This article is from page 2 of the 2011-03-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
CLARE can become the nationwide leader in fighting the recession, thanks to a new initiative being launched this week to make the county capital Ennis the friendliest town in Ireland.
The Ennis Development Forum and Ennis Chamber of Commerce is launching its ‘Create the Magic’ campaign this week, by bringing in international consultant Kathleen Sullivan, whose company KT Sullivan & Associates is based in Charleston, South Carolina that was voted America’s favourite city in 2010.
“Ms Sullivan lives between Charleston and Ennis,” says Aoife Madden of the Ennis Development Forum “and she has gladly come on board to give a seminar to Clare businesses this Thursday,” he adds.
“Her company focuses on inspired leadership and customer service excellence and we want to draft up a customer charter for Ennis business that can help them going forward and make Ennis the friendlies town in Ireland,” says Cllr Johnny Flynn, who is also one of the driving forces behind the forum.
“This is Ennis refusing to sit back,” says Aoife Madden. “We are watching other towns fall down around them and we’re not the worst in Ireland, because with the recession we’re six to 12 months behind other towns and a determined to fight the recession and the goal of the forum is that Clare will become the first county to come out of recession. We are determined to do that.”
Thursday’s seminar, which takes place in The Old Ground Hotel at 6.15pm follows on from the Business Forum held with the General Election candidates last month with the aim of retaining and creating jobs.
And, this interaction with public represenatives will be taken to the next stage when members of the Ennis Deveopment Forum meet with Clare’s newly elected TDs.
“The business community want to meet with them every three months that they are in office during the lifetime of the new government,” says Cllr Flynn, “to see what they’re doing for the town and the county.
The first meeting with Deputies Pat Breen, Joe Carey, Michael McNamara and Timmy Dooley is scheduled to take place on March 28.