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Newry based company Around Noon secured a finalist commendation in the prestigious Young Agri-Food Innovator award at the inaugural Henderson Wholesale Fresh Innovation Awards held during this years Balmoral Show.
The awards celebrate Henderson’s fresh food suppliers, farmers and growers and reward their product innovation, accessibility of goods and sustainable practices.
Neal Kelly, Fresh Foods Director at Henderson Group commented; “With the 150th anniversary of the Balmoral Show, we also wanted to make our annual celebration of our fresh food suppliers one to remember.
“The Fresh Innovation Awards have been fantastic, and we have received such a positive response from the suppliers we work with. We strive to ensure we are sourcing locally first and foremost as we have some of the finest produce in the world on our own doorstep. There is simply no excuse to be looking elsewhere."
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Newry headquartered MJM Group is marking it's 35th year in business in 2018 with a series of events and activities to recognise the people who have contributed to the businesses success.
Owners Brian McConville and his family have launched ‘MJM at 35’, a year-long programme of events and activities which will recognise their people, partnerships and position in the market.
From a small company in Rathfriland, MJM Group has grown to become a global brand, bringing quality, innovation and expertise in marine fit-outs to the world’s largest cruise and ferry companies.
From now till the end of July the company are carrying out a complete refit of cruise ship Azamara Pursuit in Belfast. To mark the significance of this it should be noted that It's the first time any cruise company has awarded complete project management responsibilities to an individual organisation.
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Warrenpoint's Feargal McCormack has been elected President of Chartered Accountants Ireland at its 130th Annual General Meeting in Belfast.
Mr McCormack, who takes over as President from Shauna Greely, is Managing Director of PKF-FPM, a Chartered Accountancy and business consultancy practice with offices in Newry, Belfast, Dungannon, Dundalk, Mallusk and Balbriggan, Dublin.
Mr McCormack is the first Northern President of Chartered Accountants Ireland to come from outside of Belfast.
Addressing the Chartered Accountants Ireland AGM in Belfast Mr McCormack highlighted the current political and economic uncertainty on the island of Ireland and expressed his view that delivering political stability is the vital factor in securing a positive economic future on the island.
He said: “At present the uncertainty around Brexit and the lack of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive are very challenging. Put plainly, businesses are unlikely to make significant investment decisions in an uncertain environment. This uncertainty is putting jobs, economic growth and prosperity are at stake.
“We must recognise that the one factor which will make the biggest contribution to the international competitiveness in Northern Ireland and on the island of Ireland is political stability. Stability should naturally incorporate an agreement on any Brexit arrangements going forward, given the evolution of the island economy and the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
“We have recently acknowledged the 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday/ Belfast Agreement which attempted to draw a line under the past and to set a vision for the future based on partnership, equality and mutual respect.
“Despite the best efforts of the Northern Ireland political parties and the British and Irish Governments, the reality is that the journey of implementation has been just a complex as Chairman of the peace negotiations, George Mitchell, envisaged they would be.
"Huge progress has been made, not only in terms of lives saved, but the economic and quality of life on the island has been transformed. Therefore, we must support and encourage our politicians to grasp the current opportunity to deliver political stability for the island of Ireland. We owe it to our, and to future generations, to ensure that political stability and mutual understanding are the norm.
“Looking to the future, I am confident that Chartered Accountants Ireland will continue to be a progressive and outward-looking organisation, dynamically engaged with its many constituencies and driven by a vision, not just for itself, but for the community it serves.”
Addressing his own objectives for his presidential year, Mr McCormack intimated that his overarching theme would be caring and people focused - in reality this would mean caring for members, staff, trainee students and the community.
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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, in conjunction with local company First Derivatives, has developed a Welcome Brochure for foreign graduates working at the Newry headquarters of the tech giant to help them become familiar with the area. The booklet provides an overview of Newry, including its history, as well as information on living in the city, points of interest and attractions within the district.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Roisin Mulgrew said, “Newry is home to a strong concentration of international companies, which has a rich entrepreneurial culture that has fostered a plethora of unique small and medium sized enterprises.
“The Council is committed to providing the environment for business to thrive and ensure that residents in the district have the best quality of life possible. We are committed to working with our partners across the district to confirm Newry, Mourne and Down as a welcoming place for people from around the globe.”
Chief Operating Officer, First Derivatives, Adrian Toner commented, “First Derivatives was formed in Newry and will continue to be the headquarters for our growing international business. Newry is equidistant between Belfast and Dublin, and only an hour away from three major airports, which is ideal due to the global nature of the business. We have excellent relationships with a number of key stakeholders across the island of Ireland, and a very strong and welcoming community in Newry and the locality, which allows our employees to settle and thrive in the area.”
Newry is recognised as an ideal place to work and live due to its location and a strong welcoming community. The urban lifestyle the city can offer is attractive to international professionals, with the added bonus that the city is close to some of the most picturesque scenery on the island of Ireland.
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Newry based construction firm, CGDM Construction has announced that it is investing over half a million pounds in the construction of new office premises at Carnbane Business Park.
The investment will create 10 new jobs with the support of Invest Northern Ireland.
Invest NI has offered the company £74,000 of support towards the creation of the new jobs and marketing activities.
The company is due to begin construction on its new factory shortly as part of its plans to grow its business.
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Newry's Bravo Live Cuisine has been awarded the Best Buffet Restaurant at The 3rd Annual Northern Ireland Food Awards 2018.
