membership now under the following categories:

• • • • •

Virtual (for companies not wishing to locate in the building but wanting to be part of the ecosystem) Hot Desking* (for those wishing occasional use of a desk in the building) Dedicated Desk* (permanent desk in the building) Private Office* (sizes range from 2 to 8 person) Corporate (for existing companies wishing to participate in the ecosystem – includes credits for use of hot desking and conference facilities)

*only available to qualifying companies in the digital, technology and internationally traded services sector

Facilities include electric sit/stand desks, access to conference and meeting rooms facilities, fully serviced offices, free parking, secure bike parking and personal lockers.

Membership Benefits

Access to our curated database, workshops and agile processes

Schedule one-on-one mentor meetings

Explore, collaborate and create beyond organisational boundaries

Direct introduction to potential clients, partners and investors

Opportunity to participate in our tailored Incubation and Acceleration Programmes

Connect with our National and Global partners

Attend our events and hackathons

Avail of discounts and credits from key partners

Fig 2: Additional Benefits of MERITS membership in addition

Further information is available at: www.merits.ie or watch a short introductory video at http://bit.ly/MERITS-video Contact the team at: JoinUs@MERITS.IE 18

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

MERITS Global Ambition Accelerator Programme- Cohort 1 The following companies are the first to complete the MERITS Accelerator Programme and are pitching for Seed & Growth Capital of over €2m.

Equi360: www.equi360.website

Vyra: www.vyra.ie

Rob Beresford was quick to observe the communication gap between various actors in the ecosystem and turned to founding Equi360, an Equine management platform. From maintaining individual horse profiles and breeding history to admin-related tasks and race day updates, the platform

Founded by Jack Dwyer and Luke Fagan, Vyra brings focussed & flexible micro-learning as well as specific & trackable tasks to employees through their Sustainability Platform. Completion of these tasks then aggregate into long lasting behavioural change that makes meaningful inroads to corporate Climate

provides all the essential information at your fingertips. Over the last 12 months, Equi360 has developed a global network of active users spread across 15 countries.

Action plans. When you participate in Vyra, you also become a part of VyraForest, an ecology initiative set in Wicklow to restore natural native woodland.

CoffeeHub: www.coffiehub.ie

Hub360: www.hub360.ie

Brothers Darragh and Keith Scanlon, have created Coffeehub, a platform that connects roasters, cafes and other actors in the coffee business to bring an immersive experience to their customers. The algorithm integrated on Coffeehub’s platform hits more than 2,500 data points such as flavour, acidity, the body of the coffee and much more to create a unique customer

Founders John O’Neill and Denise O’Kelly developed Hub360, a Delivery Management & Order Fulfilment Platform, to offer a wide range of solutions to its customers from digital copies of PODs, track and trace tools for their shipments, uploading signature to generating a trail of documents and other tailored-to customer features.

profile, letting Coffeehub customize its customer preference.

Safe Amigos: www.safeamigos.com

Babogue: www.babogue.com

Safe Amigos is a Personal Safety App developed to make you feel safer and your close network of people reassured about your surroundings. Finbarr McCarthy, Founder of Safe Amigos

A certified Child Sleep Consultant, Erica Hargaden, established Babogue, to help new moms with challenges around their child’s sleep. Babogue offers a suite of educational sleep

developed the solution to tackle gender violence, harassment and to help you take safety into your own hands while being discreet. The App works for businesses (to satisfy the needs of an employer in terms of ensuring employee safety) and consumers (to satisfy the needs of parents and children.)

programmes, grouped into age ranges that naturally go together. It is a B2C sleep consultancy platform that has built an extensive user base spanning over 30 countries with more than 2,500 families.

Pyglet: www.pyglet.ie Founded by Aaron Shortt, Pyglet is a one-stop digital platform for the rental property marketplace to make renting more transparent and hassle free. It offers different services to tenants, property management companies and landlords and maintains a master record of all communications, rental agreements, property issues and payments.

