10th July 2023
Minister of State for Employment Affairs and Retail Business, Neale Richmond TD, visited Kilkenny Local Enterprise Office (LEO) last Friday, July 7th where he met with council officials and members of the LEO team as well as some of their client companies.
The Minister was greeted at the Kilkenny LEO by Interim Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council, Sean McKeown; Acting Director of Service, Denis Malone and Acting LEO Head of Enterprise, Aileen McGrath.
Minister Richmond said:
“I was delighted to visit the Kilkenny Local Enterprise Office and meet with the LEO team and LEO clients. Meeting businesses across the country is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role and it is great to meet such a dynamic company.
“Kilkenny is a county with so much to offer and it is great to see the dedication the LEO team has to local businesses here and their commitment to the growth and success of their clients.”
The Minister had the opportunity to meet the LEO Kilkenny team members before meeting a selection of LEO Kilkenny clients. Firstly, Minister Richmond met Luke and Roisin McIntosh of Dakota Irish Crafts. Established in 2017, Dakota Irish Crafts manufactures and assembles a range of products for tabletop gaming and sells online via the website shop and via gaming conventions/trade shows. Products include handcrafted wooden boxes, trays, towers, vaults as well as unique metal, wood, polymer, and stone dice, as well as 3D printed items and other accessories.
Next Minister Richmond met with Patrick and Tammi Brennan who own Brennan Knives and Jewellery which manufactures a bespoke range of handmade knives designed and crafted to meet individual needs; handcrafted fine leather goods including an individual sheath for every knife and matching belt (and cuff links) for example. They also handcraft a jewellery range for both men and women made with precious metals and stones using specialised techniques.
The Minister then spoke to John Doyle of Signiatec. This company established in 1998, specialises in the manufacture of all aspects of interpretative and commercial signage and associated engineering works for the tourism and semi-state sectors.
Following this Minister Richmond met with Yellow Deer Designs owner Cáit Mackey Maher. The company produces a range of handcrafted, bespoke greeting cards. Cáit was the winner of the Best Business Idea in the Ideas Kilkenny Competition in 2022 for her plans around digitalisation of her product range.
Richie and Pat Murphy met the Minister next, they run a company called CHI Environmental which is a construction and demolition waste recovery operation. This means the business recycles construction and demolition waste into reusable aggregate products.
Finally, Minister Richmond met Irene Frisby, director of Frisby Quality Services (FQS), an Irish pharmaceutical consultancy and aviation security training firm established in 2005. The business has evolved its service offering over the years to meet with market trends, regulatory changes and new product innovations.
After meeting these impressive LEO Kilkenny clients, the Minister enjoyed presentations from Cllr Michael Doyle, Acting Head of Enterprise LEO Kilkenny and Interim chief executive Sean McKeown about the work being undertaken currently by the Kilkenny LEO.
On the conclusion of his visit, Minister Richmond said:
“The impact of support provided by Local Enterprise Offices to businesses across the country cannot be underestimated. Mentorship, funding and training can be transformative to businesses across every sector.
“The success of the LEO office here in Kilkenny can be seen clearly through the success of their clients. Thanks to the LEO network, businesses across Ireland can rest assured that support is available to help them grow and create jobs now and into the future.”
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