*PICTURED: Chantel Keane (co-founder), Danielle Kenneally (co-founder) and Aisling Kenneally of Wix and Wax, winners of ‘Clare Business of the Year 2023 at last night’s Clare Business Excellence Awards, hosted by Ennis Chamber. Photo by Arthur Ellis
Wix and Wax has been named ‘Clare Business of the Year’ at Clare Business Excellence Awards 2023.
It was a packed house at the Inn at Dromoland for the Clare Business Excellence Awards 2023 last night (Thursday, November 16), where Ennis-based luxury candle and home scents business Wix and Wax scooped top prize.
The overall award, as with individual category winner awards, was selected by a panel of professional independent adjudicators.
This year’s category winners hail from every corner of our enterprising county and represent a broad range of sectors.
They are: Ei Electronics, Tierney’s Office Automation, County Boutique, Blackbird (Jewellery), Doolin Ferry Company, Tubridy’s Restaurant (Doonbeg), Mondo Café (Ennis), St Francis Credit Union, Hotel Woodstock, Shannon Springs Hotel, Bridget Haren Hair & Beauty, Wix and Wax and Ennis Book Club Festival.
Ennis Chamber launched ‘Clare Business Excellence Awards 2023’ at the end of June, with Clare County Council as the awards main sponsor and supporter. Independent adjudicators, Spotcheck NI, were recruited to complete mystery visits and reviews for categories involving retail, hospitality, tourism, café, restaurant, and customer service. This in-person ‘mystery’ adjudication took place over September and early October. For categories where judging was based on written submissions an independent expert adjudication panel was established by SpotCheckNI.
Commenting on the Awards Gala, Ennis Chamber President Sheila Lynch, said, “It was a fabulous occasion. We welcomed 275 guests for a sit-down meal, Awards Ceremony and entertainment, the atmosphere in the room was warm and good humoured. People were out to celebrate and were genuinely pleased for the opportunity to network with other fellow dynamic businesses and to have time and space to relax and enjoy themselves.”
The independent judges awarded the highest overall mark to Wix and Wax, commenting that they were swayed in their decision by the “energy and positive ‘can do’ attitude of founders Chantel Keane and Danielle Kenneally, which in turn has led to exceptional growth and sales in a relatively short timeframe”.
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr. Joe Cooney, said, “I was particularly pleased to see that finalists and the eventual category winners were drawn from all parts of our enterprising county. Clare Business Excellence Awards attracted excellent entries, and the finalists reflected an impressive line-up of businesses from micro to large organisations. The line-up of winners is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit that is obviously alive and well in the Banner County.”
Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling, commented, “Clare County Council was proud to take on the role of main sponsor, once again, for these Clare Business Excellence Awards. It is very important to support local enterprise and to recognise the achievements of local businesses in a meaningful way. This year’s finalists were a perfect reflection of the range and size of businesses operating in Clare. They were drawn from a broad range of sectors, from retail to professional services, tourism to hospitality, micro businesses to multinationals. Amongst the finalists were businesses employing staff numbers from three to more than 1,000.”
Margaret O’Brien, CEO, Ennis Chamber said, “The annual Clare Business Excellence Awards are only made possible through the generosity and support of our sponsors. In particular Clare County Council, but also the individual category sponsors. To the best of our knowledge Clare Business Excellence Awards is the only county or regional business awards where adjudication is outsourced to professional consultants whose business is purely focused on conducting company audits, customer service audits, benchmarking, mystery shopping and dining reviews. The adjudicators literally toured Clare to experience firsthand the hospitality, tourism, retail, and customer service provided by all our entrants. And all entrants, not just finalists and winners will receive feedback from our adjudicators next week.”
The following is a list of Category winners for this year’s Clare Business Excellence Awards:
Overall Winner: ‘Clare Business of the Year’
Sponsored by Clare County Council
Winner: Wix and Wax
Category Winners
BEST SME (From 10 to 250 employees)
Sponsored by Cup Print
Winner: Tierney’s Office Automation
BEST MICRO BUSINESS (employing 10 people or less)
Sponsored by Local Enterprise Office, Clare
Winner: Wix and Wax
BEST USE OF DIGITAL MARKETING/SOCIAL MEDIA
Sponsored by the Clare Echo
Winner: Hotel Woodstock
BEST GREEN & SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
Sponsored by Rengen Power
Winner: Bridget Haren Hair & Beauty
HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN THE WORKPLACE
Sponsored by Essilor
Winner: Ei Electronics
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES EXCELLENCE AWARD
Sponsored by Ennis Chamber
Winner: St. Francis Credit Union
BEST PLACE TO EAT (Bistro or Café)
Sponsored by AIB
Winner: Mondo
BEST PLACE TO EAT (Restaurant)
Sponsored by AIB
Winner: Tubridy’s (Doonbeg)
BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE
Sponsored by McKeogh Gallagher Ryan Accountants
Winner: Blackbird
BEST TOURISM EXPERIENCE IN CLARE
Sponsored by TUS
Winner: Doolin Ferry Company
BEST HOSPITALITY IN CLARE
Sponsored by Shannon Airport Group
Winner: Shannon Springs Hotel
CLARE RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Clean Ireland Recycling
Winner: County Boutique
BEST VOLUNTARY/COMMUNITY GROUP IN CLARE
Sponsored by Vitalograph
Winner: Ennis Book Club Festival
