Thursday, 08.04.2010
Entrepreneurs honoured as they survive first year

THEY have been hailed as perfect examples of how Ireland can survive and beat the recession. And they will create the high-end Smart Economy jobs Ireland needs, the Foreign Affairs Minister said. <br /><br /> Micheál Martin was speaking at an awards ceremony to honour the founders of 17 start-up companies who, despite the unprecedented economic conditions, have completed their first year in business thanks to an established scheme that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation. <br /><br /> They were all involved in the Genesis Enterprise programme, operated by Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) in partnership with eight other regional and national organisations. <br /><br /> It provides a package of supports to entrepreneurs to accelerate the development of their business in the first 12 months, and to ensure the business is sustainable. <br /><br /> The supports include funding, training, office facilities and mentoring. <br /><br /> The enterprise programme has, over the years, helped over 192 entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground including Abtran, Amocom, Comnitel, Cully & Sully, Eolas International, Selatra Games, and Pulse Learning. <br /><br /> The companies on this year's programme are involved in energy, international services, food, electronics, telecommunications, electronic learning, software applications, ergonomic furniture design and a diving operation. <br /><br /> They were all unveiled to the public at an awards scheme last week during which Mr Martin congratulated them on achieving their first year in business. <br /><br />"You are the companies that will create and deliver the higher end, higher value jobs of the Smart Economy," he said. <br /><br /> John Feeney from dBm Technology, which offers IT and telecoms services to businesses, won the Genesis Emerging Business of the Year. <br /><br /> The Business Development Achievement Award went to Garry Bennett of MyTown.ie, a website which provides communities with a portal to local information and links to local businesses. <br /><br /> Conor Buckley, of Longship Energy Ltd, won the Market Entry Success Award. <br /><br /> His firm, which provides a complete outsourced energy management service to commercial energy users to help them cut costs, has customers in Ireland, Poland and the United States. <br /><br /> The Business Plan of the Year went to Michael O'Neill of Irish Atlantic Salt, which is based on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork. <br /><br /> His company produces the only Irish-made gourmet sea salt range of products. <br /><br /> Other awards went to Anne Ferguson of Ocean Addicts Ltd, and to Simon Dennehy of Perch Dynamic Solutions. <br /><br /> The 2010 Genesis Alumni Award was presented to Pat Ryan, a co-founder of Abtran along with Michael and Gerard Fitzgerald. <br /><br /> It is one of Ireland's largest indigenous business process outsourcers with projected turnover in excess of &euro;40 million this year.