Galway Chamber Blog

Galway Independent Column - 9 March 2011

2011-03-10T15:45:00.001Z

Yesterday was International Women’s Day which is an appropriate time to mention the ongoing work of one of Galway Chamber’s projects, the EU Network of Ambassadors for Female Entrepreneurship operated by the Enterprise Europe Network.

Statistically within Europe the lack of exploitation of entrepreneurial potential is even more acute when analysed by gender. Compared with men, fewer women are self-employed in the EU, and fewer women start-up businesses. A couple of years ago the European Commission made a decision to promote female entrepreneurship and create a business environment that facilitates the creation and development of women-led companies. In 2009 the European Commission issued a call to establish an EU Network of Ambassadors for Female Entrepreneurship to be operated by the Enterprise Europe Network.

The aim of establishing this network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors is to boost the rate of female entrepreneurial activity across the EU. The network of Ambassadors should, it said, inspire women to become entrepreneurs and to set up their own business. The Ambassadors help to raise the confidence in setting up and creating successful businesses. They are also role models to inspire other women to become entrepreneurs by “telling their story”.

Responding to the call, members of the Irish Enterprise Europe Network submitted an application to establish the Irish Network of Ambassadors for Female Entrepreneurship. The application was led by Galway Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Dublin Chamber of Commerce and Cork Chamber of Commerce. A total of 10 Ambassadors were nominated in Ireland and recommended to the European Commission for inauguration. The 10 Irish Ambassadors join an EU wide network of over 120 successful European businesswomen who kicked off the campaign to encourage more women to become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses.

The EU Network of Ambassadors for Female Entrepreneurship was formally appointed on 5th October 2009 by Commissioner Vladimir Spidla at an inauguration event organised by the European Commission in collaboration with the Swedish Presidency of the EU in Stockholm, Sweden. The Ambassadors received their diplomas by HRH, the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden who supported the event.

The three Galway Ambassadors are: Liz Cassidy – Irish Time Design; Judy Greene – Judy Greene Pottery and Audrey Kinahan – University Late Night Pharmacy who each have excelled in their chosen area of business and who have already made their mark in the entrepreneurship sector and can use this experience to inspire female entrepreneurship and encourage women to turn their ideas into reality.

Galway Independent Column - 2 March 2011

2011-03-10T15:41:00.001Z

Dear Derek, Eamon, Brian, Noel and Sean, and Ciaran, Paul, Colm and Michael,

Congratulations to all of you on your election as TDs to represent Galway West and Galway East constituencies in the 31st Dail. The majority of you represent the Political Parties that are likely to form the coalition Government that will govern our country for the next five years and some of you may hold positions of authority, power and influence in the new administration. The national challenges you face are considerable, however, the opportunities for you to positively influence the economic development of Galway City, Galway County and the wider West Region are also significant.

On behalf of the Members of Galway Chamber of Commerce and on behalf of the broader Business Community in Galway I want to take this opportunity to remind you of the priority issues that you need to tackle when in Government in order to ensure that our economy grows and livelihoods are protected:

Jobs – every job is important, existing jobs must be saved and job creation must be at the core of all Government Policies. Enterprise supports currently available from Enterprise Ireland should be extended to SMEs in traditional non-exporting sectors.

Commercial Rates – Local Government Reform must result in lower Commercial Rates for Business. The costs of ensuring a reliable supply of clean water to every business and household should be spread across business and domestic users. The Cost of Government must be reduced. The Local Government Efficiency Review Group has identified potential savings of €511 million – the implementation of its recommendations must be a priority in order to reduce the burden of costs on small businesses.

Enterprise Support – Government must provide a working capital fund to enable viable businesses access credit until the Banking system is fully functional. Access to working capital is essential to business survival and job retention and Government must step in where necessary to ensure that it is available through this difficult economic period.

Confidence and Competitiveness – Government must secure the 12.5% Corporate Tax Rate as a central plank in attracting Inward Investment and the National Debt must be managed within the capabilities of the National Finances and at Interest Rates that the country can afford. It is essential that Ireland does not bow to pressures from our EU partners, many of whom have mechanisms which help businesses pay effective rates that are much less than 12.5%.

Government commitment to Regional Development – the incoming Government must (a) secure the future of Galway Airport, (b) Deliver the Galway City Outer Bypass, (c) Support the Galway Port Development Project and (d) Maximise the Tourism potential of the West Region by investing in Tourism infrastructure.

Galway has the potential to deliver further significant revenues to the national exchequer and in so doing can play a major role in restoring the national finances. As our political representatives, whether in Government or in Opposition it is incumbent on you to ensure that Galway is provided with the physical (Galway Airport, City Outer Bypass, Ceannt Station, the M18, and Galway Port) and technical (Broadband) and Tourism (Concert Hall, Art Gallery, School of Music, Conference Centre) infrastructure necessary to maximise job creation. The emerging Energy Sector affords the West Region the opportunity to take a leadership role in Wind and Wave Energy technologies and the Corrib Gas Project must be brought to fruition.

Over the last two years our country and our economy has had to deal with an unprecedented downward economic spiral – the collapse of the construction sector and with it the collapse of our banking system, the massive destruction of personal wealth, the return to high levels of unemployment followed by mass emigration of talent and experience, the erosion of control over our national finances and most recently the implementation of severe austerity measures.

From the dark economic days of the 1980’s we have proven that we can successfully overcome high inflation, high interest rates, high unemployment and mass emigration to create a prosperous country which was the envy of the world. The challenges facing the new Dail and the new Government are immense but not insurmountable provided the correct decisions are taken in relation to our national finances, provided the new Government acts courageously in tackling wasteful public expenditure, and provided enterprise across all sectors is supported and encouraged.

You all have a key role to play and we wish you every success – our futures depend on your success.

Michael Coyle
CEO
Galway Chamber of Commerce

Galway Independent Column - 23 February 2011

2011-03-10T15:38:00.001Z

As part of our preparations for the upcoming general election Galway Chamber has published an extensive Election Manifesto setting out the priority issues facing our Members and the broader business community.
The manifesto document has been sent to all candidates in the Galway West and Galway East Constituencies and to the Party Secretaries of all the political parties.
Over the closing days of canvassing we will be voicing the main points of the Manifesto directly to candidates and via the media and in this way we hope to influence the upcoming programme for Government.
Each member of Galway Chamber also received a copy of the Election Manifesto document and now we would greatly appreciate feedback. The endorsement of the document by Members will strengthen our key message that business/enterprise/jobs must be at the core of policy making by the incoming Government. By way of receiving this feedback we have issued a short survey to all members by email. It only takes a minute to complete.

