Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Emerging finalists:Four nominees in the industry category of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, in association with The Irish Times, RTÉ, Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Newstalk, are profiled today

BRIAN  McERLAIN

Genesis Crafty

BRIAN McERLAIN is the managing director and driving force behind the success of Genesis Crafty. This Magherafelt-based, family-owned bakery produces a range of artisan, hand-crafted bread and confectionery items, which it sells through a variety of leading retailers across Ireland and the UK.

The original business, McErlain’s Bakery, was founded in 1968 by Brian’s parents, Joe and Roberta, but it is he, along with his five brothers, who have transformed what was once a simple, home bakery with just one bread cart into the multi-million pound enterprise that it is today.

The story of the company’s growth began in 1996 with the arrival of the British multiples to Northern Ireland. Rather than viewing this influx as a threat to his mid-Ulster bakery, McErlain saw it as a major strategic opportunity for the business and set about producing a brand that could connect with consumers and be pitched successfully to the big volume retailers. And so, in 1998, the quirky and novel brand that is Genesis Crafty was born.

Founded on the simple principle “never sell what you wouldn’t eat yourself”, Genesis Crafty has expanded its customer base significantly over the past 14 years. By capitalising on the artisan nature of its products and continuing to develop new and innovative product lines, this family business has been transformed into a highly-profitable organisation with a distinct culture, clear goals and strong corporate governance where each of the six McErlain brothers have well-defined and highly-complementary roles.

Genesis prides itself on taking traditional products and creating new, clever, fun and interesting ideas that are perfect for modern life and, since its earliest days, has been recognised by a number of prolific and highly-respected food reviewers, such as Jason Atherton of Ramsay’s in his Times Saturday Magazine review.

Notwithstanding the current economic downturn, Genesis Crafty achieved a record turnover of £22 million in 2011 and currently employs 180 people at its Co Derry base.

Products:

Genesis Crafty produces a wide range of branded and own-label breads and baked confectionary items. These include a variety of award-winning scones, soda bread, hot plate products, sour dough rolls, baps, apple tarts and crumbles, and a variety of pastry items. The company also works in partnership with a number of retailers to develop bespoke products.

Customers:

Genesis clients include Marks Spencer, Tesco, Waitrose, Superquinn, Dunnes, Musgrave SuperValu Group, Sainsbury, Henderson’s, Food Force Ireland, Brake’s (suppliers of Genesis’s award-winning scones to Debenhams cafes) and Foodfellas (suppliers of Genesis’s pancakes to the Wetherspoon chain of pubs and bars), as well as numerous independent retailers across Ireland.

Has anyone acted as a mentor to you?

“Not particularly. However, I make no apology for dipping in and out of Jack Welsh and Tom Peters’ books.”

What advice would you give entrepreneurs starting out today?

“Ask yourself three basic questions:

Do we have a clear and compelling unique selling point?

Who will buy my product or service?

Can this idea be scaled?

It also helps to have passion, belief and some really smart people around you.”

DENIS LYNN

Finnebrogue

DENIS LYNN is the founder and managing director of Finnebrogue, an innovative, value-added manufacturer and exporter of artisan meat products based in Co Down.

Established in 1996, the company was originally focused on the farming and production of high quality venison.

In 1999, following three years of test marketing, Lynn and his team took the decision to develop a value-added deer slaughtering and processing facility at Finnebrogue Estate, Downpatrick, the only one of its kind in Ireland.

The venison production business has grown steadily in the intervening years and the company is now engaged in the processing of a variety of venison products, including grill steaks, sausages, casserole cubes and leg steaks.

Following on from its success in the venison market, the company diversified into the manufacture of pork sausages.

In 2009, it launched the Jimmy Doherty sausage brand and secured the rights to the Paul Rankin sausage portfolio, both of which it sells to the Waitrose and Tesco supermarket chains, achieving a combined turnover of £3 million.

This was also the year that Finnebrogue launched its own range of products which retail under the brand name The Good Little Company. Marketing itself as a "little company with big plans and an even bigger mission", the sense of social responsibility it conveys has clearly resonated with conscientious consumers across the UK – The Good Little Company is one of the fastest selling new lines in Waitrose, and Lynn aims to bring the brand to annualised sales of £4 million within two years.

Finnebrogue manufactured Marks Spencer Christmas product lines for the first time in 2010 and achieved impressive seasonal sales of £669,000, only for this figure to quadruple over the same period in 2011.

The company has since won the contract to supply Marks Spencer's top-tier sausage business, thereby increasing its annual revenue from the premium retailer from £3 million to £7 million, and has recently secured a deal to supply counter sausages to Sainsbury's UK that is worth £3 million to the Down-based firm.

Products:

Finnebrogue manufactures and supplies a range of artisan, value-added pork and venison products to multiples throughout the UK and Ireland.

Customers:

The company has been proactive about obtaining listings with key multiples and succeeded in having a number of its core products listed with Marks and Spencer, Tesco Ireland and Superquinn in its first four years. As growth has continued, the company has added a number of other premium retailers, such as Waitrose and Sainsbury's, to its impressive portfolio of clients.

What is your biggest business achievement?

"Achieving steady annual growth of around 40 per cent – we've grown every year for the last 12 years."

What are the biggest challenges you currently face?

"We have a clear understanding of what we are as a business and are opinionated about the things that matter: making great quality food, and treating animals, people and the planet with respect. The next big challenge is about combining customer insight with our own product development to help deliver products that people love."

MICHAEL BARRY

Barry & Fitzwilliam

MICHAEL BARRY is the founder and managing director of Barry & Fitzwilliam, Ireland's leading independent drinks importer. Headquartered in Cork, the company has exclusive distribution

rights to more than 100 well-known brands that include Corona, Tia Maria, Teachers, McGuigan, Hardys and Villa Maria.

