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Prestige Business Solutions Ltd have been shortlisted for a 2nd year running for “Northern Ireland HR Consultancy of the Year” award by CIPD (Chartered Institute Personnel Development).
The professional and experienced HR team at Prestige were Highly Commended as the HR Consultancy of the Year in 2015 and of course the team hope they are as successful in this year’s awards on 19th May 2016 in Titanic, Belfast!
Lorraine Rooney continued "We are approaching our 10th year in business this year, so to be recognised by our governing body is just the icing on the cake! Everyone in our team is really looking forward to what promises to be a very prestigious occasion at Titanic Belfast, so fingers crossed for a great result!"
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Talon Security has achieved the prestigious quality management certificate, ISO9001,which it says will assure its customers of quality and professionalism to the highest standard.
Talon Security applied for the globally-recognised certificate in December last year and, following a number of assessments, was awarded the accreditation earlier this month.
ISO 9001 is the world’s most widely recognised standard for quality management systems and helps organisations consistently meet the needs of customers and other key stakeholders in both the delivery and continuous improvement of products and services.
Kieran Tumilty from Talon Security said the certificate is a significant development for the growing security firm in its provision of door supervision, static guarding and mobile patrols as well as key holding and alarm response in accordance with BS7984:2008 and Event Security in accordance with BS 8406:200.
He said: “The ISO 9001 is a widely-recognised standard that we applied for to assure our customer base that they will continually receive a quality service that adheres to all rules and regulations.
“This is a significant development because it means we are dedicated to customer satisfaction. It means we screen and vet all our employees and also means we offer the highest standards in our particular industry.
“When we take on a site or venue we carry out all the necessary checks such as risk assessment, a venue report, a site audit – it’s not just about putting people with high-res vests in place – it is much, much more than that.
“It’s a calculated and coordinated operation designed to provide the highest quality service for our clients.”
Talon Security was formed in 2011 and has seen its customer base continually grow in numbers
It has won contracts in the last two years for major outdoor events, sporting events and music festivals and can also offer CCTV monitoring and remote access control.
The company currently employs 15 full-time and part-time staff all of whom are fully licensed by the Security Industry Authority.
Mr Tumilty believes the ISO 9001 certificate will enable the company to further expand.
He added: “This is a stepping stone to expansion and even highest standards.
"We have extensive experience in providing first class security to individuals and businesses across Newry and the surrounding areas in Northern Ireland and we believe the ISO 9001 will further enhance our reputation as a first-class provider of security.”
For further information contact Talon Security at 7 Linenhall House, WIN Business Park, Newry, telephone (028) 3083 5872, or email info@talonsecurity.co.uk
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Local business JR Lighting has been crowned the Best Lighting Company in Northern Ireland at Acquisition International's 2016 Business Excellence Awards.
The prestigious Business Excellence Awards were launched to highlight and celebrate the outstanding performance and results achieved by industry leaders throughout the UK.
The staff and management of JR Lighting are delighted to announce that they have won Business Excellence Awards 2016 for "Best Lighting Company - Northern Ireland 2016".
JR Lighting recently won the "Best Small Business Award" in the Greater Newry & Mourne Business Awards and are now feel very humbled to receive this award, not just in Newry but throughout all of Northern Ireland to win is remarkable and a reflection of the dedication and hard work from the McKee family and their co-workers.
Managing Director Ronnie McKee said, ” We are delighted to have received this award and it is a great boost to our company. We are very lucky to have been one of the few companies that have seen growth, during and coming out of a deep recession.
It is my belief that this is thanks to our excellent customer service, hard work and our fantastic premises in this booming border city. I would like to say a very big thank you to all my co-workers and my parents whose entrepreneurial spirit was an inspiration to my sister and I”.
Managing Director Karen McKee also expressed her thanks to the hard working employees of the company and to all the loyal customers of JR Lighting who have contributed to the success and longevity of the business.
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Staff at Apple Tree Dental Care in Newry have been named NI Dental Practice of the Year at last weeks prestigious NI Healthcare Awards in the Europa Hotel. The practice provides general dentistry, implant services and sedation service for nervous patients.
The award win comes as the practice celebrates a decade in business. The practice was also a finalist in ‘Hygienist of the Year’ (Zara McKibbin) category.
The Healthcare Awards – now in their 17th year – recognise outstanding skills, achievements and innovations in the medical, pharmaceutical and dental industry.
Dr Conor McEnhill, Practice partner, said: “To win NI Practice of the Year is a fantastic way to begin a year of celebration as Apple Tree mark 10 years in business. I’d like to congratulate the whole team who consistently deliver the highest standards of client care which contributed to our success.”