Feedback from members is the backbone of our lobbying activity on your behalf. We received the following from a long time member of Galway Chamber when he received our Manifesto:

‘As Managing Director of an SME I hope that whatever government is voted into office will be pro business and will quickly take decisive steps to ensure that Ireland continues along the path to improved competitiveness which most SME’s embarked on in 2008.

I also hope that the new government will recognise the need for new and existing businesses to survive and thrive as the SME sector has a key role to play in providing much needed employment and taxation revenue if it is given the chance to do so.

Specifically I would like to see a new government take the following actions within its first twelve months in office:-

1. Instruct the Irish headquartered banks to make a certain amount of funds available to profitable SME’s whose future is threatened by serious cash flow difficulties. These instructions need to be backed up by meaningful sanctions such as a withholding of financial support to banks which refuse to assist viable businesses with short term cash flow challenges.

It is nothing short of a scandal that we are seeing profitable SME’s closing because of cash flow difficulties. Many of these companies could have been saved had the outgoing government made it a condition of rescuing the banking sector that these same rescued banks had been compelled to make funds available to viable businesses with cash flow difficulties.

2. Take positive steps to facilitate entrepreneurs to set up new ventures in sectors where there is a reasonable possibility of success. There are openings in the ICT, financial services and medical devices sectors and in the green technology sector which should be actively encouraged.

3. Amend the absurd bankruptcy legislation which unreasonably punishes company directors whose businesses might have failed due to market forces. As well as being unjust this deprives the economy of the expertise of directors who should be afforded the opportunity to get back into business rather than suffering the stigma of being branded a bankrupt for 12 years. As a society we need to accept that some businesses do fail and business people should not be scapegoated because their companies have had to cease trading. Instead I would argue that these directors should be afforded the opportunity to learn from their failure and make a fresh start. Changing the bankruptcy legislation would help to remove the unnecessary stigma associated with business failure and this would encourage more people to take the risk of starting a new business.

4. Amend the social welfare rules which punish people whose businesses have failed by depriving them of normal unemployment benefit entitlements– this is an unjust and foolish way to punish people who took risks and provided employment and taxes in the economy

5. In general terms the new government should commit itself to increasing awareness that Ireland needs to have a thriving private sector in place before it can provide the range full of services citizens have a right to expect in a properly managed economy. It is alarming to hear so many people talking about their entitlements without having any sense of awareness of how these ‘entitlements’ are actually paid for.

6. The process of wage and salary determination needs to be revisited. There can be no doubt that the so called ‘partnership process’ lost its way in the past ten years and resulted in grossly inflated expenditure which was financed by taxes ensuing from a short term property bubble. It is a scandal that the SME sector had no say in the partnership process – if it had an input I am confident that the high level of pay increases and the notorious benchmarking fiasco would not have been allowed to happen.

7. The new government needs to urgently tackle the issue of government induced inflation. Two obvious costs is the issue of energy costs where the ESB monopoly and cost structure has to be addressed and also the area of commercial rates where businesses are now paying considerably more money for a significantly reduced service than they were getting ten years ago.

8. The new government should propose a referendum to write an article into the constitution prohibiting any future Irish government from spending more than it takes in taxes. After the austerity that the citizens have had to put up with since 2008 this referendum is necessary so that the country can never be run into the ground again

This list is not intended to be exhaustive but I do think most businesses would be satisfied if the list of proposals were acted on in the next twelve months.’

This is what the Election is all about from a business point of view. This is why our members are our strength. Make your vote count for business on Friday.

Galway Independent Column - 16 February 2011

2011-03-10T15:36:00.000Z

Galway Chamber is delighted to welcome the news last Monday that Fidelity Investments is to create 100 new jobs in its Galway and Dublin offices. We’re particularly delighted that more than 75% of the jobs are earmarked for Fidelity’s offices here in Galway City in the Parkmore East Business Park.

Fidelity have said in their announcements today that one of the reasons they decided to create the extra jobs here is the quality of their Irish workforce and the level of research being carried out here at Irish universities.
Galway Chamber has always said that we need to create the optimum conditions to attract foreign direct investment to Galway and these are the conditions….our workforce, our third level colleges, our quality of life and our corporation tax rate of 12.5%. We would like to commend the work of the IDA here in Galway as well as the research programmes offered by our third level colleges. We all need to continue to support and to promote job creation whether its foreign direct investment or our own indigenous industries, at this time more than ever.

We have just sent our Galway Chamber Election Manifesto 2011 to all of the candidates in Galway West and East and it emphasises that jobs are what we desperately need in this country now. The upcoming election must be about jobs and what is proposed in terms of job creation. Again this week we ask all business people to question the candidates on their own or their parties policies and proposals for job creation.

In our Manifesto we have said on a national basis that Government must be more proactive in supporting and incentivising employers to take on new staff and retain existing staff in employment. We believe that it would be appropriate to aim for a target of 30,000 new jobs to be created and supported in 2011 and a net increase of 20,000 people at work – a target of unemployment below 10% by 2014.

We believe, as we have said in this column on many occasions that the SME sector is equally important as FDI, and job retention and creation in Retail/SME equally critical, therefore we need more innovative incentives for this sector on a par with those existing for Multi-National Companies. We believe Enterprise supports currently available through Enterprise Ireland should be extended to SME’s in the traditional indigenous non-exporting sectors.
Government must also support and incentivise employers to take on new staff through a reduction in the current rate of Employers PRSI and the expansion of the Employers Job (PRSI) Incentive Scheme to include all new employment created for a period of two years instead of the current twelve months

On a more local level we believe that there must be a Government commitment to utilise the educational skills base being created in Galway by NUI,Galway and GMIT, together with the skills and experience in the BioMedical, Healthcare and ICT Sectors to maximise job opportunities in the Region. This is evidenced each time we welcome new jobs either indigenous or through FDI to Galway, as recently as the Fidelity Investments announcement this week.

We have certain natural advantages as a result of our peripheral position and Government must commit resources to exploit the employment creation potential of the Marine Sector, Marine Research, Marine Biology, and Marine Tourism and to develop ‘Green’ energy technologies, Wind & Wave.

Back in 1974 in the Local Elections for Galway Borough Council, Galway Chamber fielded four candidates running on a business platform. This hasn’t happened since (although it might be a good idea to revisit it to make a strong business voice in City Hall), so it’s even more important that the ‘business’ questions be asked of all candidates to bring the concerns of our members to a local and national stage.

