Scúp Gelato hopes to scoop the top prize at the Great Taste Awards 2022

It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Scúp Gelato the past few years with the challenges brought on by the pandemic and the effects it had on its trade with the Hospitality Industry locally, nationally and internationally. However, one thing that never wavered was the quality of their product. Their most recent accolade was scooping the top score of 3 stars at the Great Taste Awards earlier this month. And if that wasn’t enough, their Natural Yoghurt has been selected from over 14,000 entries from 110 countries and shortlisted in the Great Taste Golden Fork Awards 2022.

The Great Taste Awards is the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink awards scheme — the Oscars of food. Scúp Gelato was blind-tested by their 500-strong panel of professional chefs, buyers, food writers and retailers, and awarded their prestigious seal of approval. The winner will be announced at a gala event in London on Monday, 5 September.

To date, Scúp Gelato has won several prestigious industry awards, including:
• 2 star in Great Taste Awards 2016
• Silver in Blas na hÉireann 2016
• Silver & Gold in Blas na hÉireann 2020
• Blas na hÉireann- Best in Wexford award 2019 & 2020
• Awarded designation under the Origin Green initiative of Bord Bia.

Scúp Gelato, headquartered in Wexford Enterprise Centre, is a family run business and has been producing and supplying Ireland’s most luxurious gelato to the country’s finest hotels and restaurants since 2014. In addition, they now has a flourishing retail business throughout Ireland. Read more about their story here . You can also visit their website www.scupgelato.com or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Wishing everyone at Scúp Gelato continued success and the very best of luck at the Great Taste Awards on September 5th. Wexford Abú!

Vice-Chairman Colin Browne named Microsoft’s Platinum Club ‘Outstanding Achiever 2022’

Congratulations to our Vice-Chairman Colin Browne who was named Microsoft’s Platinum Club ‘Outstanding Achiever 2022‘. Colin is Senior Director of Global Customer Lifecycle Operations at Microsoft, as well as one of our outstanding Voluntary Board Members. He recently took over as Vice-Chairman of Wexford Enterprise Association having previously served as Treasurer.

On bestowing this award, Microsoft commented, “Colin led the creation of Customer Lifecycle Operations, a new organization now firmly established as global operations center of excellence for vendor tele sales services with continued exponential growth. He created an aligned vision and purpose, defining the CLO NorthStar, leveraging MBO core charter capabilities and services to deliver value for customers and partners. Colin is an exceptional leader and steward of talent, exemplifying our leadership principles of creating clarity, generating energy and delivering success by constantly modelling, coaching and caring.“

‘…..an exceptional leader…’ This we know first-hand. We are very honoured to have this Wexford-man a integral part of our organisation and wish him continued success!

Deirdre Fox appointed as Administration Supervisor at Wexford Enterprise Association

Anyone coming into Wexford Enterprise Centre will be very familiar with the friendly face and helpful demeanor of Deirdre Fox. And so it is with great pleasure to announce the appointment of Deirdre to the position of Administration Supervisor at Wexford Enterprise Association and of our Social Enterprise divisions of Wexford Enterprise Centre, Datagroup and Recycling 2000. Deirdre has been a key member of our administrative team for over 10 years and previously served as Administration Project Lead. We wish Deirdre every success and thank her sincerely for her dedication and service over the years.

CEO Brendan Ennis named ‘Ambassador of the Year’ at 2022 Co Wexford Business Awards

CEO Brendan Ennis named ‘Ambassador of the Year’ at 2022 Co Wexford Business Awards

Chief Executive of Wexford Enterprise Association, Brendan Ennis, was recently named ‘Ambassador of the Year’ at the 2022 County Wexford Business Awards hosted by County Wexford Chamber of Commerce at a Gala ceremony held last Friday evening in Clayton Whites Hotel Wexford.

The ‘Ambassador of the Year’ Award, sponsored by Zurich, is a new award that celebrates individuals who have made valuable contributions to the development of the business, community, social and/or environmental landscape of County Wexford, at a region, national, or international level.

