Business

Over the past 18 months AirSpeed Telecom has achieved 40pc revenue growth and taken on 12 new staff, according to CEO Liam O’Kelly, who was the winner of the RSM Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the European Business Awards last May. A broadcast engineer by profession, O’Kelly had originally set up a company called Viscom, which built TV stations and broadcast facilities globally. By 2002, new radio technologies were emerging and he could see that these had the real potential to offer an alternative telecommunications system to businesses all over Ireland, including in remote regions such as Donegal, Kerry and along the west coast of Ireland. “The existing operators…

Dublin-headquartered Salmon Software has won a contract to install its Salmon Treasurer treasury management system (TMS) at global charity Plan International. The system was selected after an international tender as Plan seeks to streamline its global treasury management and reporting across 50 countries. Plan International, which works to promote child rights and lift children out of poverty across Africa, Asia and the Americas, had been using spreadsheets to manage its cash, foreign exchange and branch funding. “We asked for expressions of interest from 19 companies,” said Annemarie Moore, group treasurer, Plan International Inc. “Following detailed questionnaires and demonstrations from five shortlisted companies we selected Salmon Software . Our selection team was made up of…

Open access network operator Enet is building ‘Ireland’s first fibre-enabled town’ in Claremorris, Co Mayo, involving a €500,000 investment in broadband infrastructure. Being launched at 3pm today, Enet Fibredirect brings fibre directly into every business in the town with services delivered over the network via AirSpeed Telecom . Supported by Claremorris Chamber of Commerce and Mayo County Council, is a genuine 100pc fibre service, with fibre optic cables being delivered directly into premises. Other so-called ‘fibre’ services connect to a local telecoms exchange or cabinet, but still rely on older copper networks to reach premises, resulting in a significant loss of performance, according to Enet. Construction of the new Enet Fibredirect network…

The National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) in Dublin is currently evaluating 70 Irish and international applications to participate in its Launchpad accelerator programme for digital start-up enterprises. The 15 most promising start-ups will be selected for the investment programme, which starts in mid-February and concludes with a year-end competition for a follow-on investment sourced from VCs and angels. NDRC will provide up to €20,000 per project in micro-seed investment to support the founders during the programme. After the current selection process, NDRC Launchpad participants will begin a three-month intensive mentoring and advisory programme, alongside other start-ups, innovators, engineers and investors.  At the end of this, the start-up promoters will pitch for follow-on…

The L’Oréal Group claims to have opened the most prominent hair color production plant in the world in terms of production capacity, in Mexico, with a $100m investment. The new factory will double the production capacity in Mexico and supply both Latin America and North America. Focusing entirely on hair color products, the 32,000 sq m facility is located in the Logistik II Industrial Park in Villa de Reyes, State of San Luis Potosí. L’Oréal’s other production plant is located in Mexico City. “The L’Oréal Group has decided to open its new production plant in Mexico since this is one of the most strategic countries for the group, a key crossroad between…

The Credit Union Service Organisation for Payments (CUSOP) has been granted a payment institution license by the Central Bank of Ireland that will allow credit unions to provide electronic payment services to members nationwide. The new service will allow credit union members to have payments from a bank, employer or social welfare office paid directly into their credit union account by electronic transfer. According to CUSOP, the service will be available to all credit unions in Ireland and will be rolled out to Northern Ireland credit unions in due course. Danske Bank has been appointed to provide the infrastructural support and services to enable the electronic payments using the Sepa…

Business awards attract media attention and raise your profile. Here’s how to increase your chances of winning: Inquire about awards and nominations through your local chamber of commerce and trade groups. Complete applications for awards carefully. Profile your business, describe major challenges you have faced and overcome, explain your solutions. Submit your award entries well in advance of the deadline. When you win—and even when you are just nominated—write press releases about the awards and send them to local media.

When creating business cards, be aware of these dos and don’ts: Do use a white background, not colored. List a home number only if you have a phone line dedicated to business. Present the card at the end of a conversation, when both parties have an interest in staying in touch. Don’t list an unbusinesslike E-mail address. Have a photo of yourself on the card, mention a degree, unless it is necessary for your specific field. Helpful: Keep cards in a place that you can reach easily so you never have to search for them in a purse or pocket.

A lack of recognition is the number one cause of employee dissatisfaction. Give creatively to employees, and they will give back productivity, loyalty and team spirit. Here are low-cost ways to reward employees: Name it. If Kelly was drinking coffee while working on a report until 2 am, post a sign on the coffeemaker dedicating it to her. Name the conference room after the employee who scored a big account. Change the names as the people who deserve recognition change. Bribe the spouse. Show appreciation to the support person behind the star employee. A simple note works. Flowers, wine or dinner is even better. Give discounts. Macy’s employees enjoy discounted…