Chamber Awards 2012
10th December 2012
Celebrating Local Enterprise & Achievements with the Tullamore Chamber Awards 2012
The black tie event was held in the Tullamore Court Hotel on Friday 7th December and attended by over 150 business people.
Guests were welcomed with a drinks reception of Tullamore D.E.W, sponsored by Findlaters Wines & Spirits. President of Tullamore Chamber, Ms. Ann Starling spoke about the achievements of the chamber this year and she thanked the chamber council members for their commitment and work throughout the year. Ann went on to say that it was crucial for business people in the town to work together and she asked the audience to shop local. She continued to say, ‘Tonight we are here to celebrate both the emerging and established businesses of our town and I congratulate all of the finalists and winners on getting to this stage.’ The awards ceremony took place at two separate intervals, before and after dinner, with RTE’s Mr. Alan Shortt, as Master of Ceremonies.
The winner of the Emerging New Business Award was Nine Design, a fresh designer who fuses modern techniques and materials with traditional workmanship, creating simple yet stylish pieces of jewellery with a modern look. The other finalists in this category were Design Hub and PB Designs.
The finalists in the next category, Industry, were Duffy & Scott Candlemakers, Emerald Stained Glass, Glenisk, Glenn Wood, Hamco and RR Projects. The winner was Glenisk, the family run business who have been producing organic yogurt and milks for more than twenty five years.
The winner of the Green Initiative Award was Molloy Precast Environmental Solutions a business recognized for its leading edge technologies as one of the major players in the wastewater treatment and rainwater harvesting markets in Ireland. The other finalists in this category were Bord na Mona, Element Power, KMK Metals and RR Projects.
The next award, Retail Excellence was won by Galvin for Men a true emporium of the finest in men’s fashion, boasting 7500sq. ft of beautifully displayed menswear from some of the most important names in men’s clothing. The other finalists were Leavy’s Centra, Menary’s and Wood Grove Interiors.
At this stage of the event the guests enjoyed their meal, following this a free draw took place. Ms. Karol Leavy won a crock of Tullamore D.E.W, Ms Dolores Molloy won two tickets to Neil Delamere’s show and Ms. Diane Macko won two tickets to ‘My Brother Joe’.
The winner of the Business Initiative Award was Design Hub for Breezy Gardening, a product that makes gardening more accessible, beautiful and easier for all. The other finalists in this category were Aura Productions for Farm TV, Irish Water Jet Profile Ltd for a polyurethane scraper attached to conveyor belts, O’Donohues for their extensive selection of breads and Sites to Go for their innovation website design.
The Business Person of the year award was won by Midlands Radio Managing Director Mr. Albert Ftizgerald. A hotel manager by profession, in 1995 he joined Midlands Radio as Sales Director. He was appointed Managing Director in 2003 and, under his guidance; the company has enjoyed its most prosperous period since its launch. The other finalists in this award category were, Ms. Margaret Deverell, Farm Factory Direct, Mr. George Flynn, Flynn’s bakery, Mr. John Leavy, Leavy’s Centra and Mr. John Lyons, Office Centre.
The winner of the Community Achievement Award was St Mary’s Youth Centre, a local voluntary organization, established in 1967 to promote the development of the young people aged 7 upwards in Tullamore and surrounding areas in Offaly. The finalists in this category were, Offaly County Council, St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, Tullamore Active Retirement Association and Tullamore Union of Parishes.
The final business award of the evening was Best Cultural/Tourism, which was won by Lough Boora Parklands, a magnificent collection of natural & manmade lakes, wetlands, woodland areas, 50km of walkways, natural recolonisation and pastureland whilst providing a new habitat for wildlife, flora & fauna. The other finalists in this category were Annaharvey Farm and The Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre.
Mr. Peter Lyons, Kenny Lyons Associates Architects, took to the stage to announce that The Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre was the winner of the final category, The Presidents Award. Peter Lyons, who has a special connection to the visitor centre as the designer said, ‘Some of the greatest achievers in business have hailed from Tullamore and this award gives the Tullamore Chamber President the opportunity to recognise a business for their contributions not just to business, but for their inspiration to those of us living and working in Tullamore.’ He continued to say, ‘The new Tullamore D.E.W Visitor Centre is the culmination of a multi-million euro investment by brand owners William Grant & Sons and more than eight months of intensive work on the site. Visitor numbers are expected to increase annually to over 40,000 people making this a premier tourist attraction for both Tullamore and the Midlands.’ Ms. Mary Hensey accepted the award and said how lucky Tullamore was because, ‘Tullamore D.E.W has the name of the town in the brand, which is quite unique, and we should all work to promote and leverage off this.’
The night finished off with Comedian Alan Shortt performing as Finance Minister Michael Noonan, former Taoiseach Mr, Bertie Ahern, and a few more well known characters, he had the guests in stitches with his hilarious gags. A great night was had by all.