INTRODUCTION
Small business proves its worth
PatriciaCallan,SFAdirector
HE finalists in this year’s SFA National Small members, including economic, commercial, employee
T
Business Awards come from a wide variety of
Patricia Callan
relations and social affairs advice and assistance.
backgrounds and sectors, but they share one ThegoaloftheSFAistomakeourmembersbetterbusi-
major thing in common: determination. nesses, through acting as an extension of their own busi-
They recognise the need to constantly adapt and inno- ness management teams:
vatetosurvive,nomatterhowhumbletheirbeginnings or • In providing advice, information and assistance on
howmanyobstaclestheyface.Thesecompaniesreflecthow every aspect of running their business, and in particu-
Ireland’s economy as a whole needs to move, which is to lar through our specialist area of employment law;
create added value in everything we do. • Through allowing them to do business with each other
Theaimoftheawardsistocelebratetheachievementsof viaouronlinemembershipnetworkonwww.sfa.ieandby
small business in Ireland, and to recognise the vital contri- attending an extensive range of training and networking
bution of the small business sector to the Irish economy. events(www.centreofexcellence.ie/www.sfa.ie/events);
OurfinalistsarewellrepresentedacrosstheislandofIre- • Via representation at National and European level and
land, supporting the claim that small business in Ireland our deepest thanks to them all for their time and dedica- through the media, ensuring that the obstacles to the
isessentialtoourfutureeconomicgrowthandwell-being tion to the awards. growth and development of small businesses are iden-
as a nation. Highlights from the Awards Gala Lunch with An tified and tackled.
Allofthecompaniesontheshortlistarewinners,regard- Taoiseach,BrianCowenTD,willbeavailableforviewingon Contact us directly with any query you may have, or issue
lessoftheoutcometomorrow.Alloftheirstoriesaretruly www.businessandleadership.com from 6 March 2009. you want raised, and we will do our very best to help you
inspiring and epitomise what it means to be a true entre- becomeabetterbusinessthroughyourmembershipofthe
preneur.Thejudgeswereimpressedbyboththequalityand THE SFA:WHAT YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT SFA in 2009.
standardofthenumerousentrantsandthediversityofbusi- The Small Firms Association (SFA) is the national organ-
nesses represented. isation exclusively representing the needs of small enter-
Patricia Callan, Director
Ourtop-classjudgingpanelthisyearincludedDrAidan prises (ie those employing fewer than 50 employees) in
01 605 1602; patricia.callan@ibec.ie
O’Boyle, SFA chairman and chair of the Awards’ judging Ireland. The SFA is funded directly through subscription
Avine McNally, Assistant Director
panel;BrianO’Kane,managingdirectorofOakTreePress feesfromits8,000membercompanies.Asafullsocialpart-
01 605 1633; avine.mcnally@ibec.ie
andauthorofnumerousbusinessbooks;FrankRoche,pro- ner,itdirectlymeetswiththeGovernmentandinteractswith Alan Sherlock, Executive
fessorofentrepreneurshipatUCDMichaelSmurfitGrad- key decision-makers at all levels to ensure the economic
01 605 1664; alan.sherlock@ibec.ie
uate Business School; Rita Shah, managing director of environment is conducive to small business establish- Aisling Igoe, Officer
ShabraGroup;MaeveDineen,businesseditorofthe Irish ment and development. The SFA secures the best deal for 01 605 1668; aisling.igoe@ibec.ie
Independent;ElaineGeraghty,CEONewstalk;andMairead small firms by providing dedicated professional support
Sarah Murphy, Executive Support
Cirillo,environmentalmanagementconsultant.Weextend and by offering an unparalleled range of services to 01 605 1667; sarah.murphy@ibec.ie
Foreword from An Taoiseach,
Brian Cowen TD
Decisivedecision-making,strongrestructuringmeasuresand,aboveall,afocuson
innovationandR&DwillbecentraltocarryingIrelandoutofitscurrenteconomic
challenges—readytogreettheglobalupturnwithconfidencewhenithappens
THE scale of the economic challenges now facing us in ments of the order of ¤15bn to eliminate the current theglobalupturn,withafocusoninnovationandresearch
Ireland is without precedent, with national income set budget deficit by 2013. and development, green enterprise and energy efficiency
to fall by upwards of 10pc over the 2008–2010 period. We will continue to act decisively to ensure we have a andhigh-productivityemployment.Futuregrowthwillbe
Thechallengeisundoubtedlysevere.ButtheGovernment bankingsystemthatservestheneedsofoureconomy,and ledbyexportsbasedoncompetitivestrengthsintheseareas.
hasaclearstrategy,whichwewillcontinuetoimplement, have included requirements to extend credit to the small TheNationalSmallBusinessAwardsprovidefurtherevi-
based on A Framework for Sustainable Economic Re- to medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector as part of the dence that we have people possessing the drive and skills
newal, which was produced in December 2008. recapitalisation package. to meet current economic challenges with confidence. I
Thisframeworkcombinesaclear,medium-termapproach Wearetakingimmediatemeasures,withinthefiscalcon- wouldlike,inparticular,topaytributetotheSmallFirms
to renew and revitalise the economy, based on a deepening straints we face, to maximise economic activity and sus- Association’snewchairman,DrAidanO’Boyle,andalsoto
of competitiveness and specific short-term measures to tain viable employment, and will continue to support the its director, Patricia Callan, for their proactive approach
address the immediate challenges we are up against. enterprise sector. to representing the views and concerns of small business
The ¤2bn savings we announced last month represent We are reforming and restructuring across the econo- to Government across a wide range of issues. I wish you
a solid start to a process that will require overall adjust- my to ensure that we emerge well placed to benefit from and your members every continued success in the future.
02 SFA NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS WWW.SFA.IE/AWARDS
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