Galway Independent Column - 9 February 2011

2011-03-10T15:35:00.000Z

‘Curiouser and curiouser’ according to Alice in Wonderland, might well have been written by Lewis Carroll about an Oireachtas report recently released on the retail sector in Ireland. The report, which was three years in the making, makes no reference to the issue of excessively high retail rents, despite admitting that it was one of the major issues facing the retail trade.

It would seem to be quite extraordinary that this committee managed to sit for three years, produce a report and not mention rent…each day we see and hear the evidence of closures in the retail sector due to excessively high rents and indeed the upward only rent reviews in existing leases.

The retail sector has been particularly hard hit in the last couple of years and it doesn’t have the government support that other sectors have. There is an anomaly that while multi nationals and Irish exporters can be supported those supports do not exist for indigenous non exporting companies despite their employment credentials.

Therefore it’s sounds a bit like a line from Fr. Ted when the Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Innovation accepted that the issue of upward-only rent reviews was a serious problem but claimed the committee had “run out of time” to discuss it.

He said intransigence among landlords who were charging excessively high rents was “causing serious problems for retailers and causing some of them to close” but he claimed that the committee had not discussed the issue formally because “we did not anticipate that the report would have to come out so quickly”.

The whole area of Reform is becoming key in the run up to this election. But reform grinds slow…if the results of this one committee are anything to go by. However, reform slow or not, is key to our rebuilding this economy.

In the Galway Chamber Election manifesto 2011, to be published next week, the areas identified as key by our members are:
 Job Creation and Retention of existing Jobs: this must be at the core of every Government initiative
 Reform of the Public Sector: we must cut the enormous cost of running Government
 Enterprise support: jobs in SME’s, retail, hospitality etc are just as important as jobs in the multinational sectors
 Restoration of Confidence and Competitiveness: only confidence in our future will encourage people to spend again…we need this confidence
 Government Commitment to Regional Development: we need to change the ‘Dublin’ mindset of Government in order to maximise the potential of the regions.
These are all ‘national’ issues but they all have a local dimension. It is often said that all politics is local and we can see the ‘local issues’ coming to the fore every day. But how the candidates respond to local issues can be a good barometer of how they will handle the national issues should they be elected.

Again we urge our members to question the candidates on their knowledge and their response to the business issues. Their answers should determine our votes.

Galway Independent Column - 2 February 2011

2011-03-10T15:34:00.001Z

In this column last week we urged all members of the business community in Galway to question each candidate in the forthcoming election as to their views on matters pertaining to business in Galway ie Galway Airport; Commercial Rates; Supports for SMEs; Access to Credit; the Galway City Outer Bypass; Access to the Region; The Dockland Development; Traffic; Rent Reviews and Corporation Tax. It is in the spirit of Galway Chamber’s mission statement ‘to make Galway the leading location for business, investment and people’ that we initiate this process and to encourage members to make their voices heard and to make their vote count.

As part of our ongoing lobbying efforts on behalf of our members we have been consistent in what we have said over the years regarding the issues which affect our members. For example we have never wavered in our belief that Galway needs the Galway City Outer Bypass as part of the solution to our traffic problems. We have never said that the Bypass on its own is a solution, we have said that it is part of the solution. That’s why we are very pleased that election candidate Labour’s Councillor Derek Nolan has clarified (his words) the Labour Party’s position as regards the Galway region’s transport and traffic problems, particularly in relation to the outer bypass…’the outer bypass therefore has become central and will form part of Labour’s transport plan for Galway.’ This is great news albeit unfortunately somewhat tardy.

Likewise Galway Chamber has lobbied each year for a significant reduction in Commercial Rates because it is a stealth tax that impacts severely on business. As part of this campaign we have pointed to efficiencies that can be brought into Local Government as part of local government reform. These efficiencies will cut costs which can then positively impact on commercial rates. One of these efficiencies is the amalgamation of much of the back office functions of city and county councils. We have long said that two local authorities within a stone’s throw of each other could share some functions. Election candidate Senator Niall O’Brolcháin agrees. He has said that there are many services provided by Galway City Council that are also provided by the County Council based in an office only a few hundred metres away. He says that we cannot afford this luxury any more…and he is right.

The following is quoted from the Galway Chamber Commercial Rates lobby document sent to Mayor Niall O’Brolcháin and all city councillors in 2006
‘If Govt. believe that the country does not need 13 Health Boards to deliver services to 4.5m people is there not merit in considering generating efficiencies by rationalising the ‘back-office’ ( IT, HR, Finance) functions of the 30+ Local Authorities. At Galway level does it make sense to have two Finance Depts, two HR Depts and two IT Depts of Local Authorities less than 1kilometre apart in Galway City?

These are the sort of things that impact on business. It is our right to ask all candidates their views on what’s important to business.

Galway Independent Column - 26 January 2011

2011-03-10T15:33:00.000Z

Election Manifesto
Elections are hugely important to all aspects of life in Galway. TDs, when elected, whether in Government or Opposition are integral to the significant decisions made affecting the business life of the city and county. Galway Chamber believes that the view of business should be put to the candidates and their political parties prior to the election. This is more important now than ever before. The voice of business must be heard loud and clear in this election.

We are calling for each candidate’s commitment to the matters raised by the business community and their commitment will determine our vote. In the coming days we will issue our own Manifesto to our members and to all candidate for the upcoming election. The items in the Manifesto will reflect the issues of importance to Galway Chamber members whose views have been harvested through survey and through their representatives, the elected members of Galway Chamber Council.

We further urge all members of the business community in Galway to question each candidate with whom they come in contact as to their views on matters pertaining to business ie Galway Airport; Commercial Rates; Supports for SMEs; Access to Credit; the Galway City Outer Bypass; Access to the Region; The Dockland Development; Traffic; Rent Reviews and Corporation Tax. It is in the spirit of Galway Chamber’s mission statement ‘to make Galway the leading location for business, investment and people’ that we initiate this process and to encourage members to make their voices heard and to make their vote count.