In their comments the judges said the work of the two practice principals Conor and Katrina was extremely impressive in growing their practice over the last decade. “Their engagement with the community in Newry was clearly demonstrated through the range of activities and events the practice has undertaken in local schools and with other youth groups. At all times the patient-centred practice philosophy was extremely clear as was their commitment to patient education and prevention,” they concluded.
Apple Tree, in Newry’s Old Gasworks, employs a team of 8, and provides general dentistry and implant dentistry including sedation service for nervous patients. Previous awards for the company include Best Implant Smile 2012, Dr Conor McEnhill (UK Aesthetic Dentistry Awards) and Best Dental Care Professional for Hygienist Zara Mc Kibbin (Irish Dentistry Awards 2014).
The Apple Tree team were the only local dental practice to be listed in this year’s NI Healthcare Awards.
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One of Newry's most successful entrepreneurs, Brian Conlon, Chief Executive and founder of First Derivatives, was the keynote speaker at the 15th annual InterTradeIreland Venture Capital conference held in Belfast today.
The conference this year concentrated on the theme of ‘Growing Successful Businesses’, and brought together an audience of more than 300 delegates comprising entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, business angels, other investors and start-ups who may be seeking investment.
Attendees heard about the meteoric rise of Newry-based First Derivatives which was set up in 1996 with a starting capital of just £5,000 - 20 years later the company is now one of only two plcs in Northern Ireland. Under the watchful eye of Brian, the company floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2002 and is now the largest publicly quoted technology company on the island of Ireland.
Success like this doesn’t happen by accident and Brian shared his valuable experiences of growing the company which now employs more than 1,500, people with a keenly engaged audience. His early training as an accountant and knowledge of global financial markets gave him the confidence and experience to guide the company through its early years.
Enterprise Trade and Investment Minister, Jonathan Bell, who officially opened the conference, said: “The Venture Capital conference continues to be highly relevant for the development of the Northern Ireland economy. High growth businesses are a key driver of economic growth, not just because they generate significant employment, but also because their dynamism stimulates competition and innovation throughout the economy as a whole.
“Supporting ambitious entrepreneurs to develop innovative start-ups is critical to our future prosperity. InterTradeIreland is providing businesses with an opportunity to access investment and increase their propensity for growth. Working together we can foster, develop and enhance our reputation for entrepreneurial success.”
Margaret Hearty, Director of Programmes and Business Services at InterTradeIreland said; “Starting the process of securing Venture Capital funding can seem very daunting and overwhelming. The latest quarterly Business Monitor Report has revealed that almost half of companies (45%) felt that they were in a good position to apply for funding, but 77% had no knowledge of other options open to them including venture capital, crowd funding and private equity.
“With so many different opportunities now available the conference aims to highlight the range of funding options, hear from companies who have benefitted from some of them, discuss how best to access them and offer practical advice on how to ensure that a potential funding option or investor is the right match. The vibrant and buoyant venture Capital and Business Angel sector is a positive sign of a growing modern economy with research consistently showing that Venture Capital backed businesses achieve stronger turnover and profit than firms without.”
InterTradeIreland offers SMEs a number of equity supports including masterclasses in pitching, business planning workshops, regional equity advisory clinics and the very successful All-island Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition which was also launched for 2016 at the Venture Capital conference.
Another local contributor to the conference, and past Seedcorn regional winner, was Philip McAleese, CEO of successful Newtownards-based cycling technology company See.Sense, who shared his experience of two successful crowd-funding campaigns on Kickstarter. His second product, ICON, met its funding goal in under a day and went on to achieve nearly 1,000 backers and more than £80,000 in just 30 days. See.Sense has gone on to win multiple business and design awards and now employs 10 people.
Margaret finished, “The economic outlook is bright with innovation and availability of Venture Capital at very high levels. The conference is an excellent way for smaller, start-up companies to ‘get in front of’ the right people and has once again proved extremely popular within the investment community, having been booked out well in advance. With business confidence continuing to grow, innovation is blossoming, leading to the development of attractive entrepreneurial prospects for primed venture capitalists.”
The InterTradeIreland Venture Capital conference was kindly supported by Crescent Capital, Mills Selig and Kernel Capital.
For more information on the InterTradeIreland Venture Capital conference, including presentations from the event, please visit http://www.intertradeireland.com/vcc
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A special meeting has been organised for next Wednesday the 9th of March to discuss the Review of the Non Domestic Rating System.
The meeting has been organised by Newry MLA Conor Murphy and the Assemblyman is encouraging anybody concerned about the way the business rates system is run to attend and have their voice heard.
“Rates, as you know, is a huge issue for businesses in the area and I want to give Newry businesses the opportunity to register their views with the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) regarding the review of the rating system they are carrying out,” he said.
