THE AWARD: The Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, now in its 14th year, aims to recognise and acclaim Ireland's entrepreneurs. The award is run in association with The Irish Times, RTÉ, Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Newstalk.
Eight companies have been chosen in each of the three categories: International, Industry and Emerging.
Four nominees will be profiled each Monday over the next four weeks.
A nominee must be a business founder or owner, and be primarily responsible for the recent performance of a company that is at least two years old.
Founders of public companies are eligible, provided the founder is still active in top management.
The nominee must own 5 per cent of the company to be eligible.
Anyone – including employees, company advisers and financiers – can nominate an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs may nominate themselves or their peers.
Judging criteria include growth in turnover and employee numbers, as well as vision, degree of innovation, creativity in production, marketing and selling, and expansion in local and international markets.
The chairman of the judging panel is Pádraig Ó Céidigh, chairman of Aer Arann. Other judges are: Terry Clune, chief executive, Taxback.com; Hugh ODonnell, chief executive, Kentz Group; Brian Long, partner, Atlantic Bridge Ventures; Michael Carey, executive chairman, Jacob Fruitfield Group; Anne Heraty, chief executive, CPL Resources plc; Pat McDonagh, director, Thirdforce, Ernst Young Master; Liam Shanahan, managing director, Shanahan Engineering; Jeremy Fitch, managing director, Invest Northern Ireland; Tom Hayes, head of entrepreneurship, Enterprise Ireland; and Jerry Kennelly, chief executive, Gustavo.
The winner will be announced at a televised awards ceremony on October 21st.
PETER BOYLE
Argento
ARGENTO FOUNDER Peter Boyle started out in business as a teenager when he set up a stall selling mirrors at the Ballyshannon Folk Festival in Donegal. Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, Boyle was soon selling jewellery at other festivals across Ireland, and began trading from a street stall on Belfast’s Royal Avenue throughout his student days at the University of Ulster.
In 1998, the city council shut down street trading operations in Belfast and Peter saw it as the right time to open his first shop close to the location of his street stall – Argento, the business, was born.
The concept was to sell quality, modern jewellery in a gallery-style setting, but with a lower price tag than others in the market appeared to be offering. Using his now well-honed entrepreneurial skills, Peter contacted the Mexican Trade Consulate and flew to the country with a map and £15,000 in cash to find new stock. From those humble beginnings he now travels the world in search of the best in jewellery design, bringing employment to people in 12 countries through local suppliers. Argento has 40 stores throughout Scotland, England and Ireland. Even during the tough economic times of recent years Argento has continued to expand, with seven shops launched in 2010 alone, including its first London outlet.
Argento currently employs over 350 people and revenue has already increased by 45 per cent this year. Peter believes that 2011 is set to be another successful year for Argento with store openings planned for 10 new locations.
Products and services
Argento is a market leader in the UK and Ireland, selling everything from large amber and silver pieces to collections by leading European jewellery designers, such as Pilgrim and Pandora.
The company also sells its own bespoke designs under the Karma brand. Jewellery is sourced from suppliers across the globe and much of the stock is handmade.
Argento’s product range is acknowledged within the marketplace as high quality, great value jewellery for the style-conscious, while superior quality of customer service and well trained staff have helped Argento gain a reputation that is second to none in its field.
Customers
While Argento customers are primarily women, the business does sell men’s jewellery in smaller quantities. Clients are primarily drawn from around the geographical regions close to where Argento stores are located. However, since October 2009 the company has had a successful online trading operation, which has allowed the business to grow beyond its traditional customer base.
Is there any interesting or unusual circumstances surrounding the inception of the company or its evolution?
To get the fledgling business off the ground, selling jewellery at music festivals, I bought a 1978 Austin Maxi car and travelled 18,000 miles around Ireland sleeping in it every night. It was a hard slog, but great fun. I think it was that time, seeing how much fun I could have working for myself, that really spurred me on.
How do you recharge your batteries?
To recharge my batteries I go to Rossnowlagh in Donegal where I surf and spend time with friends and family. We have a caravan there on the beach. I have been kayaking all my life and have been lucky enough to meet my best friends through the sport.
JUSTIN KEATINGE
Version 1
FROM HIS early days at secondary school in county Clare, Justin Keatinge had a passion to succeed in business and always knew he would ultimately become an entrepreneur.
After graduating from the University of Limerick in 1991, he started his working life in the IT department of ESB. It was here he met John Mullen and they went on to found Version 1 in 1996. Establishing themselves as specialists in Oracle solutions, they built a reputation in this niche market and grew and diversified to the success it is today.
The company has focused on helping organisations to deliver real business benefit through IT, demonstrating that rather than simply being a cost, IT can be an enabler that can help customers to become more competitive and drive business success.
Identified as a leading Irish company in the IT services market in the IDC’s 2010 IT Trends and Expenditures in Ireland survey and recently named “Company of the Year” at the 2011 ICT Excellence Awards, Version 1 now has its sights set on catching the big three in IT consultancy: HP, Accenture and IBM.
Managing director Justin is acknowledged as the driving force behind the company’s exponential growth: from a base of two people in a small Dublin office and €60,000 revenue in 1997, Version 1 today has 265 employees based at offices in Dublin, Cork and Belfast. Under his leadership and direction, the firm has undertaken a strategy of organic growth and key acquisitions to become an organisation that can take on and win business against the multinational players. Justin forecasts growth in excess of 30 per cent this year and recently announced the creation of 180 jobs across Ireland before 2013.
Products/Services:
Version 1 delivers end-to-end IT consulting and managed services helping organisations address a range of business and technology challenges. The company has built deep expertise in a number of key areas including managed services, Microsoft solutions, Oracle enterprise solutions, Java SOA Solutions, enterprise architecture, project and programme management and software asset management.