Funding Opportunities for Businesses
As a member of the Enterprise Europe Network, Galway Chamber regularly keeps track of upcoming funding opportunities for all types of businesses. A number of funds/grants are currently open to small and medium sized businesses. While the prospect of approaching the EU for funding for your business or project may be daunting for some, Galway Chamber provides practical assistance to businesses to help you understand how the grants are administered and how to apply for funding.
LIFE+
The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. The objective of the programme is to provide funding via co-financing to the projects which are either a) best practice or demonstration projects that contribute to the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directive, b) innovative or pilot projects for the development of innovative policy ideas, technologies, methods and instruments or c) projects relating to communication and awareness raising campaigns on environmental issues. The Call for Proposals will be launched in mid-February 2011.
Social Entrepreneurs
Social Entrepreneurs Ireland is now accepting applications for the Social Impact Programme, including tailored practical assistance and funding of up to €130,000 to develop innovative approaches for addressing social problems or issues in Ireland.
Intelligent Energy Europe
There are many untapped opportunities to save energy and encourage the use of renewable energy sources in Europe, but market conditions do not always help. The Intelligent Energy-Europe programme is the EU’s tool for funding actions to improve these conditions and move towards a more energy efficient Europe. This programme may suit businesses who wish to link up with energy agencies or local authorities to undertake specific energy efficiency related research, awareness raising campaigns etc.
Acumen
This is a sales and marketing programme, which can help your business grow on the island of Ireland by targeting new cross-border markets. The programme which is run by InterTradeIreland offers your business various supports and funding options such as employing a sales person, part-time sales person, market research or employing a graduate.
For more information on any of these funding opportunities or to discuss other possibilities, please contact Carol Brady, Project Manager, Galway Chamber at carol@galwaychamber.com Tel. 091-563536.
Galway Chamber is a member of the Enterprise Europe Network www.een-ireland.ie

‘Your Business, Your Bank’
‘Your Business, Your Bank’, is a 17-page guide prepared by the Credit Supply Clearing Group that offers important advice for small businesses on dealing with their respective banks. Chambers Ireland helped to draft this guide as part of its efforts to help viable small businesses develop better relationships with banks and access credit to grow and create jobs. It is available on our website www.galwaychamber.com

Galway Independent Column - 19 January 2011

2011-03-10T15:32:00.001Z

We have written many times about Galway Airport and its importance to the economic well-being of this region. We consider it to be a vital piece of infrastructure for our region and that its future and the future of investment in this region are inextricably linked.

Galway Airport is a critical piece of transport infrastructure supporting both the indigenous and international business sectors by facilitating both outbound and inbound access to and from international markets. The industrial composition of the Galway economy is unique among Irish cities in terms of the concentration of high technology industries and its extremely heavy dependence on internationally traded sectors and markets and that because of the airport’s extensive access to international ‘hub’ airports the airport continues to be a key selling point in maintaining and attracting investment into the West region.

Carmel Brennan, President of the Galway Chamber said this week that: “Galway Airport is a business airport and its existence and survival is critical for the future of the region as it makes an important contribution to supporting and creating jobs in Galway”.

That’s why we were concerned at the announcement by Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey TD, last week the discontinuation of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) air services between Dublin and Galway post the current PSO contract would end in July of this year.

This was coupled with the Department of Transport’s report on the “Value for Money Review of Exchequer Expenditure on Regional Airports Expenditure Programme” which effectively said that Galway Airport would close should its recommendation to cease the annual operation subvention be implemented.

As a result of both of these issues Galway Chamber, on behalf of our members, called a meeting with the Oireachtas members from Galway West and East and the Mayors of Galway City and County. The meeting was attended by Mayors Michael Crowe and Jimmy McClearn, Minister Eamon O’Cuiv, Deputies Frank Fahey, Noel Grealish, PadraicMcCormack, Cllr. Paul Connaughton and Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames.

The meeting discussed the Report, the PSO and the Operation Funding for Galway Airport. Each of the attendees gave their opinion on the situation and the outcome was clear and unambiguous support for the continuation of the Operational Funding for Galway Airport. The politicians present agreed to work together, cross party to ensure the continuation of this vital piece of western infrastructure.

We further urge all candidates in the upcoming election to include the support for Galway Airport as part of their election manifesto on behalf of the business community in Galway and the region.
As a result of the meeting the matter is now being raised at Government level on a cross party basis and we look forward to an announcement that Galway Airports Operational Funding will continue in order to ensure the future of this essential piece of infrastructure.

It is also well to remember that Galway Airport in itself provides direct employment associated with the Airport for 175 full time equivalent personnel, contributing in excess of €2 million in PAYE and PRSI to the Exchequer. Galway Airport has received written support from employers representing 15,000 employees as well as messages of support from the development agencies, IDA, EI and Udaras and the third level sector NUIG and GMIt. At a time like this when political and economic certainties are few and far between it is heartening to see this sort of cross party and inter agency support for Galway’s airport and for business in Galway.

Galway Independent Column - 12 January 2011

2011-03-10T15:31:00.000Z

January is a time of resolution. It’s a time when we think about the year ahead, when we plan and regroup. It’s a time for focus. This resolution applies to both our personal life and our business life. It’s a time for getting fit in body, mind and business.

RTE’s Operation Transformation is back on our screens. We would like to wish local leader Ronan Scully, Goal’s western manager, every success on the programme and urge as many people as possible to follow Ronan on the RTE/OT website. The success of this programme, now in its third series has a lot to do with being able to choose a leader and be part of that leaders road to success.

It’s a good time of the year for joining…a gym, a club, a nightclass or a business organisation. Memberships of organisations are important in many ways. It’s always good to know that there is an organisation out there to support you in your particular area of need. Mostly its good to know that there are other like minded people out there who are looking for the same thing, who have similar needs, wants and ambitions. It’s good to know that a solitary voice can become one of many and therefore be stronger and more effective.

Membership organisations are even more important in difficult times. Being a member lessens the feeling of isolation that can result from stress and problems. Being able to talk to others in similar situations helps. As a membership organisation Galway Chambers networking events are popular for these very reasons. We begin this years series of Business After Hours networking events on Thursday January 27 when Iarnrod Eireann, www.irishrail.ie will be our hosts.

We also lobby on members behalf, we have a full time, professional executive team to help members, we host the Europe Enterprise Network to promote your business in Europe and we represent members on various boards ranging from business to education. Galway Chamber engages with the following organizations as part of its work in support of the continued economic development of the City and the West Region:Galway City Council, Galway County Council, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Failite Ireland, Udaras na Gaeltachta, the County and City Enterprise Board, FAS, Galway City VEC, The Revenue Commissioners, NUI, Galway, GMIT, the GCBA, The Western Development Commission, the West Regional Authority, Westbic, ITAG, The Irish Hotels Federation, IBEC, The American Chamber of Commerce, Gaillimh le Gaeilge, The Galway Harbour Board and the Gardai.