Digital Motorsports: www.digitalmotorsports.com Digital Motorsports was co-founded by Niall Maher, and is an eSports business located in the heart of Mondello Park International Racing Circuit. They offer number of products and services such as racing simulators, software solutions for the simulator industry and simulator components. Digital Motorsports hosted the first Irish Digital Motorsport Championship, a few months ago and aims to make virtual racing easily accessible and easy to understand for a wider community.

Equine Medirecord : www.equinemedirecord.com

Access Earth: www.accessearth.com

Equine Medirecord has developed a software platform to record Equine medical records in a digital format straight from their trainers and vets. The App records information regarding the medication required for the horse under care, medical history and complies with animal welfare and anti-doping regulations. The platform aims to improve transparency and equine welfare in the industry and a digital health tracking system for horses is the first step in this direction. Founded by Pierce Dargan, Equine Medirecord has clients based in the Middle East, USA and Asia and plans to expand its operations further in these countries.

Founders, Matthew McCann and Donal McClean, developed Access Earth as an AI-enabled platform that allows its users

EAM Group: https://eamgroup.ie/ Founded by Marie Therese McCormack and John Cleary, AerNua has designed an engineering solution to make indoor spaces safe through purified air. EAM Group’s Aer Nua is an effective solution to prevent the spread of coronavirus and other such pathogens in enclosed spaces by continuously monitoring and safely sterilising the air within the space. The units not only kill all airborne pathogens, they also remove harmful PM2.5 particles from the air – ensuring staff, customers and patients are protected.

to find and rate places by accessibility needs. Access Earth is creating the world’s largest accessibility database. It is a Data provider, a Data aggregator and a Data gatherer! With its Dynamic accessibility platform it can empower people to do more through data and to allow businesses to tap into a lucrative, yet under catered for global market!

Check out our new website now at

www.merits.ie

19

Building Sustainable Communities with Glenveagh Barnhall Meadows, Leixlip, Co. Kildare

Glenveagh believes that everyone should have access to high-quality homes in flourishing communities and is determined that its contribution to that great endeavour is delivered in context of the highest standards of environmental stewardship and responsible business. Glenveagh’s Sustainability Pillars are built around its people and communities.

The Irish housing market has been undersupplied for many years. The lack of accessible housing is a major inhibiting factor for the Irish economy. Projected employment trends suggest that 300,000 additional dwellings will be needed in Ireland’s urban areas. Glenveagh seeks to accelerate the pace of construction and deliver viable homes. Energy efficient homes help to reduce demand for heating and electricity.

EV charging points and cycling and walking paths are included as standard across all developments.

Glenveagh believes in creating sustainable homes and communities. It endeavors to develop environmentally considerate and efficient operations, sustainable and responsible sourcing and to keeping people and local ecosystems safe. Glenveagh’s current CO2 emissions reduction target for 2025 is 25%.

•

72%* of Glenveagh homes are priced below the new home median. *(Core Glenveagh homes compared to GDA and Cork)

•

100% of Glenveagh homes have a BER energy rating of A2 or better.

SO 14001 – the international standard for environmental management – is now being integrated into Glenveagh’s operations with a view to achieving certification in 2021. As part of this process Glenveagh has developed and documented a comprehensive Environmental Management System. Glenveagh supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is currently in the process of identifying those goals most relevant to Glenveagh and where the biggest impact can be made. According to Glenveagh’s CEO Stephen Garvey these are steppingstones on the journey towards the goal of industry leading standards of environmental and social responsibility.

The company focus at Glenveagh is on three core markets – suburban housing, urban apartments and partnerships with local authorities and state agencies. Since IPO Glenveagh has opened 23 sites, delivering more than 1,800 units (700 in 2020) with 1,150 in the pipeline for 2021.

Glenveagh devotes the majority of its portfolio to the first-time-buyers (FTB) segment giving more people access to new homes by building at scale and by keeping prices below the industry average for new-build homes. The national median new home price for 2020 was €385k whereas Glenveagh’s median price was €340k*. (Source Property Price Register) Over the next 24 months Glenveagh will fully implement ISO 9001 Quality Management System standards. This will drive quality and consistency in build quality across all Glenveagh sites. Glenveagh has a dedicated head of quality and quality team, quality control is audited internally and validated by third party consultants. In response to the Covid-19 travel restrictions and safety concerns, Glenveagh developed a digital strategy to allow contactless, online and private viewing with their agents. By using the most advanced CGI technology Glenveagh will introduce virtual home tours for developments ahead of construction allowing customers to confidently buy off plans.