Established in 1982, the company originally traded as Barry's Wines Spirits. Employing just four people, the business achieved an impressive initial turnover of IR£2 million.

Following eight years of continuous growth, Barry's Wines Spirits merged with Dublin-based Fitzwilliam McCullagh in 1990 to create Barry & Fitzwilliam, and in 2003 the company concluded a deal to take over the business of Maxxium Ireland. Three years later it was awarded distribution rights from Beam Global, and 2009 saw the Cork-based firm acquire the business of Allied Wines.

In 2011 Barry & Fitzwilliam concluded a deal with Wells Young Brewery in the UK and Coopers Brewery in Australia to secure the exclusive distribution rights for their range of popular craft beers that include Bombardier and Waggle Dance, and Cooper's Ales.

It recently launched Corona Light which it hopes will capture 10 per cent of the light beer market within 18 months. On June 1st it was announced that the company had acquired the exclusive distribution rights for all of the Cooley range of Irish whiskeys. Company turnover for 2012 is projected to reach €70 million.

Achieving excellence in customer service and a focus on innovation has been core to the company's success since its foundation 30 years ago. Sales teams are empowered to be entrepreneurial and encouraged to run their specific regions as micro-enterprises within the context of the overall company, and this, in turn, has led to excellent levels of satisfaction with the company's customer base.

Products:

The Barry & Fitzwilliam portfolio comprises some of the worlds leading brands of beers, wines and spirits. These include Corona, Tia Maria, Teachers, Remy Martin, Cointreau, The Famous Grouse, Courvoisier, Harvey's Sherry, Cockburn's Port, Piper Heidsieck, Pol Roger, McGuigan Wines, Hardys, Michel Lynch, MontGras, Guigal, Jim Beam, Jagermeister, Canadian Club and new additions from Cooley, including Connemara, Tyrconnell and Kilbeggan whiskeys.

Customers:

The company has more than 3,000 direct on- and off-trade accounts and distributes to a further 5,000 through the wholesale channel. Clients include Tesco, Dunnes Stores, SuperVau, Centra, Spar, Mace, Londis, O'Briens, Carry Out , The Maldron Hotels, Clarion Hotels, The Doyle Collection and Jury's Inns.

What role does CSR play in your business strategy?

"CSR plays a major role in our marketing strategy. We believe in giving something back to the community and have been proud to sponsor events such as the Corona Cork Film Festival, the Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival, and the southern region Marketing Ball, which helps to raise funds for local charities. We need 'liquid on lips' and these events need drinks for their receptions, so it's a perfect match."

What motivates you to succeed?

"I love the buzz of business and really enjoy my work. However, it's very easy to enjoy your work when a 'day at the office' could involve wine tasting with the Cazes family at Château Lynch Bages or discussing prices and making plans for their wine Michel Lynch."

RAY BREEN

Kel-Tech Engineering

RAY BREEN is managing director of Kel-Tech Engineering, a precision engineering business based near Waterford city.

Established in 1988, the business originally provided fitters to local companies on a sub-contract basis. However, Breen soon recognised the need to develop and implement a more cohesive business strategy and the firm quickly changed its focus by offering a wider variety of manufacturing services in an effort to broaden its customer base.

By expanding its product portfolio and offering clients a comprehensive suite of concept design, logistical and development services, Kel-Tech Engineering has evolved to establish itself as one of Ireland's leading providers of world-class precision manufacturing services and strategic solutions.

Working from a state of the art 80,000sq ft manufacturing plant in Waterford, the firm has invested heavily in state-of-the-art plant and machinery to ensure top-quality manufacturing capabilities.

The company's quality management system is certified by IS EN ISO 9001:2008 and as a Caterpillar supply partner, Kel-Tech Engineering is imbedded in the Supplier Quality Excellence Program (SQEP) and has been certified to MQ11005, Bronze Level, with the ultimate goal of achieving zero defects. Kel-Tech is only the second recipient of this award in Ireland.

Kel-Tech's revenue is derived exclusively through export sales, with the UK (60per cent), mainland Europe (25 per cent) and the US (15 per cent) representing key markets for the business.

In recent years Breen has successfully developed profitable relationships with a number of blue-chip, multinational companies. In 2011, Kel-Tech began exporting metal fabrications to South Carolina in the US and is currently in advance discussions to supply volume product and establish a service facility in São Paulo, Brazil.

Having started life as a company that employed just four staff in 1988, Kel-Tech Engineering has since grown to become a world-renowned manufacturing business that employs more than 140 people.

As his business continues to achieve global success, Breen plans to roll-out the next phase of Kel-Tech's recruitment drive this autumn in preparation for the forthcoming international expansion.

Services:

Kel-Tech supplies sub-contract metal solutions to the power generation and electric enclosure industry on a worldwide basis. Services include: design and concept development; product manufacture; value added services; logistics; and bar-turning.

Customers:

Kel-Tech's customers include Caterpillar, Cummins Power Generation, Perkins, FG Wilson, Denso Marston, AJ Power, Elite, Gnutti Canada, Gnutti Italy, Finnveden, General Motors Europe, Moffett, Combilift, Lucy Switchgear, Wacker Neuson, McHale's.

Are any interesting or unusual circumstances surrounding the inception of the company or its evolution?

"Like many other people during the 1980s, I found myself out of work with little possibility of employment. It was necessity that drove me to set up Kel-Tech Engineering."

How do you recharge your batteries?

"My son, Craig, is a professional rally driver – currently World Rally Academy champion – and I am heavily involved in his career, having been national rally champion twice myself. Rather than reading a book or taking a leisurely stroll, you're most likely to find me attending the World Rally Championships, the MSA British Rally Championships or the Irish National Rally Championships."