Current and former members of Donegal County Enterprise Board pictured on Friday at the launch of the print and digital book to mark the board’s 20 years of supporting local enterprise.
The huge role Donegal County Enterprise Board has played in the economic development of the county was highlighted at the weekend at celebrations to mark twenty years of promoting entrepreneurship.
As part of the celebrations, businesses from all over Donegal were invited to promote their enterprise at a special showcase in the Clanree Hotel on Friday, while the special milestone was also marked by the launch of a commemorative book celebrating microenterprise in Donegal over the last 20 years.
Chairman of Donegal County Enterprise Board, Mr. Seamus Neely, said Donegal County Enterprise Board (DCEB) had always been noted for an innovative approach and high achievement in support of the micro enterprise sector.
He said the book served to highlight some of the innovative initiatives the board has taken over the years.
The Chairman of Donegal County Enterprise Board, Seamus Neely and the CEO of Donegal County Enterprise Board, Michael Tunney the launch of the print and digital book to mark the board’s 20 years of supporting local enterprise.
“Over the years the Board has been fortunate to have accessed a range of additional funds and resources into the county to assist our small business community. We are extremely grateful to all those organisations and individuals who have supported the Board and its projects and programmes over the past 20 years.”
He added that over that period DCEB has approved over €11.5 million to over 340 businesses and has had over 11,500 participants on workshops, training programmes and management development programmes.
Michael Tunney, CEO of DCEB said that over the years the Board has continually sought to develop its services adding that the experience, skills and expertise of the staff within the Board had been critical to the Board’s service development and delivery over the years.
“Through the Board’s active participation on the County Development Board and its forerunner, the County Strategy Group, Donegal County Enterprise Board has been the acknowledged first point of contact for enterprise development in the county in the last fifteen years.”
Ursula Donnelly, Assistant CEO of Donegal County Enterprise Board, John Henry McLaughlin, Councillor John Ryan, Danny McMenamin, Ciaran McMenamin of 3Dom Filaments Ltd and CEO of Donegal County Enterprise Board, Michael Tunney, pictured at the Donegal County Enterprise Board Business Networking Showcase in the Clanree Hotel on Friday last.
He added: “Through this engagement on the County Development Board, the Enterprise Board has always sought to highlight the role and importance of local business to the county’s economy.”
And the success of the local business supported by DCEB was evident in the figures in the commemorative booklet highlighting not only the fact that 2,014 jobs had been assisted but also that over 90% of grant-aided businesses were still trading.
Friday’s celebrations offered a free opportunity to local businesses to showcase their enterprise and to network with other businesses in the county and a large number – from all parts of the county – grasped the chance to take part to highlight their venture.
The commemorative booklet also featured some of the businesses supported by DCEB over the past twenty years, in a wide range of disciplines from tourism and engineering to food, manufacturing and services.
The booklet – available in digital format from installs.3dissue.com and from the DCEB website donegalenterprise.ie – also highlighted details of the services and operations of DCEB, including Management Development and Training, Female Entrepreneurship, Food, Education, Cross Border Programmes and Enterprising Donegal Week.
The DCEB Chairman Mr. Seamus Neely meanwhile explained that in the near future the Boards will be re-structured into the local authorities as Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) and will operate under a Service Level Agreement between the Local Authority and Enterprise Ireland.
“This re-structuring will see LEO carry out extended services to the small business community in the county, as well as greater integration with the services of the Local Authority and the other enterprise agencies, both within the county and nationally,” he said.
Meanwhile CEO of DCEB, Michael Tunney said it is essential going forward that the agency for the promotion of entrepreneurship and for supporting local businesses retains an ability to respond with flexibility to both the needs of local businesses and the needs of local economic development.
“Donegal County Enterprise Board has always sought to respond with genuine interest, concern and commitment to the needs of the county and its business community. The Donegal Local Enterprise Office will continue to respond with similar creativity, innovativeness and engagement,” he concluded.
The next big event on the local enterprise calendar will be Enterprising Donegal Business week from March 03rd to 8th keep up to date by logging onto www.donegalenterprise.ie
Pictured at the Donegal County Enterprise Board Business Networking Showcase in the Clanree Hotel on Friday last were from left Pauric Hilferty of Greenlight Media, Councillor Ciaran Brogan, Emer Johnston of Imagine if Only, Denis Finnegan of Finn Media, CEO of Donegal County Enterprise Board, Michael Tunney and Joseph Doohan of Finn Media.