Entrepreneur of the Year: The eight nominations in the emerging entrepreneur category illustrate the ambition of the small business sector, writes Ed Power
The emerging entrepreneur shortlist of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards confirms the diversity and ambition of the Irish small business sector.
Mr Eugene McGinty established Connect Global Solutions in 1998 to provide a range of globalisation services tailored to solve the problems encountered by technology firms releasing products or content to international market.
Headquartered in Dublin and with a US office in Palo Alto, California, the company employs 100 and has reported 296 per cent aggregate turnover growth in the past three years. Revenues for 2003 are expected to exceed €9 million. Clients include Sun, IBM, AOL, Palm and Symantec.
Mr Ray Nolan and Mr Tom Kennedy set up Hostelworld.com in 1999 to facilitate online hostel bookings. Some 4,500 hostels in 145 countries use the service. The website attracts more than two million visitors per month and the firm expects to sell €100 million worth of accommodation in the next 12 months. Further sales are generated through affiliate agreements with travel sites. The company plans to provide budget hotel booking shortly.
Mr Bobby O'Reilly founded Farm Media Group in 1995, now the largest video post-production facility on the island. Specialising in high-end commercial and television work, the company employs 50 in Dublin. It also has a division in Los Angeles. Clients include RTÉ, TG4, BBC, Channel 4, Warner Bros and Universal.
Mr John O'Dea is general manager and co-founder of Caradyne, the Galway-based medical device manufacturer. Established in 1998, the company employs 23 and exports to more than 30 countries. Caradyne designs and manufactures respiratory support equipment for hospitals and ambulances. It has also established a foothold in the emerging market of pre-hospital non-invasive respiratory support.
Mr Martin McMahon is managing director of Vector Workplace, the facility management firm with offices in Dublin, Waterford and Galway. Established in 1999, the company employs 100. It provides facility engineering and maintenance, cleaning, security and catering services, as well as environmental and safety engineering services.
Mr John O'Sullivan is managing director of Aircoach, which provides a shuttle link between Dublin Airport and the city. Established in 1999, the company employs 130 drivers and transports 3,000 passengers a day. Turnover has grown to €7 million this year and it recently announced some new routes. Aircoach says it will expand to other airports over the next 12 months.
Ms Maria Mahon is chief executive of recruitment website Irishjobs.ie. The company has a 500-strong client base and advertises 18,500 jobs monthly. Double-digit growth has been achieved over recent years. Some 6,000 applications are processed each day. With offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast, the firm employs 37. It also sells candidate management software.
Mr Conor Foley is managing director of Sports Spread, the spread-betting company. Founded in 2000, Sports Spread offers bets on major sporting events and financial markets, by telephone and via its website. In 2001, it set up the world's first online spread-trading platform. The firm also recently unveiled Ireland's first online casino.
Employing 24 staff at its Dublin headquarters, Sports Spread achieved year-on-year turnover growth of 200 per cent for each of the past two years. Opening a UK office this year, revenues are expected to reach €80 million for 2003.
The awards are organised in association with The Irish Times and RTÉ, and supported by Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development.
Category winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in the Burlington hotel, Dublin on September 25th. The overall winner will be selected at the same event. He or she will go forward to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur of the Year event in Monte Carlo next year.
Last year's winner was Mr Padraig O'Ceidigh, managing director of Aer Arann.
Categories and judging panel
Some 24 Irish business people have been shortlisted for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award.
The event is organised in association with The Irish Times and RTÉ and supported by Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development.
Nominees are divided into three categories: emerging entrepreneur of the year, industry entrepreneur of the year and international services entrepreneur of the year.
Category winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in the Burlington hotel, Dublin, on September 25th.
The overall winner will be selected at the same event.
He or she will go forward to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year event which will be held in Monte Carlo next year.
This year's judging panel is entrepreneur and Esat founder Mr Denis O'Brien; last year's winner Mr Padraig O'Ceidigh, managing director, Aer Arann; Mr Pat Maher, director, Enterprise Ireland; Mr Maurice Pratt, managing director, Cantrell & Cochrane; Mr Brian McCarthy, managing director, FEXCO; Mr Kevin Thompstone, chief executive, Shannon Development; Ms Angela Kennedy, managing director, Megazyme International; and Mr Pat McDonagh, director, Riverdeep.
Next week: industry entrepreneur of the year
