Past overall winners of the SCCUL Enterprise Awards are encouraging businesses throughout Galway City and County to showcase their achievements by entering the awards and exhibiting at the SCCUL Business Expo. The deadline for receipt of entries to the SCCUL Enterprise Awards is 5.30pm on Monday November 3.
Evelyn Garvey of Bella Baby, who scooped the top prize in 2011 says she would encourage any business thinking of entering the awards to ‘go for it’.
“Winning the overall prize in the SCCUL Awards was such an amazing experience. I would tell anyone who’s thinking of applying to go for it as I certainly never thought I’d win against the people and businesses I was up against,” says Evelyn Garvey.
Echoing her sentiments, Channel Mechanics’ Sean O’Connell says that winning the award in 2012 was a significant achievement for the company as they were a very young company at the time.
“The award gave the team a great confidence boost and we used it on various marketing collateral and customer presentations to promote Channel mechanics. It proved very useful with customers and potential customers to show external recognition of the company.”
Describing the positive impact the win had on his business, Kenneth Keavey, Green Earth Organics, winner of the 2013 SCCUL Enterprise Awards and recent winner of the Agri-Business category in the Connacht final of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Award says,
“The resultant PR exposure was amazing and generated a real buzz but more importantly got our name instant recognition in front of thousands of potential new customers. Our business levels increased all around, with increased sales evident both in our online sales area and across all the other sectors.”
“It meant I could take our business to a new level, and plan with confidence for the future. The injection of cash meant I could focus on increasing sales expand our product range and focus on improving and expanding the business,” continues Kenneth.
Taking his business to an international stage, John McGuire winner of the inaugural SCCUL Enterprise Awards in 2010 says “The SCCUL Awards allowed us to bridge between Ireland & Silicon Valley at a really important time in the company’s history. We are now in the market with GAMEGOLF and the wearable technology is now being used in 55 countries worldwide. This couldn’t have happened without SCCUL as a piece of the jigsaw puzzle.”
McGuire who now lives in Silicon Valley was at the centre of worldwide media attention in August when US President Barrack Obama was photographed playing golf wearing his GAMEGOLF tracking device.
The closing date for the SCCUL Enterprise Awards is 5.30pm on Monday November 3. The SCCUL Awards Ceremony and Business Expo takes place in the Bailey Allen Hall, NUI Galway on Thursday 29th January.
Entries are accepted online on www.scculawards.ie or on official entry forms which are available from Ballybane Enterprise Centre ( 091 386 004 ).
