Sheila Lynch President Ennis Chamber, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan, Cathaoirleach Clare County Council, Noeleen Fitzgerald, Director Finance Clare County Council. Photograph: Eamon Ward
BUSINESS leaders in the county are to be honoured in the Clare Business Excellence Awards which are running for the fourteenth year.
Considered the leading business awards in Co Clare, the Clare Business Excellence Awards has thirteen business categories and a special category for best voluntary/community group. Submissions are judged by professional independent adjudicators.
On Thursday, the Old Ground Hotel was the venue for the launch of the Clare Business Excellence Awards hosted by Ennis Chamber with Clare County Council as the main sponsor of the awards. Sponsors, previous winners and prospective entrants were present for the launch.
The Clare Echo is among the sponsors along with the County Council, Rengen Power, Cup Print, Essilor, Ennis Chamber, TUS, Shannon Airport Group, AIB, Clean Ireland Recycling, the Local Enterprise Office, McKeogh Gallagher Ryan Accountants, Ei Electronics and Vitalograph.
President of Ennis Chamber, Sheila Lynch said, “These annual awards are only possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors. We thank Clare County Council as our overall sponsor, while we also acknowledge each of our category sponsors. With 13 business categories and a special category for ‘Best Voluntary/Community Group’, there is a category to suit all business types and every sector. I encourage businesses to enter and wish all entrants the very best of luck”.
She continued, “There is an onus on us to keep the awards fresh and relevant, and we do this by introducing new categories. Last year we introduced ‘Health & Wellness in the Workplace’, sponsored by Essilor and this year we introduce ‘Best Manufacturer in Clare’, sponsored by Ei Electronics. It’s great to see Ei Electronics become a category sponsor because they have walked the walk with great success, having won three different categories across three years, including ‘Business Supporting Community’, ‘Best Green & Sustainable Practices’ and ’Health & Wellness in the Workplace.”
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) commented, “It is fitting that Clare County Council has once again adopted a leadership role as main sponsor of these prestigious awards. Each year these awards shine a light on businesses that are leaders within their own sectors, offering entrants the opportunity to benchmark their achievements against those of their peers. It is important for businesses to avail of the opportunity to celebrate their own success by entering these awards and in doing so to know that their submissions will be adjudicated by professional, independent adjudicators”.
Cllr. O’Callaghan added, “In sponsoring these awards, Clare County Council acknowledges and celebrates the contribution businesses make to the local economy across County Clare, providing employment and supporting our local communities”.
Submissions can be made online on the homepage of Ennis Chamber website at www.ennischamber.ie The application forms are straightforward to ensure the awards are accessible to all. “While we appreciate everyone is busy, and time is precious, we hope businesses will see the merits of making time to enter this year’s Clare Business Excellence Awards,” CEO of Ennis Chamber, Margaret O’Brien explained.
Ennis Chamber has contracted SpotCheck, Northern Ireland, a business with an excellent reputation for thoroughness and fairness when it comes to adjudication. SpotCheck will adjudicate and will also directly issue a short benchmark report with constructive feedback, to all entrants.
Independent adjudicators, Spotcheck NI, will complete mystery visits and reviews for categories involving retail, hospitality, tourism and customer service. For categories depending on written submissions an independent expert panel has been established to adjudicate.
August 9th is the closing date for mystery visit catagories (hospitality, retail, customer service excellence, tourism, best place to eat) while September 12th is the closing date for written submission categories. Finalists will be announced in October with a gala awards ceremony to take place on November 14th at the Inn at Dromoland.
Businesses large and small from all corners of Clare are invited to enter Clare Business Excellence Awards. Application forms online: https://www.ennischamber.ie/services/business-awards
CLARE BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2024
Categories & Sponsors
BEST GREEN & SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES Sponsored by Rengen Power
BEST MICRO BUSINESS (employing 10 people or less) – Sponsored by Local Enterprise Office, Clare
BEST SME IN CLARE (10 – 250 employees) – Sponsored by Cup Print
HEALTH & WELLNESS IN THE WORKPLACE – Sponsored by Essilor
CLARE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES EXCELLENCE AWARD – Sponsored by Ennis Chamber
BEST TOURISM EXPERIENCE – Sponsored by TUS
BEST HOSPITALITY IN CLARE – Sponsored by the Shannon Airport Group
BEST PLACE TO EAT (2 x sub-categories; Best Restaurant and Best Bistro/Café) – Sponsored by AIB
BEST USE OF DIGITAL MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA Sponsored by The Clare Echo
CLARE RETAILER OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by Clean Ireland Recycling
CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE – Sponsored by McKeogh Gallagher Ryan Accountants
BEST MANUFACTURER IN CLARE (Employing over 100 people) Sponsored by Ei Electronics
BEST VOLUNTARY/COMMUNITY GROUP IN CLARE – Sponsored by Vitalograph
‘CLARE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR 2024’ (Overall Winner) – Sponsored by lead sponsor – Clare County Council