The award came as a complete surprise. Accepting the award on the night Brendan said, “I’d like to sincerely thank all County Wexford Chamber of Commerce Team for reminding us of the importance that person- to-person contact has in our lives. The County Wexford Business Awards is testament to that. It is great to meet so many old friends again and make some new ones as well. I’m honoured to accept the Business Ambassador award on behalf of all the Wexford Enterprise Association team, without whom none of what we do would be possible.

While this award recognises recent and past achievements, I will use the award over the next twelve months to continue to promote Co Wexford as a premium business and lifestyle location and highlight Co Wexford businesses both home and abroad. Wexford Enterprise Association’s goal under the Chairmanship of Eleanor White, her Board and myself, is to open new international channels and networks for both Wexford and Southeast based companies, by building on recent visits by Pat Wilson and his team from the Georgia Department of Economic Development as well as His Excellency, Akhilesh Mishra, Indian Ambassador to Ireland. In addition, we are ramping up our activities in relation to the development of the relationship between Co Wexford and the Southeast with Savannah and Southeast Georgia through our shared international Tradebridge Program.

Georgia Southern University (GSU) is currently opening their first International Education Hub in Wexford town and students, staff and a group of past students are currently in Wexford. Commenting on the presentation of this award, Dr Howard Keely, Director for Irish Research and Teaching at GSU congratulated Brendan and stated, “I am thrilled to see Brendan getting recognition for his dynamism, vision and work ethic that has been critical to the success of the Wexford – Savannah relationship.”

Brendan Ennis has been at the helm of Wexford Enterprise Association for more than 25 years and oversees the Social Enterprise, Social Advancement and Entrepreneurial Development divisions of the organisation which comprises Wexford Enterprise Centre (WEC), one of Ireland’s first and largest Enterprise Centres, Datagroup, a national supplier of document management services, Recycling 2000, manufacturers of animal bedding products made from recycled newspaper and TradeBridge, a Regional Development Programme connecting the regions of Southeast Ireland and South East Georgia, USA.

Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra and his wife Reeti Mishra pay a visit to Wexford Enterprise Association

Wexford Enterprise Association (WEA) had the pleasure of welcoming the Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra and his wife Reeti Mishra on their very first visit to Wexford. The Ambassador and his wife were met by WEA Past Chairman Philip Scallan and WEA Vice-Chairman Colin Browne to learn more about the independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to creating social enterprise to drive social and entrepreneurial change. The visit lasted over an hour and included the opportunity to share the story of WEA and to learn more about the Ambassador’s vision for India’s potential contributions and opportunities in Ireland.

The Ambassador and his wife were then taken on a tour of Wexford Enterprise Centre and Datagroup, both of which are part of the wider Wexford Enterprise Association and also includes Recycling 2000 and TradeBridge. On their tour, they were introduced to Willie Devereux of Scúp Gelato, a locally-owned, family business which already has a thriving export market for their award-winning product.

Hosting the visit, Past Chairman Philip Scallan commented, “It was an immense pleasure to meet with the Ambassador and his wife who understood well what our organisation is trying to achieve. Through our mutual conversation, we realised that we shared many of the same aims and values for our community. Our all too brief visit concluded with the agreed desire to continue our dialogue about ways we may be able to collaborate together in the future.”

Vice-Chairman of WEA, Colin Browne, is also Senior Director International Operations at Microsoft and through this role has a great understanding of how the two countries can and have benefited from each other’s resources and values. “I was privileged to have this fantastic opportunity to share with the Ambassador and Reeti the history, impact and strategy of WEA, promote Wexford and talk about exciting opportunities for ideation and collaboration between Wexford and India.

The opportunity to meet was facilitated by Calodagh McCumiskey of the Well-Being Company, Spiritual Earth, based in Wexford Enterprise Centre.