“While the consultation process has closed, this meeting will be attended by officials from the DFP and NIIRTA so attendees will still have a chance to influence upcoming changes to the system, such as the various reliefs that are in place, the length of time between valuations and how rates are calculated.
The MLA concluded “The issue of non-domestic rates goes straight to the heart of the commercial viability of the city centre so it’s crucial that businesses attend this meeting and put forward their case for a rates system that does not endanger local businesses and jobs."
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, 9th of March in the Renaissance Suite II, Bellinis at 7.30pm.
Guest speakers will include Brian McClure (Head of Rating Policy, DFP) and Glyn Roberts (NIIRTA Chief Executive) with other speakers to be confirmed.
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3D was the talking point when the i3 Business Support Centre at Southern Regional College held their Tech, Tourism & Reality Event recently in the Greenshoots Incubation Centre at the college’s Greenbank Campus in Newry.
The event included a presentation from the i3’s Innovation and Technology Specialists for Tourism (Kieran Swail), Digital/ICT (Matt Johnston) and Digital Collaboration (Peter Monaghan).
After the presentation the group participated in an interactive workshop. The group was given a demo on Oculus Rift (3D headset), Augmented Reality, 3D Models, 3D Printing and use of a 3D Scanner. At this workshop the group had the opportunity to individually speak to the Innovation & Technology Specialists for advice on how Digital Innovation could help develop their business needs.
The Innovation and Technology Specialists at SRC can provide a range of support to your business to encourage innovation and business growth through a variety of funded programmes. For further information, please contact SRC’s Business Support Centre (i3) on 028 3025 9664 or email i3@src.ac.uk
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Around Noon Sandwich headquarters at Greenbank are in the running for a top building awards. They join a shortlist of 46 projects over 8 categories including other local project Acton House near Poyntzpass.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) NI has announced the shortlisted buildings and structures in the running for their RICS NI Awards 2016.
The sandwich producer’s new headquarters has been shortlisted in the Commercial category of the awards, which take place in May.
After celebrating 25 years in business in 2014 and having gone through successive years of steady growth, the company had reached capacity in its previous facilities. The business purchased a former meat processing factory, which was renovated to provide an office building to the front with client parking, and a large production facility to the rear, meeting all day-to-day needs of this growing company.
The RICS NI Awards 2016 are made up of a total of eight categories showcasing a wide variety of building projects this year. The categories are:
· Building Conservation
· Commercial
· Community Benefit
· Design through Innovation
· Infrastructure
· Regeneration
· Residential
· Tourism & Leisure
The winners of each category will also be in contention to win the top prize, Project of the Year.
The shortlist for the RICS NI Awards 2016 includes schemes, projects and public spaces from across all six counties including the restoration of Mount Stewart in Newtownards, The North West Regional Science Park in Derry/Londonderry, the RNLI Life Boat Station in Lisbellaw and the Galgorm Resort & Spa in Ballymena. (A full list of shortlisted projects can be found in Notes to Editors.)
RICS NI Awards Judging Chairman, Alistair Dunn commented; “The variety of projects that make up this year’s shortlist demonstrates how important the built environment is to Northern Ireland. From hotels and structures that support the development of our tourist industry, to residential areas that provide housing for communities, and projects that drive economic development, this shortlist has it all.
“Each project is a worthy winner and I look forward to recognising them all, and indeed the Project of the Year, at the gala ceremony in May.”
The RICS NI Awards 2016 will take place on Friday 6 May at La Mon Hotel & Country Club, hosted by Property Developer and TV presenter, Gary McCausland.
Northern Ireland winners will also be considered for the overall RICS Awards that will be announced at a gala event in London in October.