Bravo saw off competition such as Cosmo (Belfast), China China (Belfast) and Moghul Restaurant (Belfast) amongst others at the Crowne Plaza, Belfast this week.
Ivan Lin, Bravo Live Cuisine had this to say about the prestigious award, “We would like to thank everyone that voted for us, to be honoured with the title of Best Buffet Restaurant at a National Awards Show is a huge compliment to us. We pride ourselves on our customer service and value for money so for Bravo to be recognised by members of the public in this way, it really makes it all worthwhile.”
Since opening in 2016, Bravo has become one of the most popular dining choices for customers in Newry and beyond with cuisines on offer from all corners of the world. From family get together’s to couples on a date, Bravo is sure to have something for everyone.
When asked about what makes Bravo stand out from the crowd, Ivan added “Our restaurant offers the best value for money when it comes to fine dining. With prices ranging from only £8.99 for all you can eat at lunch time and we also offer a 10% discount to students, Teleperformance staff and to those who are employed within The Quays Shopping Centre.”
Ivan also praised the great team of people behind Bravo Live Cuisine and thanked them for all of their hard work and effort.
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Newry and Belfast based legal firm JMK Solicitors have been awarded a Law Society of Northern Ireland quaility mark which recognises firms that achieve excellence in legal practice management and client care.
Assessors highlighted that JMK achieved “a very high standard” and the “company had gone above and beyond compliance with the standard”. They also praised JMK’s “pioneering” approach to having a paperless office with all files being managed electronically.
Maurece Hutchinson, Managing Director at JMK Solicitors, commented “We are delighted to have been awarded the Lexcel Quality Mark. This is great recognition for the professionalism and dedication of our 60 strong team. It also demonstrates our commitment to providing the best possible customer service.
“As a specialist law firm operating solely in the area of personal injury claims and in particular cases relating to road traffic incidents, we will continue to make significant investment in our IT system and staff development to ensure we maintain the Lexcel accreditation”
Martin Rice, Managing Director of Next Level Impact, a management consultancy firm who assisted JMK through the process said:
“I would like to congratulate JMK Solicitors on their award. We were very impressed with how the firm approached the assessment. They have robust systems and processes in place to ensure they offer a consistently high level of service.
Established in 2003, JMK Solicitors operates from offices in Belfast and Newry, servicing clients from across NI. For more information, visit www.jmksolicitors.com
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It was a successful evening for local businesses at the fourth annual Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards with highly commended awards to Resonate Testing, Chancellors Road, Newry; Killowen Contracts, Burren and Cunningham Butchers, Kilkeel. Known as the BEFTAs the awards shine a light on Northern Ireland’s small business sector and recognised its top performers across 14 different categories, celebrating industry and business success as well as innovation, customer support and community contribution.
Resonate Testing, a commercial test house for organisations in need of certification services across all industrial sectors, was Highly Commended in the Innovative Business of the Year category while Kilkeel based Cunningham Butchers, and building and Burren civil engineering company Killowen Contracts, were both Highly Commended in the competitive ‘Family Business of the Year’ category.
Speaking at the 2018 Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards, Head of Business Banking at First Trust Bank, Seamus McGuckin, said “Northern Ireland’s small business community, which together with medium businesses and self-employed people account for more than 75% of turnover across NI’s private sector, should be immensely proud. If it wasn’t for their contribution, Northern Ireland as a region and as an economy would not be fairing as well as it is in light of ongoing economic and political uncertainty. The innovation, dedication and creativity showcased by this year’s BEFTAs finalists and winners sets an example to our future business leaders and upcoming entrepreneurs and we are proud to shine a spotlight on their operations. While each business is different, all the winners share a number of common denominators - agility, resilience, innovation and a focus on open, honest customer service. I offer my congratulations to all the entrants and winners and look forward to seeing how their businesses develop over the coming years.”
Brenda Buckley, Commercial Director of Business Eye, added “Given the number of entries received for this year’s awards and the energy and atmosphere at the ceremony, it’s clear that the BEFTAs have truly cemented themselves as a must-do in Northern Ireland’s business community. We received very strong entries from a wide variety of companies based right across Northern Ireland. They are very much an integral part of the business calendar here, and we’ve every reason to believe that they will go from strength to strength.”
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Newry Business Improvement District (BID) have presented one of Newry’s biggest employers First Derivatives plc with welcome packs for their June 2018 graduate intake.
First Derivatives plc, the award-winning FinTech company, recruits across the global, talented graduates to begin their training in their Newry HQ. With an average of 50 new starts each month, from locations such as New York and Singapore, Newry BID worked with their members to create a Welcome Pack including offers and discounts to allow them discover their new base.
Rebecca Byrne, Newry BID said, “Newry BID are excited to engage with First Derivatives on this initiative, the company is one of the city’s biggest success stories, and we are delighted to be able to support them and their staff with the new packs and welcome them to Newry.”
Newry BID members from retail, hospitality and beauty sectors across the city are included in the Welcome Packs, including a map of Newry City Centre to ensure that the newest recruits don’t get lost in their new home.
Elizabeth Toner, Global Talent Acquisition Manager, First Derivatives commented, “We are delighted to work closely with Newry Business Improvement District in developing welcome packs for our new starters. Our graduate hires are flying in from all over the world to our HQ for the induction phase. Having young professionals from cities such as New York, Singapore, Sydney and Hong Kong living it Newry, it is important they have a positive and welcoming experience during their time here. Our new brochure is an excellent way to highlight some of the hot spots here to enjoy.”
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