County Tipperary Chamber Business Awards 2019

The County Tipperary Business Awards Black Tie Gala Dinner took place on Friday 18th October at the 4☆ Clonmel Park Hotel, with a packed house of 270 guests which included Minister John Paul Phelan, Mayor of Clonmel Gareth Ahearn, Members of Tipperary County Council and the various agencies who support business in the County. It also saw Seán Gallagher, entrepreneur and former Dragon’s Den panelist, keep the night flowing and the crowd entertained in his role as MC.

One of the highlights of the night saw Adi Roche receive the President’s Award. The President’s Award, sponsored by ABP, is given to a native of Tipperary who has significantly contributed to commerce and/or has made a significant contribution to society. Adi Roche is the founder and Voluntary CEO of Chernobyl Children International (CCI) and was one of the leading international figures to respond to the humanitarian crisis which ensued after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. For over 40 years she has been passionately campaigning for, and is publicly active in, issues relating to the environment, peace and social justice. Under Adi’s leadership and with the fantastic work and dedication of thousands of volunteers around the country, CCI has delivered more than €105 million worth of medical and humanitarian aid as well as sustainable humanitarian programmes that have impacted on the lives of those in the affected regions of Belarus, Ukraine and Western Russia. Adi grew up in Clonmel, Co Tipperary born of Cork parents, with a big social conscience and a strong sense of active citizenship which was instilled in her by her parents from a very young age. The County Tipperary Chamber were delighted to acknowledge Adi last night for her exceptional contributions to society. County Tipperary Chamber President, Paula Carney-Hoffler, in her presentation to Adi, noted that “when Adi saw one of the greatest disaster’s in our recent history unfolding in front of her and its subsequent devastating effect on the people of Belarus and Ukraine in particular the Children, she stepped into the breach and took this huge humanitarian issue head on. This is why today, she is known as one of the leading international figures who responded to the crisis which ensued after the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster of 1986.”
Another highlight of the night saw global medical device manufacturer, Boston Scientific receive Overall Business of the Year award. Sponsored by LIT, the award rewards a company who has significantly contributed to enterprise, innovation and business life. With one of their Irish facilities based in Clonmel since 1999, Boston Scientific specialises in designing, developing and manufacturing pacemakers, defibrillators, spinal cord stimulators and deep brain stimulators and its dedication to advancing science for life helps patients around the globe live longer, healthier lives.

We were delighted to hold a collection for our Charity Partner, Tipperary Hospice, and three lucky donors received spot prizes that were kindly contributed by O’Dwyers Pharmacy Cashel and Blush Beauty Clonmel.

We then came to our category winners. We were delighted to award the following companies as winners in their respective categories:
✦ Best Employer: Talent Development, Training & Wellness - sponsored by County Tipperary Skillnet - WINNER - VISION ID
✦ Best CSR or Contribution to the Community - sponsored by Abbott - WINNER - SETANTA COLLEGE
✦ Best Family Business - sponsored by O’Gorman, Brannigan Purtill & Co. - WINNER - PRESSURE WELDING MANUFACTURING
✦ Best Food and Agricultural - sponsored by MSD - WINNER - BULMERS
✦ Best Large Business - sponsored by Camida - WINNER - BOSTON SCIENTIFIC
✦ Best in Retail - sponsored by Boston Scientific - WINNER - THE GOURMET BUTCHER
✦ Best Services Provider - sponsored by Permanent TSB - WINNER - ACORN REGULATORY
✦ Best SME - sponsored by AIB Bank - WINNER - SURECOM NETWORK SOLUTIONS
✦ Best Use of Social Media in Business - sponsored by Amneal - WINNER - BLANCO NINO
✦ Best Sports/Arts/Culture - sponsored by Bulmer’s - WINNER - FETHARD HORSE COUNTRY EXPERIENCE
✦ Best Tourism & Hospitality - sponsored by Showgrounds Shopping Centre, Clonmel - WINNER - THE ANNER HOTEL
✦ Best Community Organisation - sponsored by Tipperary County Council - WINNER -
IRISH WHEELCHAIR ASSOCIATION
✦ Best Start-Up - sponsored by Tipperary Local Enterprise Office - WINNER - BORRISOLEIGH BOTTLING LTD

The County Tipperary Chamber would like to express its sincerest gratitude to the following:
•    Our Main Sponsors ABP, LIT and Iconic News for their unwavering support in
this venture
•    Our category sponsors for helping us to promote different business sectors in the County
•    The 4☆ Clonmel Park Hotel for providing an incredible venue and for being exceptional hosts
•    To the companies who very kindly donated their products to the goody bags for the guests
•    The awards subcommittee and all the staff at the Tipperary Chamber for they’re
dedication and hard work
•    John D. Kelly Photography, Brendan Kerins of Premier Video Productions for filming the event, Tom Russell of Front-Line Audio Visual for co-ordinating the audio-visual aspect of the night and the Looses Cannons for keeping the entertainment going into the night