We believe that strength in membership increases our lobbying power on behalf of our members. For more information on becoming a member of Galway Chamber please contact us on 091 563536 or log onto www.galwaychamber.com

Galway Independent Column - 5 January 2011

2011-03-10T15:29:00.001Z

The news that 85 jobs are lost in the hospitality sector in one go here in Galway this New Year does not bode well for an industry that has tried everything in its power to stave off this type of situation.
Job losses at any time of year are catastrophic for those involved but particularly in these difficult early January days when festive bills have to be paid. It’s all the more extraordinary then to read of a hotelier in Cork who cites last year as being his best ever and is quoted as saying that he doesn’t believe that the hotel sector is as bad as the media is making it out to be.

I’m not sure that the hospitality industry here in Galway ie hotels, restaurants, pubs, nightclubs would agree with him. This industry in particular depends very heavily on consumer spending and as such has been seriously compromised over the last couple of years. This combined with weather and water crises in the last trading period (Christmas being the peak trading period for the majority of the sector) has minimised any ‘cushion’ for the bleak early months of 2011.

Galway Chamber has consistently called for supports for SMEs and has urged support particularly for our smaller indigenous businesses. These are the backbone of our economy and are what makes us different. It is time that Government realised that this sector is not the ‘poor relation’ of multi national and other sectors, rather it is a crucial bedrock of our economy. More than ever now they need support to grow and prosper and to ensure job retention. We hear all the time about the economic recovery being tied into exports and that’s great, but we cannot forget the SME sector. It should also be remembered that this sector is the foundation of our tourism industry and as the world economy improves tourism will provide us with a serious sector to be serviced.

In the complete absence of reductions (or minimal reductions) in government controlled costs for small businesses ie Commercial Rates being one, these businesses will have to continue to cut the costs that are within their control and make no mistake, this will mean job losses. What we need now is Government action, task forces, incentives, basically Government attention to this situation. Small business needs access to credit…now…not promises or talk. The traditional retail, hospitality SME sector needs priority and above all, action. This may well include specifics like a special Commercial Rates incentive for start ups, straight employment grants, tax incentives or combinations of those and others.

On a different but related matter, it has also been reported that Minister for Housing Michael Finneran said in a recent interview that he ‘questions the need for 88 different housing authorities to support the delivery of housing services’. It appears that senior figures in his department are currently looking at this and will report in the coming weeks. This is as a result of the report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group which said that certain departments in city and county councils should be merged to make cost savings. Galway Chamber has been urging local City and County Council to investigate the recommendations of this group to make cost savings across back office functions (not necessarily or just housing) which could then be used to alleviate the burden of Commercial Rates on business. One small step for Minister Finneran could be a major leap for local authorities as we know them.

Ath bhliain faoi shean is faoi mhaise do gach ball de Chumann Tráchtála na Gaillimhe

Galway Independent Column - 22 December 2010

2011-03-10T15:28:00.000Z

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.

Galway Independent Column 2010 - 15 December 2010

2011-03-10T15:19:00.001Z

After many months of speculation and foreboding the Budget was finally unveiled last Tuesday by the Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan. Although by the time it was delivered many of the key elements had been either leaked or telegraphed in advance. The Budget speech itself was short and fairly bland, to the point where one tended to think, ’what was all the fuss about’, however, as is often the case the ‘devil was in the detail’. In fact, the Minister referred a number of times to supplementary documents as sources of further details and, needless to say, the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014 was never very far away from his remarks.

When the Budget document, the subsequent Government motions on Budget provisions and the Recovery Plan are all taken together the picture that emerges is not an uplifting one - the macro message ‘€6billion spending power taken out of the economy through spending cuts and increased taxation’. At the micro level this means households having €100, €200, €300 less to spend every month which means less money being spent in shops, on holidays, on entertainment, on the occasional treat, not changing the car, delaying the renovation i.e. a collective tightening of belts across society, which in turns means businesses having less turnover and having to cut costs, and inevitably having to reduce employee numbers which means job losses.

There were a couple of rays of light, however – the surprise announcement that Stamp Duty is being greatly reduced, the rejuvenation of the BES funding scheme for high potential businesses and the extension of the car scrappage scheme. It remains to be seen whether these initiatives will generate much needed confidence but for anyone about to purchase property there is an immediate much welcome benefit. The allocation of additional places on State Training schemes is to be welcomed as it will allow those seeking new employment or employment for the first time to gain valuable experience and new skills to compete for work.

Overall, though, Galway Chamber’s concern is for businesses and for jobs, and last week’s Budget is not good for jobs. Neither was last week’s decision by Galway City Council to vote against a proposal to reduce the €33million rates burden on Galway’s business community by 2.2%, instead opting for a token 1% reduction. The reported reaction of two prominent City Councillors to criticism of this token decision by Galway Chamber and its lobbying partners the Irish Hotels Federation, The Irish Vintners federation and IBEC is not unexpected. What is unexpected is that these Councillors represent political parties that traditionally are pro-enterprise and yet on this occasion when faced with the opportunity to support the owners of businesses who take risks, create jobs, sponsor sports and culture events and help make Galway the tourist attraction that it is, these Councillors and their Party colleagues vote against a meaningful reduction in Rates that could have saved jobs in our community.
Galway Chamber and its lobbying partners make no apology for asking Councillors to help save jobs in Galway.
Note: At the Public Meeting on Rates convened by Galway Chamber and our lobbying Partners and held on Monday December 3rd we were challenged by a number of Councillors to find savings in the Galway City Council’s Draft Budget. A number of costs in the draft document were discussed with Councillors and a number of potential savings were identified. The Councillors were also provided with the output of the Government’s Local Authority Efficiency Review Group which contains five pages of recommendations where savings totalling €544m could be achieved across all Local Authorities, if implemented.
Good News
Galway Chamber welcomes the very good news, released yesterday, that 105 new jobs are to be created in HP at its plant in Ballybrit. It was great to hear the urgency in the voice of Martin Murphy, HP Ireland Managing Director, on the news last evening when he indicated that the jobs were available ‘now’ and anybody interested in applying should send in their CV immediately online – access by googling ‘Jobs at HP’. There is no doubt that this positive job announcement, and the two other announcements in recent weeks which brings to over 300 the total of new jobs in Galway over the last six weeks, was influenced by our 12.5% Corporate Tax Rate – thankfully, it remained unchanged in last week’s Budget and when/if it is challenged by some of our EU partners, Galway Chamber will lobby/lecture and do whatever is necessary to retain this most important weapon in securing future jobs in this country.

