This article is from page 2 of the 2012-01-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
A BUSINESS offering to manufacture prototypes at cost for entrepreneurs and a 12-month free office lease are just some of the ways one business is helping other businesses to grow, despite the current economic climate.
The initiative was welcomed this week by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Shannon Chamber of Commerce.
Connor Winfield Ltd, in association with Irish Executives Network, have offered entrepreneurs developing products in the electronic hardware field to have up to 20 prototypes manufactured at cost at its manufacturing facility in Shannon.
The company has also offered one entrepreneur the opportunity to avail of office accommodation, free of rent, for 12 months at the Shannon facility.
“We hope, through these actions, to not only assist, in a small way, Ireland in our national recovery process, but also to inspire other businesses, whether multi-national, like ourselves, or indigenous to reach out and support business development in Ireland in a similar way,” said a spokesperson for the company.
“This is a great example of how Irish-based businesses and leadership can make a difference. What John O’Connell (Managing Director) and his team are providing is so crucial, and so important to both recovery and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs,” sais John Keogh, founder and president of Irish Executives Network.
Community support for job creation, such as The Clare People ’s free jobs advertisement service and the Conor Winfield Ltd Imitative, was welcomed by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton (FG), and encouraged by the Shannon Chamber of Commerce.
Minister Bruton told The Clare People that communities and businesses had huge roles to play in job creation. “It is often quoted that if people diverted € 4 a week of their spending to locally produced goods, you would create 6,000 jobs,” he said.
Shannon Chamber President, Damian Gleeson said that business supporting business was necessary for maintaining indigenous and multi-national companies and jobs.
“The onus is on everyone to encourage entrepreneurial endeavour. Businesses need to start playing their part,” he told members of the chamber at their annual lunch.
During the lunch, he raised concerns with Minister Bruton about the lack of support for existing companies. “It is now down to the Government to play its part in tackling local government costs and reduce redundancy cost charges to help sustain existing businesses,” he said.