Customers:
Version 1 has 200 customers across the utilities, public, financial, pharmaceutical, retail, education and health sectors who depend on the company to deliver service and solution excellence.
The majority of its customers, such as Airtricity, ICG, Arnotts, and a number of State agencies including the Revenue Commissioners, are located in Ireland, but the company services a small number in the UK.
What were the biggest challenges you faced starting up and how did you overcome them?
As it was prior to the invention of social networks, such as LinkedIn, one of the biggest challenges was building up a business network. We really had to work to establish our reputation in the market by consistently delivering an excellent service.
What are the biggest challenges you face now?
Our biggest challenge is finding IT consultants with the right mix of experience and expertise. It’s no secret that there is a skills shortage in the Irish technology sector, but we do have an opportunity to retrain those in professions hardest hit by the recession so that they have the relevant skills required to compete for jobs in growing industries.
MAIREAD MACKLE
Homecare Independent Living
HOMECARE INDEPENDENT Living was established by Mairéad and Gerald Mackle in 1995 and, over the past 16 years, has become one of the leading private community healthcare providers in Ireland.
People who need care prefer to be at home and Homecare Independent Living offers a unique mix of integrated services, including health and social care, housing and support services.
Quality, innovation and investment in people are at the core of the business and the company, with offices in Dundalk, Armagh and Belfast, takes pride in the continuing development of specialist-care teams that provide a range of services to the elderly, disabled and vulnerable in the community within the comfort and familiarity of their own homes.
Homecare Independent Living is committed to ensuring that all employees demonstrate the highest standards of honesty, integrity and competence in their roles. Extensive training and mentoring is provided to all staff, ensuring that client needs can be satisfactorily met – an initiative that is reflected in the Investors in People and Excellence Through People awards.
Homecare Independent Living has grown rapidly since 1995. From its humble beginnings of 20,000 hours in its first year, the company is now on target to deliver more than one million hours of care, support and housing-related services across Ireland this year and employs more than 700 staff.
Customers
Homecare Independent Living clients are drawn from the general public, the Health Service Executive, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Supporting People and the healthcare trusts in Northern Ireland. The company empowers and enables people of all abilities to engage in a level of independent living that would not otherwise be possible.
Products/services
Homecare’s specialist teams provide a wide range of services including: domiciliary care; dementia services; housing and support services; continuing care, palliative care and intermediate care.
Mairéad Mackle and her team have also introduced peripatetic services, in partnership with healthcare and housing providers, in response to a clearly identified increase in the number of vulnerable people seeking to access housing and care and support services.
Innovation runs throughout the company and the many exciting developments within the healthcare sector allow it to excel with new and innovative partnership service solutions such as the rapid-response service and a home-from-hospital service established to counteract bed-blocking in hospitals.
The company also has plans to create a rural retirement village.
What role does corporate social responsibility play in your business strategy?
Homecare’s charity committee plays a huge role. We focus on community projects that are family friendly, and where all ages can be part of. We also support the Armagh City FC ladies and juvenile teams and have donated whiteboards and participate in health and safety programmes for local schools.
What are the biggest challenges you face now?
Government cutbacks and increased fuel costs are all big challenges we face to stay ahead in a changing climate.
JUSTIN QUINN
Centre for English Studies (CES)
ACKNOWLEDGED AS one of the leading language schools in Ireland and the UK, the Centre for English Studies (CES) offers a wide range of general and intensive English language courses, examination preparation courses, English for Specific Purposes and teacher training courses.
Founded in 1979 by Rosemary Quinn, CES now comprises its Irish schools in the centre of Dublin, two schools in the UK, situated in London and Worthing, and one in Taipei. Following the success of its Taiwan base, the firm plans to soon expand into the Chinese market.
The CES business strategy is currently focused on three areas. Namely, maximizing the diversity of services offered to the English as a Foreign Language customer; the development of new markets in regions such as South America, China, Turkey and the Middle East; and the development of new revenue streams.
In this regard, the company’s Dublin school has just become the Third International English Language Testing System centre in Ireland, potentially increasing turnover by 5 to 10 per cent.
CES works closely with Enterprise Ireland and Fáilte Ireland within the foreign markets in which it operates.
Justin is supported by his brothers Jonathan, as marketing director, and Michael, as UK director. In the 12 years that Justin has been at the helm of CES, he and the team have developed the company from a solid family business with a staff of just 15 into a progressive, market-leading, highly successful organisation.
CES has held its business steady throughout the downturn and employs more than 300 staff in the summer season, dropping to about 80 employees in winter.
CES was recently nominated by the prestigious Language Travelmagazine for the fifth year in a row in the "Best English Language school in Europe" category.
Products/Services:
The company offers a full range of general and intensive English language courses, examination courses, English for Specific Purposes, teacher training courses, and one to one management programmes for executive clients.
CES also operates six international junior summer schools in Ireland and the UK.
Customers:
Customers range from multinational corporation executives to young international students who spend the summer in Ireland learning English. The company welcomes more than 10,000 students each year to its centres.
What advice would you give an entrepreneur starting out today?
Always aim to be the best that you can and give 110 per cent in everything that you do. Work hard, keep your finances tight, have good cash flow, and offer the best quality service or product you possibly can.
Always remember that the customer is always king.
Has being Irish contributed to your success?
Working in an international context, being Irish has been beneficial to me since we are generally perceived as an open, friendly and straight-forward nationality.
Warmth, character and personality are all very important when dealing with customers abroad – typically Irish traits – so this helps.