Galway Independent Column - 8 December 2010

2011-03-10T15:17:00.001Z

Over 100 business people from Galway city and surrounding areas attended a Public Meeting on December 1 to
articulate their views on Commercial Rates. Organised by the combined lobbying group of Galway Chamber, IBEC, IHF and VFI, the meeting was chaired by Chamber President Carmel Brennan and Q and A directed by Chamber CEO Michael Coyle.
Each of the lobbying partners told the meeting of the position taken by their particular organisation and the common view was that Commercial Rates must be substantially reduced this year or jobs will be lost in the coming year.
The meeting was told by all speakers that jobs are currently at risk, that businesses have cut their costs to the bone and that an extra tax that isn’t related to ability to pay, is just not on.
When the meeting was opened to the floor each business contributor reiterated the need for cuts in Commercial Rates this year.
City Councillors who attended the meeting included Cllrs McNeilis, Connolly, Conneely, Nolan, Keane, Naughton while attendees from Galway County Council included Cllrs Cuddy, McClearn, Hoade and Broderick.
At the meeting the floor questioned what exactly we pay rates for, what do we get for our payments, what will happen in January when businesses will be forced to lay off staff. Galway Chamber and the lobbying partners had proposed a 10% reduction in rates, the floor questioned whether or not this was enough with some calling for 50%. Case studies were told from the floor with the common theme that enough was enough and businesses were now in such straits that they just couldn’t pay.
On the process of commercial rates a question was put to Councillors re their power in the matter. The general answer given was very little, ie ultimately if the councillors don’t manage to pass the budget and strike a rate the decision is then taken out of their hands and passed over to the Dept. of Environment.
The Councillors asked the meeting to put their suggestions for finding ways to reduce commercial rates without cutting frontline services. Michael Coyle finished the meeting by saying that the lobbying group had already sent to each City and County Councillor as well as the Acting City Manager and the County Manager five A4 pages of recommendations for cost cutting in Local Authorities suggested by the Local Government Efficiency Review, a body tasked with finding ways of cost cutting in Local Authorities. If implemented these recommendations would ensure savings that could then be passed on to the business communities in substantial rates reductions.
Other issues from the floor included the difficulty of dealing with the Council re payment plans or options regarding rates payments. Contrary to what the Council’s say it was the attendees views that it is not easy to negotiate with the Council regarding rates difficulties. The meeting believed that there was a distinct lack of flexibility.
Following the Public Meeting on commercial rates the lobbying partners invited each of the political groupings in Galway City Council to meet with them on the subject of rates prior to Monday’s Budget meeting. The partners met with Cllrs Keane, Crowe and Mayor Crowe from Fianna Fail; with Cllrs Conneely and Walshe from Fine Gael; Cllrs McNeilis, Cameron and Nolan from Labour and Cllr O’Flaherty from the Independents.
Again, on behalf of the members of Galway Chamber, the IHF, the VFI and IBEC we made a very strong case for a substantial reduction in commercial rates for the coming year. Again we pointed out to Councillors that we were not in favour of cutting frontline operations rather we felt that there are efficiencies and cost cutting that Local Authorities could put in place in order to make savings that could be passed onto ratepayers.
We pointed out that it is the entrepreneurs, the business people, the job creators who will lead our economy into profitability. These are the commercial ratepayers and they must be given breathing space to lead us out of this period of darkness.
What happened then….
However, on Monday night in City Hall Councillors voted to reduce Commerical Rates by a token 1%. We believe that jobs across Galway City have been put at risk following this decision. Ignoring the impending Government Budget which will be announced today and ignoring the need to reduce its cost base, Galway City Council decided to maintain a €33 million Rates burden on Galway’s business community.
Galway City Councillors decided to ignore the call for a 10% reduction in Rates. In doing so they also ignored yesterday’s Government Budget which at the time of writing was set to take €6billion out of the economy through Tax increases and spending cuts, they ignored the Government’s 4-year National Recovery Plan which calls for cost savings to be achieved by Local Authorities, they ignored the recommendations of the

Government’s Local Authority Efficiency Review Group which urges Local Authorities to integrate administrative functions with neighbouring Local Authorities and move to pooling resources and sharing services and they ignored the pleas from their own business community in Galway for support in order to keep business open and to maintain employment locally.
‘Despite significant levels of unpaid rates and many business closures and empty buildings Galway City Council voted to maintain a €33million Rates Burden on Galway Businesses, the vast majority of which are small businesses operating in vulnerable sectors such as Retail and Hospitality – jobs will be lost in these businesses’, according to Galway Chamber President, Carmel Brennan.
‘Galway City Council’s failure to recognize the difficulties faced by the Irish Economy and the need for change is a serious error of judgement’, added Terry Tyson, Chairman of the Vintners Federation of Ireland Galway.
‘Last night’s City Council meeting was an opportunity for the elected representatives and officials in City Hall to show leadership at this most difficult time for our economy – it was an opportunity not taken and the consequences for jobs in Galway could be very serious indeed’ said Michael Coyle, Galway Chamber CEO.
View the recommendations of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group on our website www.galwaychamber.com

Galway Independent Column - 1st December 2010

2011-03-10T15:08:00.001Z

A Galway City councillor was quoted in the local media recently as saying that a plea by city businesses for a 10% rates reduction ‘would carry a lot more weight’ if the Chamber of Commerce encouraged members to pay up the outstanding rates bill of between €18 million and €22 million.

Galway Chamber has never encouraged any member to default on commercial rates payment even when such measures were proposed as a reaction to rates increases in the past. The payment of Commercial Rates is a statutory obligation on business regardless of ability to pay or the fact that it is an extra tax on business.

It is a fact that there are businesses in Galway that cannot pay rates…they have been encouraged to engage with City Hall to put payment plans in place. Non-collection of Commercial Rates to the value of €18 million from ‘trading businesses’ must ask some questions of City Hall.

Traditionally Commercial Rates plug the gap in the local authority coffers, they balance the books between the national exchequer funding, other income streams and what’s left. Over the last two years Businesses (Rate Payers) have implemented Cost Saving measures that have included
 Pay Freezes
 Wage Reductions
 Staff Reductions
 Operational measures aimed at improving efficiency
 Product Price Reductions
 Customer Service improvements
 Line by line reductions in spending

All of the above have been put in place in order to remain in business and survive these difficult economic times. It would be reassuring if City Councillors could provide details of similar measures that have been introduced by the City Council and identify clearly to the people of Galway the scale of Budget reductions that have been achieved so that the burden of Commercial Rates can be eased and jobs can be made secure?