Further information about the awards is available at www.rics.org/awards
The Full Awards Shortlist
Building Conservation
· The Restoration of Beresford Obelisk, Limavady
· The Restoration of Acton House, Poyntzpass
· The Restoration of Mount Stewart, Newtownards
· The Graduate School, Queen’s University
· Sion Stables, Sion Mills
· Portico – formerly Portaferry Presbyterian Church, Portaferry
· St Patrick’s Church, Donaghmore
· Carlisle Memorial Church, Belfast
Community Benefit
· SERC Performing Arts, Computing & Engineering Campus, Bangor
· SPACE Project, People’s Park, Portadown
· Girdwood Community Hub, Belfast
· Hamilton Road Baptist Church, Bangor
· RNLI Lifeboat Station, Lisbellaw
Commercial, sponsored by Sika
· 19-17 Meeting Street, Magherafelt
· 19-21 Broad Streer, Magherafelt
· Castle Veterinary Hospital, Downpatrick
· City Quays 1, Belfast
· RNLI Lifeboat Station, Lisbellaw
· Around Noon, Newry
· North West Regional Science Park, Derry/Londonderry
Residential
· Lime Court, Peter’s Hill, Belfast
· Circular Road, Creggan, Derry/Londonderry
· Grillagh Water House, Maghera
· 19-27 Meeting Street, Magherafelt
· Ballymagarry Project, Portrush
· Ballymacrea Project, Portrush
· Old Church Square, Grahamsbridge Road, Belfast
· Killynure Green, Belfast
Regeneration
· Lime Court, Peter’s Hill, Belfast
· Circular Road, Creggan, Derry/Londonderry
· 19-27 Meeting Street, Magherafelt
· Refurbishment of Seaview Hall, Glenarm
· Space Project Peoples Park, Portadown
· Castle Veterinary Hospital, Downpatrick
· Girdwood Community Hub, Belfast
· City Quays 1, Belfast
Infrastructure
· Lagan Weir Footbridge, Belfast
Tourism & Leisure
· Schomberg House, Belfast
· Galgorm Resort & Spa, Ballymena
· Galgorm Great Hall Refurbishment, Ballymena
Design through Innovation, sponsored by Forbo Flooring
· Grillagh Water House, Maghera
· Lagan Weir Footbridge, Belfast
· Girdwood Community Hub, Belfast
· The Wellcome Wolfcome Institute for Experimental Medicine, Belfast
· City Quays 1, Belfast
· Ballymagarry Project, Portrush
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Newry based MJM Group are to buy Shackleton Barracks from the government after First Minister, Arlene Foster MLA and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA today announced their agreement to sell the former military base at Ballykelly to the Group.
MJM Group plans to create over 100 jobs initially on the 621.5 acre site and provide a range of facilities benefitting the local community.
Welcoming the sale, First Minister Arlene Foster said: “I’m pleased to confirm we have agreed to sell the Shackleton site to MJM Group.
“This site which was gifted to the Executive under the Agreement at Hillsborough Castle, presents a unique opportunity for MJM Group to maximise its potential.
“MJM plans for Shackleton include a private jet and rail carriage fit out facility, renewable energy and the company’s own IT service centre and facilities management services which will create over 100 new jobs.
“With NI Water’s plans to develop part of the Site for an Integrated Constructed Wetland and DARD’S plans for its new Headquarters, the entire Site will soon be brought back into use by the new owners. At a time when our manufacturing sector has had a number of disappointing announcements, this is a good day not just for Ballykelly but for the manufacturing sector of the wider North West.”
The deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness said: “Today is the start of the next chapter of the Shackleton story. The successful company MJM Group is a local company with global ambition.
“This investment will deliver huge social and economic benefits for local people. It may be the first private investment on the site but I am sure it will not be the last. MJM Group will now develop the site so some of the other initial sale proposals could well be part of their plans depending on commercial discussions and negotiations.
“A key aspect of MJM’s proposal was its commitment to providing significant community benefits, including a refurbished community building and outdoor recreation facilities. The site will now be accessible and become an important part of community life. The combination of private investment alongside DARD’s new headquarters bringing 600 jobs will be the economic injection the North West needs.”
Jarlath Quinn the Group Chief Executive said: "We are delighted to have been the successful bidder to purchase this 600 acre former military site in Ballykelly.
"We will endeavour to develop the site by establishing a number of new business ventures on the site such as a facility to refurbish and fit our private jets as well as having a specialist fabrication business on the Shackelton site and therefore creating significant employment in the local area.
"Other business ventures under serious consideration by us are the creation of one of the largest solar panel plants in Europe with the development of a 60MW Solar Farm at a cost of £60million.
"In addition MJM Group could also continue to facilitate the use of the site by film crews and would accommodate other business proposals from interested parties to help further develop the site to help achieve its full potential."
Brian McConville the Group Chairman added: "We believe our proposal clearly stated our initial plan was to create a 100 jobs on site however it is my vision that at Ballykelly there will be at least 1,000 jobs on this site once it is fully developed as the opportunities that it will present are enormous. Our proposal also demonstrates significant benefits that will be attractive to the local community as a result of the MJM proposal to develop the site over the next number of years and also highlights the environmental benefits which arise as a result of this proposal. This is indeed a very historic day for MJM and our management team.”
The deal has also been welcomed by Conor Murphy MLA “I’m delighted that this site has gone to MJM Group and it’s appropriate that the site will now be used for the benefit of the people of the north,” he said.
“MJM are a real local success story and their plans to create over 100 jobs on the site, with a view to 10 times as many being employed there once its redevelopment is complete, show that regardless of their global ambition and success they remain committed to Ireland.”
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