Clara based company, Europharma Concepts Ltd., has been crowned ‘Best Business Start-up’ at the Leinster provincial final of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards. Seven other leading businesses from across Leinster were selected as winners at the awards ceremony which took place at Dunboyne Castle in Meath on Wednesday 25^th November.  

Established in 2006, Europharma Concepts (EPC) is a contract manufacturing and product development company.  It manufactures liquids, creams, gels and pastes for the pharmaceutical, medical device, oral hygiene, and cosmetic industries. The products manufactured in its 25,000 sq. ft. purpose built manufacturing facility include, toothpastes, gels and mouthwashes. Employing over 33 people, EPC is the only oral care contract manufacturer and R&D facility in Ireland.  

The awards, which are now in their 16^th year, are in association with the Irish Independent, Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland.  Each Leinster winner now qualifies to compete for the national title at an awards ceremony which takes place in Dublin in 2010.

A total of 386 businesses from the north and the south entered the 2009 awards which aim to recognise and reward business success, regardless of business offering, service, or location.

The winning business, in each of the eight categories, was selected from a shortlist of three companies. Companies were judged on a variety of merits including sales performance, market share growth, company milestones, innovative new products or services and successful achievements by key personnel.  The Leinster judging panel was made up of Ken Murnaghan, Regional Director, Ulster Bank, Gerry Mc Mahon , Regional Director , Mid East, Enterprise Ireland , Greg Byrne, Author and Founder of Small Business Can, and Paul Walsh Entrepreneur and Managing Director of Sunshine Juice.

The Leinster winners will go on to compete with provincial winners from Munster, Ulster and Connacht for the national title in their category at the all-island finals in 2010. All provincial winners also have an opportunity to win the national title of Ulster Bank Business Achiever 2009.

The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards provincial winners for Leinster are as follows:

• One-to-Watch Award – DecaWave
• International Business Award – PM Group
• Social Entrepreneurship Award – Special Stories Publishing
• Best Business Start-up Award – Europharma Concepts Ltd.
• Family Run Business Award – FitzGerald Nurseries Ltd.
• Green Business Award – I.C.E. Comfort Slat Mats Ltd.
• Agriculture, Food & Drink Award – Brambles Deli Café Ltd.
• Emerging Technology Award – ProVac Ltd.

The winner in each category will receive a specially commissioned award created by Grainne Breslin, local and national PR opportunities, entry into the national awards and a dedicated profile page on the Business Achievers Awards website.

Commenting on the company’s success at the award ceremony, Declan Lenahan, CEO of Europharma Concepts Ltd. said, “This award is testament to the dedication and determination of everyone in Europharma Concepts. We are delighted to have won this award and we look forward to competing at the national final in 2010.”

Speaking at the provincial awards lunch, Ken Murnaghan, Regional Director, Ulster Bank, commented: “The list of Leinster winners in this year’s Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards is made up of an outstanding and diverse range of businesses. It is inspiring to see such vibrant success stories stem from businesses all over the province. I would like to extend my congratulations to each of the winning companies and wish them the very best of luck at the national final next year.”

The grand prize for the national winner is a comprehensive package including an Executive Education programme at Harvard University Business School, €50,000 worth of advertising space in the Irish Independent and two years membership of the Institute of Directors.