Bringing diversity to the construction industry is a pointo of pride at Glenveagh, 24% of Glenveagh’s staff are female compared to a 9% industry average. In 2020 Glenveagh signed the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) Diversity Charter with the aim of achieving the Bronze Standard, and plan to join the 30% Club Ireland with the goal of improving gender balance at all levels within the organisation.

Kildare - Heart of the Glenveagh Community Glenveagh recently sponsored the Kilcock Wheelers cycling club in support of their ‘Sports & Fitness’ community activations for the Ledwill Park Development.

They are also donating an Automatic External Defibrillator unit to local first responders at the Gables Leisure Centre in Newbridge. There will be many to come as Glenveagh expands its community strategy across other sites in Kildare.

Sports and outdoor activities are a vital part of any community. Glenveagh seeks out sponsorships that contribute to community-based sporting life. The Kilcock Wheelers sponsorship is the first of many more sponsorships to come in Kildare.

Every aspect of Glenveagh’s work seeks to support local employment, for example as part of local marketing, Glenveagh always endeavours to work with local media outlets, putting budget back into a local community, with deals on the horizon with KFM, Kildare Nationalist and more.

Supporting Those Most in Need

CASE STUDY: Greencare by Glenveagh

Glenveagh’s approach to charitable giving works at both the national and local level. It works with national partnerships designed to maximise the impact on local communities.

The charity partners chosen for 2021 were based on the shared ethos to directly assist those who need support most in our communities, children and older people. Working with Jack & Jill and ALONE allows Glenveagh the opportunity to positively impact people’s lives on a national scale, while also driving efforts in local communities and assisting those living in these local areas.

Stephen Garvey, CEO of Glenveagh Properties, said:

“In the past year we have all learned, more than ever,

The Greencare team is a new iteration of Glenveagh’s former ‘maintenance team’. However, in addition to the general upkeep of its developments and landscaping duties Greencare will directly support the Glenveagh sustainability initiatives and ESG criteria.

The name ‘Greencare’ captures Glenveagh’s commitment to supporting biodiversity and native pollinators. You might recognise them on-site in the branded vehicles below!

the importance of family and friends and that’s what community is really all about, making connections with those that live around us. Our investment in

the building lasting communities initiative is focused

on enhancing the lives of our residents and the wider

community, in places where we build and right across Ireland. It is core to our Glenveagh values and

something the entire team is proud to be part of.”

Newbridge Charitable Giving The Glenveagh community team is working with Jack & Jill to assist with the re-opening of a charity shop in Newbridge where they are planning a Glenveagh staff shop takeover and a furniture upcycling day to support the reopening.

Carmel Doyle, CEO of Jack & Jill, said:

“It’s fantastic to be chosen by Glenveagh for this charity

partnership which is all about investing in and supporting local communities by supporting local Jack & Jill families

when they need it most. The fundraising initiatives we’ve planned together will make a big difference, translating

into specialist home nursing care hours for children with life limiting conditions in communities, across the country”.

The Greencare team aims to facilitate environmental stewardship in Glenveagh developments by: •

Planting native wildflower seeds in designated bio-diversity zones.

•

Erecting signage to raise awareness among residents & foster a sense of environmental stewardship in Glenveagh communities.

•

Maintaining bio-diversity zones into maturity to support our invaluable pollinators.

Biodiversity zones are designated areas of natural greenspace where they sow native plants and wildflowers. They are important because our native insects have co-evolved with native flowering plants, and so they respond their colour, scent, size and location. They thrive on a particular suite of species and in turn insect life plays a key role in the larger food web through pollination of plants and crops.

Kildare is a special location for Glenveagh as the head office is located in Maynooth. It has two existing developments in Kildare, Ledwill Park in Kilcock and Barnhall Meadows in Leixlip, it is also working on several new developments across Kildare in Newbridge and Kildare Town.

