Tánaiste Presents Galway Chamber of Commerce and Industry/Ernst & Young 2000 Business Awards

Mary Harney, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, today (Friday 20th October 2000) presented the Galway Chamber of Commerce and Industry/Ernst & Young 2000 Business Awards in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill, Co. Galway.

The Overall Business Award is designed to acknowledge the achievement of developing companies, which are between 2-10 years in existence and have a particularly successful track record in their early stage development. In the case of the Horizon Award, this is awarded to companies that show a high level of potential which has not yet been fully reached.

Speaking at the presentation the Tánaiste said "The companies I have encountered through this Award have all demonstrated an alertness to changing market needs and to the development needs of their staff. These Awards are a proper recognition and reward to indigenous companies with a particularly successful track record during the difficult and hazardous development phase. Any country, seeking to develop a thriving and successful economy, must ensure that it has such a bedrock of innovative and dynamic new enterprises driving it forward in today’s competitive environment.

"I believe that those running small businesses in Ireland fully appreciate the record of successful policy in Ireland. Companies like Info Point Systems, which originally started up in the 1980s, can recall operating in a high taxation, low expenditure and slow-growing hostile economic environment. Interest rates were significantly higher than today and exchange rate uncertainty constrained export and growth potential. Today Ireland has a fast-growing, low interest economy. Tax burdens on entrepreneurs have already eased and, I am convinced that trend must continue!", the Tánaiste added.

The Tánaiste highlighted Ireland's recent economic growth which she said "also owed much to the introduction of new technologies across commerce and industry, the promotion of balanced regional development and the provision of the energy and telecommunications infrastructures essential to the dispersed regional location of new enterprise ventures. These are some of the necessary ingredients for small business success and competitiveness".

The Tánaiste pointed out the importance of the emergence of a number of successful entrepreneurs operating their businesses in both domestic and international markets. She said "a new generation of entrepreneur is at work, encouraged by the expansive domestic and international economies and by the favourable business climate in Ireland. This emergence is fuelled by a combination of education, skill, experience and above all, the determination to succeed. The government is determined to harness these qualities and to support the individuals who will create the next generation of profitable Irish high growth companies".

Concluding the Tánaiste congratulated the companies who participated in the competition and wished them and the winning company continued success in the future. She commended the Galway Chamber of Commerce and Industry together with Ernst & Young on their efforts in organizing the business awards.

Overall Winner Infopoint Systems (Irl) Ltd, Ballard House, Westside, Galway