Along with our lobbying partner organisations IBEC West, the Irish Hotels Federation West, Vintners Federation of Ireland, Galway, Galway Chamber will hold a public meeting on Commercial Rates this evening Wednesday December 1 at 6 pm. All business people are invited to attend. All City and County Councillors have also been invited to attend.

We recently welcomed the publication of the report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group, and its recommendations, many of which if implemented, could deliver much needed savings to local authorities.

The Review group said that reforms outlined by it would result in savings of in the region of €511 million. Business has been the funder of ‘last resort’ for many local authorities. Therefore cost savings achieved must be passed back to businesses in the form of reduced rates and other charges.

The Local Government Efficiency Review Group’s recommendations include the areas of Administration (7 recommendations); Staffing (8 recommendations); Housing (7 recommendations); Roads (3 recommendations); Water (9 recommendations); Planning (4 recommendations); Waste (3 recommendations); Motor Tax (6 recommendations); Local Government and the Wider Public Service (4 recommendations); Audit/Value for Money (13 recommendations); Financial Reporting/Management (9 recommendations); Cost Recovery and Revenue Issues (8 recommendations); Procurement (10 recommendations); Information and Communication Technology (5 recommendations); Shared Services (4 recommendations); Local Government and the Wider Public Service (5 recommendations); Other Cross-Cutting Recommendations (4 recommendations). These recommendations are flagged variously as short, medium or long term and while it would be a major ask to try to implement such a vast range of recommendations it would be incumbent of the Minister to seriously attempt the implementation of the majority.

The Local Government Efficiency Review Group was established in 2009 to review the cost base, expenditure of and numbers employed in local authorities, the members of the group were: Pat McLoughlin, Chief Executive, Irish Payment Services Organisation and former Deputy Chief Executive of the HSE (Chairperson); Donal McNally, Second Secretary General, Department of Finance; John O’Hagan, Professor of Economics, Trinity College; John Quinlivan, former County Manager; Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; and Geraldine Tallon, Secretary General, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

All business people are welcome to the Public Meeting on Commercial Rates this evening in Hotel Meyrick, Eyre Square at 6 p.m.

Galway Independent Column - 24 November 2010

2011-03-10T15:06:00.001Z

They say that a week is a long time in politics…well it certainly has seemed like a long time since this day last week. A lot has happened on the Ireland Inc front and it’s still happening. At the time of writing we are not clear on all the detail of the so called ‘bailout’ and what exactly the multibillion euro rescue package from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund will involve. Questions remain but the one question that’s answered is ‘Is it happening?’ ‘Yes, it is’.
Bank of Ireland Group Chief Economist Dan McLaughlin writing on issues affecting the retail sector recently said that fears about the economy has resulted in consumer confidence falling and spending easing back. He said: ‘People tend to save more and spend less when unemployment is rising and there is a consensus at the moment that unemployment is peaking. The number of people being made redundant each month has fallen quite a lot. If the labour market has bottomed out we may see growth in the economy of 2 to 2.5% next year and the outlook will be a lot better for the retail sector than it has been. Of course, the current uncertainty adds to the down side risk.
‘Curiously’, he added ‘consumer confidence rose after last year’s budget probably because it gave them some certainty; they need that same certainty again’.
We could all do with some of this certainty. If consumers are afraid to spend because they don’t know what’s around the corner, then the ripple effect permeates business at every level. The upcoming Budget has seemed to be coming forever and is fixed in peoples minds as a harbinger of doom. If the general public is confused and fearful then certainty or a measure of certainty is needed. We now have an unprecedented situation where the Government proposing the budget has committed itself to dissolution in the early part of next year. This does not engender certainty in our nation: in our people or our funders. So, certainty allied to courage is what we desperately need. Isn’t it time that the much used phrase ‘the national interest’ meant something…
Yesterday morning in the final ‘8 Tuesdays @ 8’ morning event at Galway Chamber our three council members from AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank held an interactive session on the topic of ‘Banks…Open for Business’ where they outlined the position of the banks on credit for SMEs. Each bank is emphatically open to lend and stress that where criteria are met, SMEs will be funded.
This is good news and is reiterated in the Quarterly Report from John Trethowan, Credit Reviewer, published this week. In the December 2009 budget, the Minister for Finance announced the setting-up of the Credit Review Office to help ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises, sole traders and farm enterprises have access to credit from the banks who are participating in the NAMA scheme. The office was established to provide a process to review decisions by the participating banks to refuse, reduce or withdraw credit facilities.
In this second Quarterly Report from the credit reviewer, John Trethowan says:
‘Work is ongoing to identify any barriers to SME lending, and I have added a generic loan application form onto the Credit Review Office website to assist borrowers in making an initial written approach to any bank for lending, to overcome the ‘casual refusal’ sometimes experienced by verbal enquiries at bank branch and business centre counters.’
The office of the Credit Reviewer is there to help SMEs. It should be used. www.creditreview.ie

Galway Independent Column - 17 November 2010

2011-03-10T15:05:00.000Z

Nurturing the entrepreneurs among us is vital to our economic recovery. The truth of this statement is borne out by the Government’s Innovation Taskforce Report, by events such as the Farmleigh forum over a year ago, by the gathering of technology giants founders a couple of weeks ago in Dublin and also by an upcoming Enterprise Week.
Speaking at the launch of the Taskforce Report the Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan T.D., said: "Our success to date in turning investments in research and development, in entrepreneurs, in innovative companies into world beating competitive advantage for jobs and growth must be redoubled. Critical to this is the removal of barriers to success and seizing the opportunities that the Taskforce has identified."
Removing these ‘barriers to success’ is key and interestingly something that has been written about extensively in the media recently is our attitude in this country to failure. This was addressed by some of the participants in the ‘Founders’ conference in Dublin at the end of October.
Jack Dorsey, creator, founder and chairman of Twitter spoke about ‘failure’ in California being almost a badge of honour or a rite of passage…a springboard to success. He told a packed audience that there was no better time than a recession to create something.
Risk is part of being an entrepreneur and the courage to take that risk should be seen as a positive rather than a negative attribute. We need our entrepreneurs and we must create a culture in this country that has less of the ‘begrudger’ attitude and more of the ‘empowerment’ attitude.
Bank of Ireland will hold another National Enterprise Week starting this Friday November 19th to November 26th. This follows the success of the National Enterprise Week held in May to encourage and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of small and medium sized business sector.
With the primary objective of supporting and aiding business recovery, Bank of Ireland customers and non-customers have been invited to avail of the opportunity to showcase their products and sell their goods and services in the branch premises in the 'Show Your Business' event. This will provide a platform to network with other businesses and discuss challenges in the current economic climate. Last May over 1,400 businesses availed of this opportunity and many of them generated new sales as a result.
Opportunity still exists to take part in the 'Show Your Business' event over the week in branches in Eyre Square, Galway Industrial Estate and Oranmore. To avail of this opportunity contact Galway Industrial Estate - John McGrath @ 091-705747; Eyre Square - Gemma Costello @ 091 537013;
Oranmore - contact John Harkin @ 091-794529
Bank of Ireland is also supporting entrepreneurial spirit by continuing their sponsorship of RTE’s Dragons’ Den this year. As the blurb for the show says: ‘One idea, one pitch, one deal away from the dream’. The Irish Dragons are successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who have been there, done that. This year will see the introduction of brand new Dragon Norah Casey, who will join Gavin Duffy, Bobby Kerr, Sean Gallagher and Niall O’Farrell in the Den.
The deadline for applications for the show is November 28 2010. Check out the details on www.rte.ie/dragonsden.

