In the photo: (back row left to right) John Heffernan, Clearpower Ltd; Patrick McCarthy, Speedpak Ltd; Philip Tracey, Ace Express Freight; Fiona O’Sullivan, Sonru Ltd; Michael Burns, Helix Health Group; Chris Harmon, Country Crest; (front row l-r) Carolyn McAdam, Multihog Ltd; and Brendan McCauley, Grosvenor Cleaning Services.
All 32 finalists are invited to a gala awards event on Thursday 14th April 2011 at the Mansion House in Dublin where the winners in each category and the overall national Ulster Bank Business Achievers Award winner will be announced.
Speedpak Ltd. have won the Social Entrepreneurship category (Leinster) for the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards 2010. We were also a nominated finalist in 2008.
All provincial category winners are put forward for the national Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards 2010.
All 32 finalists are invited to a gala awards event on Thursday 14th April 2011 at the Mansion House in Dublin where the winners in each category and the overall national Ulster Bank Business Achievers Award winner will be announced.
The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards
The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards 2010 are made up of eight award categories. The four provincial winners also compete to be the overall national Ulster Bank Business Achiever Award winner for 2010.
Entries are open to all businesses north and south of the border regardless of size, location, sector or turnover. Businesses can enter a maximum of two of the eight categories choosing the ones that best match their business description and profile.
Innovation and Emerging Technology Award
This category is for businesses with innovative and technology based products or services. Regarded as high potential start-ups (must be less than three years old), the businesses in this category must have strong growth and export potential. The judges will be looking at a combination of what the business has achieved to date and the plans it has to expand, grow and develop in the future particularly on international markets.
International Business Award
Achieving and being competitive and profitable on an international scale is important given the nature of our small, open and export led economy. This award recognizes the challenges of competing in the international marketplace and will reward the business who is succeeding with an export led product/ service strategy.
Social Entrepreneurship Award
This category is for businesses with a firm focus on addressing the social based challenges that we face today. Not motivated by profit, the entrepreneurs involved in these organizations have a strong social conscience and are inspired by achieving wider social objectives.
Best Business Start-up Award
If you have embarked on your entrepreneurial journey in the past three years, regardless of the size, sector or location of your business, this awards category is for you. The judges will be interested to hear about your motivations for starting the business and how you have grown and developed the business through the start-up phase.
Family Run Business Award
Family businesses face many challenges including increased international competition, changing technology, succession planning and difficult economic conditions domestically. The award winner in this category will be the business that epitomizes the characteristics of this important sector.
Green Business Award
This category is for businesses who are involved in the growing environmental and green sectors of our economy, who can demonstrate clear environmental benefits from the use of their product and/ or service. The winner of this award will have enjoyed business success for physical products with environmental advantages or success in environmental advisory and allied green service sectors.
Agriculture, Food & Drink Award
Recognised as a cornerstone for our economic development comprising of 6% of total industrial sector output in Ireland and some 10% of total exports, this category recognises the achievements of companies succeeding in the agriculture, food & drink sectors of the economy.
Service Business Awards
Services contribute an estimated 60% of value-add to the Irish economy and over 40% of services produced here are exported. This award will recognise the innovators and leading service delivery companies in this important sector. If you’re a professional services firm, services based franchise, an on-line/ technology based service firm or involved in the retail, financial services (or any other area of the service economy) and have a strong export potential or track record, this category is for you.