With such a concentration of developments, Kildare will be an important case study for Glenveagh. As it plans for community activations across four developments, Glenveagh hopes to make a lasting positive impact on community spirit throughout Kildare.

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ISSUE 3 - June 2021

County Kildare Chamber POLICY ADVISORY COUNCIL The Policy Advisory Council is composed of members, interested in actively contributing to the success of our lobbying. The Council meets 4 times per year, agreeing priorities and formalising working groups to develop specific topics for advocacy work. We aim to be impactful, output driven and outcome focused. The Chamber is represented on several boards/committees and forums both locally, regionally, nationally and internationally: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Chambers Ireland Board International Chamber of Commerce Taxation Council Chambers Ireland Workforce Council Maynooth University Advisory Board Kildare LCDC (Local Community Development Committees) Kildare Leader Programme Kildare Economic Forum County Kildare Community Network Kildare SPC’s (Strategic Policy Committee x 5) Mid-East Regional Enterprise Plan Kildare Economic Forum ACDAL Mid-East Regional Skills Forum

The Policy Advisory Council will guide the Chamber on our lobbying activities in relation to the below: • • • • • •

Pre Budget-Submission Regional Spatial Strategy Plans National Development Plan Government and Chamber Ireland requests for submissions County Development Plan The Council will be briefed regularly on our lobbying activities in advance of meetings.

The Policy Advisory Council is represented by key members in each municipal district of Kildare, chaired by the Chamber CEO. 22

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

Luke Hanahoe Chamber President

Mairead Hennessey Chamber Vice President

Hanahoe & Hanahoe Solicitors

Taxkey

Aaron McAleenan Elsatrans

Allan Shine County Kildare Chamber

Anthony Alexander INIT

Brian Purcell Big Picture Communications

Ciaran Murray Queally Group

Conor Brophy Boston Access

Dave Merriman T&I Fitouts

Evan Arkwright The Curragh Racecourse

Frank Kelly Sheehy Motor Group

Gerry Prendergast Millennium Park

Maureen Bergin Kildare Village

Rachel O’Connor Colourtrend

Sasha Kerins Grant Thornton

Tony Walsh Pfizer

Will Coonan Coonan Property

23

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

Chamber New Members American Fruits and Flavors Ireland DAC

Annalee Delaney Photography

Jackie O Malley founded Amberley & Associates in May 2003. Our Business Development Consultancy and Management Advisory Practice also offers compliance bookkeeping/payroll services to our clients. We mentor clients to develop their business strategies using innovative/creative business management skills/techniques.

Our core focus is to ensure that our clients achieve their primary goals in revenue growth/productivity/profitability maximising their ROI.

American Fruits and Flavors are a major global manufacturer that utilizes the synergy of Flavor Creation and Fruit Juice Technologies, to develop and elevate your products and pave your pathway towards success. AFF extract the best knowledge and materials to deliver the solutions that create world-class food and beverage products.

Annalee Delaney is a fine art photographer specialising in portrait photography but also shoots commercial work such as professional headshots, product photography and custom imagery for websites. Her editing style is minimal but technique is highly comprehensive. Her photography studio is in Suncroft, The Curragh, Co. Kildare.

www.amberleyaccounts.ie

www.americanfruits-flavors.com

www.annaleedelaney.com

APEX Evolution

Arachas Corporate Insurance Brokers

BRINKS Cash Services Ireland

We are management consultants that provide quality services and innovative solutions for our clients. This creates the conditions needed for them to flourish and thrive. We offer a wide range of services so that we can meet our client’s needs as they navigate the ever-changing business environment.

Arachas is now Ireland’s largest insurance broker, combining expert knowledge of current insurance issues with access to solid and reliable insurance providers. Our team of 300+ professionals has enabled Arachas to become a market-leading broker by thinking differently and constantly innovating for the good of our customers

Brink’s is the world’s largest cash management company. Brink’s Cash Services Ireland provides cash management services to over 3000 businesses across the country. We have more branches than any other cash-in-transit company in Ireland and our cash centre in Dublin offers unmatched security in cash services.

www.apexevolution.ie

www.arachas.ie

www.brinks.com

Business Barn

Dulann Kildare

Glenveagh Homes

Business Barn is a modern co-working space located in a rural setting on an old farm in Leixlip with a variety of membership options for remote workers. It’s managed by Idea 2 Scale who also offer innovation services and run an accelerator program for Agri-Food Tech businesses around the world.

