Media Release
2nd June 2023
WESTMEATH COMPANY WINS AT NATIONAL ENTERPRISE AWARDS
Watt Footprint Ltd, who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Westmeath, were winners at this year’s National Enterprise Awards. The awards, which took place at the Round Room in the Mansion House in Dublin, were in their 23rd year and run annually by the Local Enterprise Offices.
Watt Footprint an energy management company based in Mullingar, took home the One to Watch award. Watt Footprint, who were announced as the winners of the Westmeath County Enterprise Awards in March, offer a one stop shop approach to delivering energy savings. From initial energy audit and delivery of upgrades to the measurement and verification of the resultant savings, Watt Footprint have an in-house team of energy specialists including, energy engineers, energy auditors, metering specialists, software/technology experts and project managers. This team is supported by Watt Footprints suite of proprietary software and technology.
Paul O’Reilly, CEO of Watt Footprint has said: “It was fantastic to represent Westmeath and come home with this great award. There was some fantastic competition from all corners of the country and the award is a recognition of the terrific team we have at Watt Footprint.
Myself and Paul set up Watt Footprint in 2020 with a view to delivering energy savings at a price point that’s affordable to all business both large and small. Today we have over 450 active businesses nationwide where real savings are been delivered. As well as increasing the profitability of businesses these energy savings also protect them from the current and future energy crises.
A special thanks to Christine Charlton and all the team in Westmeath LEO who do a superb job promoting local businesses and certainly helped us to develop, expand and scale the business, such that we now have employed 15 people in just 2 years, and plans to have 30 employees by year end to develop markets in the UK and UAE.”
The overall winner at the National Enterprise Awards was Advanced Cosmetics who are based in Ballina and supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo. The “concept to shelf” manufacturing company was set up by cosmetic chemist Noreen Hackett in 2018, before launching to market in 2022. The business has achieved significant success, securing contracts with some of the biggest brand names in the cosmetics industry.
Announcing the award winners at the Mansion House, Minister Coveney said; “The National Enterprise Awards are the highlight of the small business and enterprise calendar. Year on year the diversity of businesses and the standard of companies that are coming through the process is getting stronger. We should not be surprised given the innovation and endurance that businesses have shown in the past couple years. We have some outstanding winners but the finalists on the whole have been excellent, and this is very much the start of their journey. We will ensure they continue to get the support they need to grow their businesses as small businesses in Ireland are at the core of every town, village and community and are vital to our economy.”
Several other companies won across a range of categories at the Awards, which were established by the local enterprise offices to celebrate the impact and quality of small businesses across the Country.
Innovation Award
The winner of the Innovation Award was the Wicklow Hops Company supported by Local Enterprise Office Wicklow, who use next generation technology in yeast fermentation and the growing of bacteria.
Best Export Award
The winner of the Best Export Award was Wild Irish Seaweed supported by Local Enterprise Office Clare, who are one of the only hand picked wild seaweed companies in Europe and export their premium product across the globe.
Best Start Up Award
The winner of the Best Start-Up Award was IMVIZAR supported by Local Enterprise Office Dun-Laoghaire-Rathdown, who create walkable storytelling experiences by using augmented reality for tourist attractions, universities, and entertainers.
Green / Sustainability Award
The winner of the Green/Sustainability Award was Cream of the Crop supported by Local Enterprise Office Fingal, who are a zero waste company that create treats from surplus produce to help fight food waste.
This year’s winners share a €50,000 investment fund and eight regional winners were also announced on the night.
Those winners are –
Also honoured on the night were West Cork Distillers who won the Outstanding Achievement Award. An example of a company who began with their Local Enterprise Office and then accessed support from Enterprise Ireland to grow their business globally. Established by school friends Ger McCarthy, John O’Connell and Denis McCarthy in 2003 the company now employs over 150 in their hometown of Skibbereen and exports their whiskey to over 70 countries.
Previous winners of the National Enterprise Awards include Irish Yoghurts (1998), Obelisk (2000), Simtech Aviation (2008), Digiweb (2004) and Design Pro (2013), Terra NutriTech (2018), Pestle & Mortar (2019) and Bevcraft (2021).
Last year’s winners were Aqualicence, supported by Local Enterprise Office Wicklow. Headed up by former Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) Finalist Kate Dempsey, Aqualicence has positioned itself at the forefront of planning and project delivery in the offshore renewable energy sector.
The National Enterprise Awards are one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day, and Local Enterprise Showcase. The local enterprise offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland.
Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow. Since their inception eight years ago, the local enterprise offices have helped create over 25,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie
For more information, please contact the LEO Westmeath on localenterprise@westmeathcoco.ie 044-933 8945
Photos L-R: John Magee, Chairperson of the LEO Network, Paul Mahon, CEO of Watt Footprint, Paul O’Reilly, CEO of Watt Footprint, Simon Coveney Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Christine Charlton, Head of Enterprise of Westmeath County Council
Content Last Updated/Reviewed: 02/06/2023