Wexford Enterprise Association visits Savannah as TradeBridge Regional Development Programme gets underway

After a two year delay arising from the pandemic, CEO of Wexford Enterprise Association (WEA) Brendan Ennis and TradeBridge Director and WEA Board member, Éamonn Murphy were in Savannah over the St Patrick’s week to finalise the structure of the TradeBridge Regional Development Programme with their partners, World Trade Center Savannah (WCTSav) and Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA). The WEA travelled to Savannah along with the Cathaoirleach, Mayor and representatives from Wexford County Council as part of ‘Team Wexford’ to further develop economic, educational, cultural and civic ties between the two regions.

During their visit, they met with the new Chair of the World Trade Center Savannah, Laura Moore and the new Chairman of the Savannah Economic Authority (SEDA), Paul Hinchey to finalise negotiations on matching staff and resources, on both sides of the Atlantic, to work as one unit to drive export opportunities for South East Irish companies looking to export into the US through South East Georgia and for South East Georgia companies looking to export into Europe through the South East of Ireland. The negotiations concluded successfully for both partners and as part of the international agreement, a new Head of Trade Development has been appointed in Savannah. The Georgia partners also committed to visiting Wexford in the near future.

In further news, after an extensive search, a Head of Trade Development has been named to oversee the TradeBridge office in Ireland. Neil Harte was recently appointed as Head of Trade Development for TradeBridge, based out of Wexford Enterprise Centre. Neil brings with him more than 20 years of experience in the Telecoms, ICT, Software, Medical Devices and Pharma Industries in senior management roles across Global markets, with particular expertise in commercial leadership, sales management, virtual roleplay software services and new business streams across EMEA and Americas.

TradeBridge is a not-for-profit trade development programme funded by Enterprise Ireland and the five local authorities in the South East of Ireland. For information on TradeBridge, visit www.tradebridge.ie

Wexford Enterprise Centre welcomes two new Resident Companies

While we can now begin to meet each other person-to-person, we’d like to welcome two new Resident Companies to Wexford Enterprise Centre, Anu Heritage and Spiritual Earth.

Anú Heritage, founded and managed by Caroline Kearns Gethings, aims to bring a high-quality, dedicated service and holistic approach to conserving and recording Ireland’s cultural heritage, delivered with originality, creativity, and ingenuity. Anú Heritage is a result of many years of practical experience working in both the private and public sectors. Alongside many of Ireland’s talented traditional contractors, Caroline has successfully completed many built heritage, tourism, and community development projects in both a paid and voluntary compacity. Recent heritage projects in Co. Wexford include Johnstown Castle, Castleboro House and Demesne, Loftus Hall and The Norman Way, to name but a few. Anú Heritage

With personal and professional well-being at the top of the agenda these days, Spiritual Earth was founded ten years ago in 2012 by CEO Calodagh McCumiskey, an accredited Master Practitioner in Wellbeing and life coaching and trainer. She started Spiritual Earth to help people realise their potential no matter what their circumstances. Her weekly column can be read in INM owned regional publications around Ireland, including the People Group of newspapers.

Describing what Spiritual Earth offers, Calodagh explained, ‘We provide Wellbeing solutions that help organisations create and maintain a ‘well culture’ that fosters innovation, cooperation and high-performance. We deliver programmes that empower people and teams to boost their wellbeing and effectively manage stress in the modern world. All of our programmes are bespoke and designed to address the actual wellbeing needs and goals of your organisation and people. We work with a broad range of clients from SMEs to larger companies, entrepreneurs, Government bodies, NGOs and schools. We have a very practical approach. Our dedication to customer service has recently been acknowledged by The All Ireland Business Federation. After three rounds of auditing, we were awarded ‘The All-Star Business Accreditation’.

We wish you both continued success in your new home!

You can find out more about our newest residents on www.anuheritage.ie and www.spiritualearth.com – though we hope to ‘bump in to you’ in person, along with all the staff from the other 30 Resident Companies located in Wexford Enterprise Centre.