Ireland’s leading Health & Safety Software Company, helping businesses of all sizes to achieve efficient compliant safer workplaces by digitizing paper processes and creating seamless cost-effective cloud based eLearning and online Safety Management Systems.

Glenveagh Homes are a national homebuilder, dedicated to expanding access to high-quality new homes in flourishing communities across Ireland.

We are committed to investing in areas where we build through sustainable place-making as well as supporting local employment and businesses.

www.businessbarn.net

www.dulann.com

www.glenveagh.ie

Green Generation

KPMG

Lifegoals Financial Services Ltd

Green Generation Ltd is a Kildare-based company, using anaerobic digestion to convert agricultural and food waste to renewable energy. We inject this renewable gas back into the national grid at Cush, Co. Kildare, the first of its kind in Ireland. This use of circular economy principles paves the way toward achieving national and EU renewable energy targets.

KPMG is a leading provider of professional services and is at the heart of business in Ireland. KPMG works with clients in all sectors of Irish business, providing a range of Audit, Tax and Advisory services.KPMG has 102 partners and over 3,300 people based in Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Galway and works with a broad range of domestic and international organisations ranging from new and dynamic enterprises to established household names.

I am a partner with Lifegoals Financial Services Ltd. I can honestly say that I am in a role that I really enjoy.

Our Role is simple, we find out where you are, where you want to be and make a detailed finance plan to connect the dots and get you there. Everything else - investments , pensions, bonds, tax is DETAIL. But we are really good at the detail.

Amberley & Associates

The cornerstones of KPMG’s business are quality of advice, quality of service, and quality of its people.

www.greengeneration.ie

24

www.kpmg.ie

www.lifegoals.ie

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

Pangea Media

Patrick J Farrell and Company Solicitors and Tax Advisors

We make businesses thrive through innovative online marketing strategies, beautiful design, and high performing websites. We deliver measurable results while connecting brands & businesses to their target market. We’ve consulted large organizations like the Department of Social protection & increased sales for house-hold names such as Gallo Wines & VILA.

PJF provide commercial legal and tax advice to businesses. They have a focus on advising SMEs, farms and family enterprises and have particular experience in commercial property transactions, buying / selling businesses and inheritance/ succession planning.

They also help clients with commercial agreements (eg, shareholder agreements and joint venture agreements).

We develop, design, implement projects that reduce both energy costs and the carbon footprint.

www.pangea.ie

www.pjf.ie

www.platformenergysolutions.ie

PrepareMyBooks

Quattuor Ventures Ltd

SCÓN

Online bookkeeping services for start-ups, the trades and small enterprises. Services include posting sales, purchases and bank transactions; raising invoices; chasing payments; debtor and creditor reconciliation; bank reconciliation, profit & loss; balance sheet; VAT returns; PAYE Modernisation; Revenue submissions; payroll.

Quattuor is a creative and innovative real estate development company. The principals come with multidisciplinary backgrounds and collectively have experience which includes large scale residential, commercial and leisure developments. The Quattuor team combines local knowledge with national and international experience, and boasts a robust knowledge of property and related services.

The Flavoured Scone Specialists. From sweet to savory , we offer the largest range of flavoured scones in Ireland. We curently offer delivery throughout Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath.

www.preparemybooks.ie

www.qvl.ie

www.scon.ie

SeaChange Ltd.

Simplicity Technology

Tadhg Nathan Photography

SeaChange Ltd. provides market-leading EHS consultancy, auditing, risk assessment and behaviour-based safety solutions that improve Safety Culture within their 1,600+ client sites across multiple sectors including retail, hospitality, manufacturing and pharma. Client results include 80% increase in Staff Safety Engagement; 78% decrease in LTI Frequency; 50% decrease in Claim Frequency; and 10% decrease in insurance costs.

