Galway Independent Column - 22 December 2010

It was the culmination of a year in which Supermacs opened six new outlets with a job total of 250 full time and part time staff. This is no mean feat in the current climate and shows that true entrepreneurship will always win through. At the time Pat McDonagh was quoted as saying: ‘We’re very happy to be in a position of growth. The market is challenging and looks that it will be even more challenging next year. We kept our business tight during the good times and it is now paying dividends. We have kept costs and overheads tight and are working smarter and harder.’

In many ways this should be a blueprint for the year ahead for all of us. Supermacs hope to open a further four to five outlets in 2011. This success story is even more admirable considering that the company’s profits were adversely affected for years due to its US investments. It is in the nature of the entrepreneur to keep going, to get on with it and if things go wrong to dust himself off and start again.

Another fitting quote as we head into Christmas and the New Year and cognisant of the difficulties which will continue to face business in 2011 is the following extract from John F. Kennedy’ inaugural address:

‘"All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days.
Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days,
nor in the life of this administration,
nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet.
But let us begin."

And on another positive note the announcement by Minister O’Cuiv that Galway Airport is to receive funding totalling €1.7m for 2010 is a great boost for everybody associated with Galway Airport. In particular the Board and the management team at the Airport are to be congratulated for their enormous efforts in generating support for the Airport.

Led by Chairman, Michael Corless and supported by Joe Walsh, Managing Director and the Board Members, they met with local business, local politicians, national business agencies including IDA and Enterprise Ireland, TDs and Ministers and then took the fight to Europe. The cornerstone of their campaign is that the local business community continually say in response to surveys, in meetings, in letters and emails and publicly on the airwaves that Galway Airport is crucial to the continued economic development of Galway and the Region.

That Galway Airport continues to survive irrespective of the economic conditions is a testament to the brave decision makers in Galway Chamber of Commerce who nearly 40 years ago decided that Galway needed its own Airport. Galway Chamber continues to be the 90% owner of the Airport and continues to be central to the Airports ongoing development. There will be other difficult junctures ahead but for now well done Minister, well done Government for listening to reasoned argument and well done Michael Corless and Joe Walsh for your leadership, this success is well deserved.

The offices of Galway Chamber will be closed from 5.30 pm on Thursday December 23rd and will reopen at 9 am on Tuesday January 4th.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our members a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and New Year.