Wexford Enterprise Centre welcomes the easing of Covid restrictions

Wexford Enterprise Centre cautiously welcomes the changes to the Government Covid restrictions which came into effect on Monday, 28 February 2022. We look forward to our Resident Companies and the Centre itself returning to a more stable, normal, and vibrant working environment. But we also acknowledge that the virus remains active within our community and therefore our response to the new Government Guidelines, while positive in nature, is cautious in practice and delivery.

Speaking directly to the 32 companies resident in Wexford Enterprise Centre, CEO Brendan Ennis said, “I would like to sincerely thank each of you, your staff and your visitors for the unwavering support and understanding you have afforded to my team and I, in our efforts to maintain Wexford Enterprise Centre as a safe, healthy, and secure environment from which to work. Your cooperation is always very much appreciated, but never taken for granted.

Wexford Enterprise Centre intends to eliminate, modify, or maintain elements of our current Covid-19 Health, Safety and Wellbeing policies and practices. Our main priority remains the protection of our Resident Companies, our combined Staff, and all those visiting the Centre.

Masks & Social Distancing
While the wearing of Masks and Social Distancing is no longer mandated within the common areas of the Centre as of today, we respectively suggest that when using these common areas, you are mindful of others also using the Centre, and if possible, please continue to social distance and wear a mask or face covering while using all communal areas of the building.

Cleaning & Sanitising
Working together we have achieved a hygienic and safe working environment and the Centre’s increased cleaning and sanitation programs will continue. We are maintaining ALL hand sanitising stations throughout the Centre and we strongly encourage their use. It is important to note, each tenant is responsible for keeping their own unit hygienically clean and ensuring their staff maintain a high level of personal hygiene at all times and follow all advice detailed on:
www.hse.ie
www.gov.ie
www.who.int

Entry and exiting the Centre
For the month of March, we are maintaining the current Entry and Exits point to and from the Centre as is. Entry to the Centre will be through the Front Reception Door and the only exit is by way of the McConnell door at the end of the building Infront of the McConnell stairs. All other external doors and shutter doors will remain closed to the public and kept closed at all times apart from when loading or accepting a delivery. These practices will be reviewed at the end of the March.

Temperature Control Checks
We are ceasing these checks, but please be advised that it may be re-introduced if it is deemed necessary. These checks have played a fundamental part in maintaining a safe and healthy environment within the Centre over the past two years. It is no exaggeration to say that our Temperature Control Checkpoint in Reception has been our first line of defence against Covid and has never let us down. We were one of the first buildings in Ireland to put such measures in place and its use has proved invaluable.

Meeting Rooms
All meeting rooms are now open to both tenants and non-tenants. Social Distancing and Perspex Screens within these rooms will be maintained for the time being: Williams Innovation Room max 6 persons; the McConnell Conference Room max 11 persons; Huddle Room 2 persons.

Café
We are pleased to confirm the Centrepoint Café is back in full operation and open to both tenants and non-tenants alike from 8.30 am to 2.30 each day (Monday to Friday).

Post
Outgoing post reception service will remain suspended for the month of March, but incoming post will continue to be managed. Only small Parcels will be accepted by Centre Staff, and you will need to make your own arrangements with An Post in relation to medium and large size parcels. Again this will be reviewed at the end of next month.

Wexford Enterprise Centre warmly welcome you all to Wexford Enterprise Centre and thank you for your continued support and cooperation! Here’s to a brighter and healthier future!

Wexford Enterprise Centre welcomes new Resident Company – Leahy Investment Advisors

Five new companies took up residency in Wexford Enterprise Centre in late 2020 and 2021 – Leahy Investment Advisors being one of them.

Though new to WEC, Denis and Paul Leahy set up Leahy Investment Advisers back in 2011. Together they have a combined experience of over 50 years in the Financial Services sector. They pride themselves on providing a first-rate service to all who inquire. No one is too small or too big to avail of their services and advice. And if these past couple of years have taught us anything, it is that it pays to work with local businesses, as you are guaranteed personal and attentive service.