Simplicitytechnology.ie is a local Kildare based family owned and operated company based in Ballymore Eustace. We provide air to surface UV-C decontamination programs that are both ecofriendly and sustainable. Our services protects and provides your team members/customers with peace of mind throughout your work environment.

Tadhg Nathan specialises in photography inspired by a desire to transcend the surface aesthetic, creating images that connect with our deeper desire for human connection. Simply put, images that emotionally resonate with your clients, make people stop, look closer and see more.

www.seachange.ie

www.simplicitytechnology.ie

www.tadhgnathanphoto.ie

Verity Financial Consultants

Vyvyan Byrne Interior Design

Zinon IT Solutions Ltd.

Verity Financial Consultants are a Financial Broker with expert consultants in each area of financial advice. This allows us to give our clients the best advice every time. Each of our consultants are fully qualified and have many years proven expertise and experience that will help achieve your financial goals. Our aim is to provide peace of mind for you, your family and your business.

At Vyvyan Byrne Design we cover all aspects of interior design, residential and commercial. We are built on three guiding principles of sustainability, integrity and ethical design. As every project is unique, my approach is bespoke to every client and their brief ensuring they get a design that works for them.

Zinon IT Solutions is one of Irelands leading Irish organisations in Cloud Technology. Our specialist IT team custom build, your private cloud infrastructure which is designed to meet all of your IT system needs, letting you work and run your business from anywhere safely and securely.

www.verityfinancial.ie

www.vyvyandesign.ie

www.zinon.ie

Platform Energy Solutions ltd

We provide energy efficiency tools such as LED retrofits, Solar PV, EV charging, ventilation and air purification, smart metering, coating solutions, energy grants and financing.

Our services also include utilities procurement, MIC assessment, energy audits.

Our first store is on Friary Road, Naas, Co. Kildare.

We will continue to run our delivery service from the Naas branch but also offer click and collect and a grab and go service.

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ISSUE 3 - June 2021

County Kildare Chamber Membership 2021

A

Accountancy & Tax Services

Grant Thornton KPMG Brennan & O Reilly Accountants Conway, Conway & Co Dillion Byrne and Co HTH Accountants Integra Accounting & Outsourcing Limited John P Greely & Company Kealy Mehigan Accountants Kildare Audit & Accountancy Services Mark Graham & Co. 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

Conrow Ltd Robinson Farms

Air Conditioning Crystal Air

Architecture

Alison Rea Architects Demesne Architects Vivian Cummins Architects

Arts/ Theatre/ Cinema Odeon Cinema Moat Theatre

B

Bank

AIB Bank of Ireland KBC Bank Ireland Permanent TSB

Bookkeeping

Premier Accounts Assist lTD PrepareMyBooks

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C

Car/ Van Hire/ Lease/ Sales

Copy Writer Rafferty Writes

Corporate Branding

Sheehy Motor Group Crossings Motor Centre Go Rentals Joe Mallon Motors Naas Nissan

CarveOn Limited Magma Design

Catering Supplier

Credit Union

Catering 365 Catering Innovation Agency Ltd

Croi Laighean Credit Union Life Credit Union

Charity

CRM Systems Provider

Barretstown KARE

Cleaning and Hygiene Provider Caterclean Ecokem

Cold Storage Solutions

Dawsongroup TCS Ireland Ltd

Conference and Accommodation Maynooth Campus Conference & Accommodation

Construction

Boston Access Limited Ballymore Group Crylock Developments Ltd DMC Restorations Ltd Glenveagh Homes Mick O’Shea Heating & Plumbing Ltd Quattuor Ventures Ltd Tradecraft Building Products Ltd

Consultancy

Amberley & Associates Apex Evolution Auxilia Consultants Bruce McCormack Consulting En-Route Consulting Enable Me Coaching 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 Spotlight Investigation Limited The Alternative Board, Midlands TIO Consulting Vulcan Consulting Ltd

