County Meath Chamber Is Officially Open For Business!
More than 100 individuals, business representatives, politicians and local authority officials attended the County Meath Chamber Open Day and Launch in Chamber Building in Navan on Tuesday October 2nd. Amongst those in attendance were Minister For Business, Enterprise & Innovation Heather Humphreys, Deputies Regina Doherty, Damien English and Peadar Tóibín, Meath County Council's Cathaoirleach Cllr Tom Kelly, CEO Jackie Maguire and Director of Services Kevin Stewart and CEO of Chambers Ireland Ian Talbot.
Welcoming the hugely positive response, Paula McCaul, CEO County Meath Chamber, said: “I am delighted to see so may of you here in Meath Chamber House, from independent traders to heads of multinationals, it’s phenomenal! This is your Chamber, it is here to connect, support and represent your business and I urge you to engage with County Meath Chamber, to explore its many benefits and to avail of the facilities available here in our magnificent three storey building, which can host meetings and groups of 10 to 30 people across three generous spaces with WIFI throughout and catering facilities onsite.”
“It has been a very busy first six months since I took up the CEO role, meeting with businesses, renovating Chamber House, building a team and developing strong relationships and synergies with key stakeholders to ensure that I can effectively represent our fast growing network of businesses.”
“Meath Chamber is membership-based and it needs the support of local businesses in order to succeed in its aims. I am blessed to have Trish McDonnell and Sandra Jameson working with me on my team and together we have scheduled a busy calendar of upcoming networking opportunities, training events and seminars. We are proud to collaborate with Meath Enterprise and Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Meath together promoting Meath as the No. 1 Place to Do Business. We recently worked together to develop a comprehensive Meath Brexit Programme to ensure businesses are supported and prepared for BREXIT. This programme included a number of Brexit Breakfast Briefings, Brexit Advisory Clinics and we will continue to support businesses to ensure they are Brexit Ready. Meath LEO has also collaborated with us on a series of Women in Business seminars “This is a perfect partnership and I look forward to our next WIB Seminar in November. The network provides business support to female entrepreneurs in an appropriate learning environment.”
Minister Humphreys said: “I was delighted to be part of the official launch of the County Meath Chamber of Commerce, which perfectly encapsulates the ‘can do’ attitude of the county and its business community. I am a firm believer that rural areas need to play to their strengths and work together to succeed and this is exactly what Meath Chamber is about. I would like to commend the CEO, Paula McCaul, the board and the team on their excellent work to date and wish the Chamber and its members all the best for this exciting new chapter.”
Ian Talbot, CEO Chambers Ireland, said: “This launch marks an exciting time for the County and the Chamber will provide a greater range of services and a stronger voice for business county-wide, as well as on a national and international basis. It will help to develop the County as a headline region for growth and investment. We look forward to working with and supporting County Meath Chamber team in the future.”
Meath County Council CEO Jackie Maguire said: "Working in collaboration with local businesses is a key action in our Economic Strategy. I am delighted that there will now be a single and unified voice representing business across the county and I congratulate you on your achievement in bringing this to fruition. I look forward to engaging with the Chamber in coming years to collectively promote Meath a great place to live, work and to do business."
John V Farrelly, President County Meath Chamber, added: “Today’s celebrations are a result of many years of hard work and determination. Ever since our inaugural meeting in 2015 Meath County Council and the County Meath Chamber committee have worked together to develop County Meath Chamber. We realised that the future of the various chambers in Meath would be best served as one united chamber of commerce - the recognised voice of business in Meath. Thank you to Meath County Council for their continuous support and encouragement and I look forward to a bright future ahead for County Meath Chamber and its team.”
Find information about membership benefits and calendar of events at www.countymeathchamber.ie