Denis Leahy describes his business: “Leahy Investment Advisors provide advice and guidance from Life Assurance to Retirement Planning and everything in between whether you are a family, individual or a business. We cut through the jargon and provide financial advice that is simple and easy to understand. We can also review your existing Life Assurance/Protection/Pension/Investment plans to see if they will provide what you expect of them. We will prepare a report which will give advice that is appropriate to you and your expectations. We will make recommendations that suit your lifestyle and your budget. Feel free to give us a call (053-9140080).”

Wexford Enterprise Centre accommodates office and commercial spaces to suit the needs of its diverse business sectors located within the Centre. Currently there are 33 companies resident in Wexford Enterprise Centre. In addition, The Cube offers personalised work-spaces especially designed in mind for early start-ups and remote workers, with all the facilities and supports of a larger office environment to maximise productivity.

Wexford Enterprise Centre, one of the divisions of Wexford Enterprise Association, wishes Leahy Investment Advisors continued success! For more information about their personalised financial services, visit www.leahys.ie

Eleanor White becomes new Chairman of Wexford Enterprise Association

Wexford Enterprise Association (WEA) has elected Eleanor White as their new Chairman. Eleanor has been involved with Wexford Enterprise Association since it began in 1986. She was one of an ambitious group of Wexford people who sought to address ways to combat the extraordinarily high unemployment rate in the area. Since then, Eleanor has been at the fore of the expansive physical and social enterprise development of WEA.

Her dedicated work in the community development of Wexford began initially through her involvement with Junior Chamber, Wexford, an international leadership training organization which encourages young people to participate in efforts towards social and economic development. As the Wexford branch President, Eleanor was pivotal in securing the European Conference to Wexford. Ultimately, she went onto become the National President and served for a time as an international officer for the European Jaycees.

Eleanor is a current board member of the National Opera House, Wexford and is a former board member of Wexford Festival Opera, where she remains active today, working with the 300+ volunteer corp. She is also director of a local community childcare facility.

Professionally Eleanor trained as a speech therapist, having received her degree at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) in London. She returned to Wexford as the first full time speech and language therapist for the County.

Eleanor takes over from Eamonn Murphy, who held the position of Chairman since 2017, and is looking forward to carrying on his exemplary work with the Association’s CEO and team of dedicated and talented individuals.

In addition to the change of Chairman, Colin Browne becomes the organisation’s Vice-Chairman, having previously acted as WEA’s Treasurer. Colin is currently Microsoft’s Senior Director of Global Customer Lifecycle Operations responsible for leading the implementation of the company’s Tele Sales Operations and Commercial Cloud transformation. Further details about the Voluntary Board of Management of Wexford Enterprise Association are available on www.weaireland.ie/board-executive

Wexford Enterprise Association (WEA), an independent, not-for-profit organisation, was formed in 1986 by a voluntary committee of local community, diocesan and business leaders against the backdrop of the dire economic climate of the 80s. WEA currently employs 30 members of staff within its Social Enterprise division of Wexford Enterprise Centre (WEC), one of Ireland’s first and largest Enterprise Centres, Datagroup, a national supplier of document management services, and Recycling 2000, manufacturers of animal bedding products made from old newspaper which diverts hundreds of tons of wastepaper from entering landfill each year.

These social enterprises not only create direct employment opportunities, but they also help to provide the necessary revenue streams required to partially fund Wexford based social advancement initiatives such as Youth Mental Health and Disability Employment Opportunities. Funding is also generated within their social enterprises to support entrepreneurial development initiatives like the Student Enterprise Awards programme and the TradeBridge Initiative. TradeBridge is an international trade and export initiative linking Wexford Companies with customers in Savannah, Georgia. It is operated in association with Wexford County Council, Enterprise Ireland, Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA), the World Trade Center Savannah, and Georgia Southern University.

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