Corporate Gifts Balloon HQ

Cloudtech Monread CRM Team Project

D

Distillery

Powerscourt Distillery Limited

E

E Commerce

Covaworld Pangea Media Ltd

Education

KWETB Maynooth University Faculty of Capacity Development Junior Einsteins Kildare Leah Moran Stage School and Productions LTD Learn International Leinster Senior College

Electrical Services

Schneider Electric Ireland Netherbrook Ltd RGN Electrical & Communications Specialist

Engineering

Endress+Hauser Powercomm Engineering LTD

Enterprise Park

Millennium Park Clane Project Centre Ladytown Business Park

ISSUE 3 - June 2021

E

Equine

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

Equipment Supplier/ Hire Haven Hire Hireco Trailer Rentals/Sales Loading and Lifting Solutions Pumpwatch Superior Pipeline Products Ltd The Buggyman Ltd

Estate Agents

Brophy Farrell Real Estate Alliance Coonan Property Jordan Auctioneers MMWard 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 Exhibition and Conference Services Follow Fox Events (VEMS) Mondello Park Mongey Communications Pop Up Races Ltd

F

Facilities Management

Advanced Workplace Solutions Elite Maintenance

Finance

Acorn Life Close Brothers Ltd Grenke

Financial Advice

House of Finance Lifegoals Financial Osborne Financial Planning

Financial Services

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

Fitness

Infinity Hot Yoga Ltd K Leisure

Food & Beverage

33 South Main Street American Fruits and Flavors Ireland DAC Coghlans Artisan Bakery Firecastle Indie Spice Grill Kavanagh’s Bar Lemongrass Lock 13 Brewpub Urban Kitchen Wine Lab

Food Producer

O’Brien Fine Foods Queally Group

Funeral Directors

Murphy Brothers Funeral Directors Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors

G

Gambling/ Bookmaking Lottoland Services Ltd

Gas Networks

Gas Networks Ireland

Government Agency

Eirgrid Plc IDA Ireland LEO Kildare Local Employment Service Network

Graphic Design

Ian Fleming Design

H

Health & Safety

Dulann Kildare NOVID SeaChange Ltd Simplicity Technology Ltd. Zehnacker Ireland Healthcare Ltd

Healthcare

UPMC Kildare Hospital Care at Home Services Ltd. Elm Hall Nursing Home Homecare Solutions

Home/ Office Interiors Gannon Office Solutions Wall to Workstations Alena C Design T&I Fitouts Ltd VB Design

Hospitality

Palmerstown House Estate & Golf Club

Hotel

Kilkea Castle Osprey Hotel The K Club Carton House, A Fairmont Managed Hotel Celbridge Manor Hotel Clanard Court Hotel Cliff at Lyons Court Yard Hotel Glenroyal Hotel & Leisure Club Kildare House Hotel Killashee Hotel Maudlins House Hotel Moyvalley Hotel & Golf Resort The Johnstown Estate Hotel The Keadeen Hotel Westgrove Hotel & Leisure Centre

Human Resources

Albatel Ltd Aspire HR Curran HR Consultancy Ltd Kala Management Solutions Limited Peninsula

I

Information Technology

Intel ITM Kendlebell Naas Hereworks Technology Limited INIT iPing IT Services LeaconBI Plimso Software Limited VEI Global Zinon IT Solutions

Inspection and Verification SGS Ireland Limited

Insurance

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

L

Logistics

AMC Removals Elsatrans Ltd

M

Maintenance

Action Chimney Escalator and Lift Services

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ISSUE 3 - June 2021

M

Manufacturing

ETEX Group MGS MFG Group Ash Technologies Atlantic Bitumen Labplan Lanogreen Minch Malt Profile Systems Rampower Ventac

Marketing

Elevate Marketing Salt Marketing Vine Digital Ireland whathappensnext

Media

KFM Radio

Medical

Blackberry Hearing International Medical Information Limited Magnet Medical Solutions

Mortgage Provider EBS - Drumcondra

O

Office Space Provider Business Barn

Office Supplies

Egan Office Supplies

Opticians

Crowleys Opticians

P

Payroll Services

BUSI Business Services

Pharmaceutical Pfizer

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

Print Solutions

Character Print Solutions Click Printing EMS Copiers Printscan Support Services Ltd Punctual Print

