Twenty five County Galway businesses will receive a New Year bonanza tonight when they will be honoured at the SCCUL Enterprise Awards. The awards ceremony which will take place in the Bailey Allen Hall, NUI Galway tonight will celebrate enterprise in six different categories: Agriculture and Food, Arts Tourism & Sport, Business Services, Consumer Goods and Services, ICT and Social Enterprise.
Guests of honour for the awards ceremony include IDA Chairman Frank Ryan, publishing entrepreneur Norah Casey and NUI Galway President, Dr. James J Browne.
A bumper top prize of €10,000 cash jointly sponsored by St. Columba’s Credit Union and SCCUL Enterprises and a specially commissioned piece of sculpture from Liam Butler will be presented to the overall winner, who will be selected from the winners of the above categories.
Winners in each of the six categories will each receive €1000 in cash, and a specially commissioned piece of sculpture from sculptor Liam Butler. Runners up in each category will receive a cash prize of €500.
Supporting the SCCUL Enterprise Awards this year were a number of local business organisations who came on board as sponsors of the individual awards categories. The six category sponsors are Allied Irish Bank, Collins McNicholas HR & Recruitment Group, Enterprise Ireland, Mazars, SSL Logistics and Ulster Bank.
In addition seven businesses who have been selected as ‘One to Watch’ by the panel of judges will walk away with iPad minis, sponsored by Galway City Council and Galway County Council. In memory of the late Jim Murren, a former SCCUL Awards judge, a Special Recognition award will be presented to a business or organisation making an extraordinary effort. The judges will also award a ‘Special Merit’ prize, sponsored by ICE Cube, to a business or organisation deemed worthy of particular note
This is the second year of the SCCUL Student Enterprise Awards open to third level education in Galway City and County. Sponsored by Winters Property Management, the prize winners of the student enterprise award will receive a top prize of €1250, with 2nd and 3rd places receiving €500 and €250 respectively.
Over 145 businesses from Galway City and County will participate in the SCCUL Awards Business Expo which takes place as part of the SCCUL Awards Ceremony.
Members of the public are invited to attend this free exhibition which will be officially opened at 3.30pm by the Mayor of Galway City, Cllr Donal Lyons. Damien English, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation will deliver the key note address at the official opening.
The prize giving ceremony will commence at 6pm. Members of the public are invited to attend the SCCUL Enterprise Awards Ceremony & Business Expo. Attendance is free – to register please contact [email protected]
Michael Smyth, General Manager SCCUL Enterprises said that the SCCUL Enterprise Awards was now an annual fixture on the business calendar and rated as one of the top awards programmes in the country.
“With a prize package of over €50,000 the SCCUL Enterprise Awards have established themselves in five years as one of the top awards programme in the country. I look forward to meeting all our participants and to celebrating the achievements of our prize winners at the SCCUL Enterprise Awards Ceremony on Thursday,” concluded Michael Smyth .
The SCCUL Enterprise Awards are an initiative of community based company SCCUL Enterprises Ltd aided by Ballybane Enterprise Centre, St. Columba’s Credit Union, NUI Galway and the Galway Independent.
Members of the public are invited to attend this free event. Please contact [email protected] or call 091 386004 to register attendance at the event.