Product Sourcing Made Personal Sweetspot Sourcing

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Property Management

HouseLet Property Management Naas Property Management

Public Relations

Big Picture Communications Get It Across PR and Communications Leo Nulty Promotions O’Brien PR

Q

Quantity Surveyor

Lambert Surveyors Limited

R

Racecourse

Punchestown Racecourse The Curragh Racecourse Naas Racecourse

Recruitment Services

Clark Recruitment Flexsource Solutions/ CPL ISS Recruitment

Leinster Appointments Recruitment Specialists

Noel Group Osborne Recruitment Sparktel Teamworx

Removals

Oman Beverly Smyth

Renewable Energy Green Generation Ltd

Retail

Aldi Colourtrend Kildare Village Newbridge Silverware Cross Centra Dalys Pharmacy GLAM DOLL Inducoat Ireland Ltd Johnstown Garden Centre Larkfield Pellet Products Monread Fare (Lidon Group) SCÓN The Irish Biltong Company Ltd

S

Security/ Security Systems Manguard Plus Safewatch Security Systems

Signage Provider Element Creative

Solicitors

Coonan Cawley Solicitors Coonan Morgan Solicitors Hanahoe & Hanahoe Solicitors

Solicitors

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

Sport

Kildare GAA Millicent Members Golf Club Naas Driving Range

StartUp Support MERITS

Steel Stockholders RFL Steel

T

Taste and Nutrition Solutions Kerry

Telecomms

LogMeIn Ireland Ltd

National Broadband Ireland Ltd (Deployment)

Tourism

Bargetrip Ltd Celtic Horizon Tours Fairways and FunDays Into Kildare

Training/ Coaching/ Mentoring

Acornstar Ltd Cenit Group Choice Training & Consultancy Essential Health and Safety Training and Consultancy Ltd Ladybird Driving School Rugby Academy Ireland Soft Skill Success

Travel Agency Freedom Travel

V

Vehicle Maintenance N7 Tyres Naas

Voluntary group Naas Tidy Town

W

Warehouse Solutions Jungheinrich

Water Testing The Waterlab

Web Design

EXCYTECH Fusion Marketing Graphedia

Wellness

TherapyXperts

We are here to help WELCOME BACK INSTORE AND DISCOVER HOW WE CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS

IRISH • 100% made and manufactured in Ireland.

• Supporting local Irish Independent businesses

PREMIUM • • • • • •

Virtually NO smell Waterbased Quick room turnaround Durable, lasts longer Longer time between repainting Easy touch up

SUPPORT • • • •

Expert Colour Consultancy Service Beautiful Bespoke Colour Schemes Product support and advice Colour Matching Service for logos or corporate colours

10% OFF FOR ALL CHAMBER MEMBERS COLOURTREND PAINT & WALLPAPER STORE, MAYNOOTH ROAD, CELBRIDGE

COLOURTREND PAINT & WALLPAPER STORE, BALLYMANY SHOPPING CENTRE, NEWBRIDGE

Contact Aoife Brennan for more information or business enquiries on 01 630 3666 or aoife.brennan@colourtrend.ie

Contact Tony Bergin for more information or business enquiries on 045 431 904 or tony.bergin@colourtrend.ie

Progress Natura

A cleaner energy for transport CNG Vehicle Grant Scheme open for applications Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is a cleaner, affordable and proven alternative to diesel for trucks, buses and vans.

Gas Networks Ireland is providing grants of up to €5,000* per vehicle to support Irish fleet operators and hauliers to make the sustainable transition to CNG and reduce their carbon footprint. Grants can be used towards the costs of vehicles registered from 2020. l

Cleaner – Reduce carbon emissions by up to 23%

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Affordable – Lower transport costs by up to 35%

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Proven – 28 million CNG vehicles worldwide

Contact us to start your journey today Email: greenconnect@gasnetworks.ie Learn more at www.gasnetworks.ie/cngvehiclegrant Co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union

* Subject to availability of funds, vehicle category and terms and conditions of the CNG Vehicle Grant Scheme