Galway Independent Column - 10 November 2010

2011-03-10T15:04:00.000Z

It was great news for Galway last week with the launch of 50 new jobs by Industrial Info Resources (IIR). The Texan market research company acquired the former Global Marketing Technologies in Ballybrit and will recruit in the areas of research, sales and administration. As Minister Batt O’Keefe said at the announcement, it is indeed, a vote of confidence in Galway.

Confidence is in pretty short supply at the moment. It’s defined as ‘belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing’ as in ‘We have every confidence in their ability to succeed’ and also ‘belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance’ as in ‘His lack of confidence defeated him’.

It’s a powerful thing, confidence. It can be the difference between success and failure. The holding pattern in which we find ourselves as businesses and as a country, is largely dependent on our confidence in the upcoming Budget and the Government’s ability to get it right. Not only must we have confidence in Government but the rest of the world must have it too. Our credibility on the world stage is a matter of the confidence that international bond markets and all potential investors have in us. That in turn impacts on our spending patterns as businesses and individually. Spending decisions and the timing of those decisions is affected by this confidence.

Deloitte have just published a report on consumer spending which shows that overall spending will fall by 10% this Christmas but despite this cutback we are still topping the spending ladder among our European neighbours. Only Luxembourg spends more. The respondents to the survey here said that their prudent spend will be a result of a fear that the economic downturn will get worse. There is no doubt that there is a new economic reality but our confidence as consumers directly affects our business confidence and ultimately Ireland Inc’s confidence.

At a press conference post 9/11 Rudy Giuliani, encouraging the people of New York to resume their normal lives said: ‘Show your confidence. Show you're not afraid. Go to restaurants. Go shopping’. While there is no comparison between the atrocity that was 9/11 and an economic downturn, the belief in confidence as an enabler is obvious. Our pre-Budget to Government is entitled: ‘Keep Jobs, Create Confidence, Cut Costs’ and will be submitted this week. Should any Chamber Members have submissions for inclusion please email michael@galwaychamber.com

Galway Independent Column - 3 November 2010

2011-03-10T15:03:00.000Z

Love Irish Food celebrated its first birthday recently. The organisation, a marketing group for Irish food and drink brands, has grown its membership from 29 to 77 brands in its first year. The premise behind the organisation is very simple, buying more Irish made products helps Irish businesses survive and protects Irish jobs. That's something that we can all be proud of and get involved with.

The ultimate goal of Love Irish Food is to protect Irish jobs with simple choices. The people involved in the organisation believe that behind every Irish product on the shelves is a real home-grown story about people working from farm to factory to supermarket floor to bring you your great quality Irish product. This makes sense on many levels. It is not a prescriptive organisation…ultimately they are asking people to consider buying just one more Irish brand in their grocery shop, one more can make all the difference.

The Love Irish Food people reckon that if just one third of households in Ireland (that’s 400,000) spent an average of €1.67 more on an Irish item each week for a year €35 million would be generated for the Irish economy. That’s a lot of money.

A new report from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland published on Monday showed that a quarter of jobs were lost in the industry between 2008 and 2010. The report also showed that the Government’s plan to tackle cross border shopping in last year’s Budget has not stopped shoppers going north. It had been hoped that the decision in the UK to increase VAT from 15% to 17.5% coupled with the reduction of the Irish rate of VAT from 21.5% to 21% would stabilise the market, which it did for the first six months after the excise cuts were announced, there was even an increase in sales of 6.4%. However cross border shopping is beginning to pick up again and will, as before, hit sales here.

Another alarming statistic recently came from Retail Excellence Ireland who said that 35,000 retail industry employees have lost their jobs since the start of 2009.

All of this ties in with Galway Chamber’s annual Sp€nd Christmas in Galway campaign. Simply put, and mentioned in this column last week, for the last number of years we have been urging visitors and Galwegians alike to spend as much of their time and their money as they possibly can, here in Galway. It’s a ‘shop local’ campaign based around the run up to the festive season when we urge everyone, on behalf of our members, to buy their Christmas gifts locally, to shop for food and drink locally, to party locally and to encourage others to visit Galway.

Right now there are a lot of things in this country over which we have no control. However, we have control over what we spend and where we spend it. If one person, Sp€nding Christmas in Galway, keeps another person in a job, then it’s worthwhile. To get involved in the Sp€nd Christmas in Galway Campaign simply contact Galway Chamber on 091563536 or email info@galwaychamber.com

Galway Independent Column - 27 October 2010

2011-03-10T15:02:00.000Z

When Galway Chamber Council members discussed the matter of Commercial Rates at the recent Chamber AGM there was a unanimous view in the room that not only could business not support any increase in Commercial Rates this year, it couldn’t support a freeze either. The only way that Commercial Rates could go this year…is down.

Outgoing President Paul Shelly reflected the view of the large attendance after the meeting when he said that Galway Chamber must lobby for a reduction of at least 10% in Commercial Rates this year. He said that business could no longer afford to pay Commercial Rates at their current level and this was evident in the amount of uncollected rates.

‘We are lobbying with other business organisations on this issue of concern to our members. There needs to be at least a reduction of 10%, the rates base needs to be widened, duplication of functions in the local authorities needs to be rationalised to reduce costs of services and local government funding by central government must change’, he said.

The bleak message from our members is that Galway businesses will not survive if our local authorities, city and county, don’t cut Commercial Rates. On behalf of our members we are calling for a 10% cut so that business can continue to trade and can continue to retain jobs.

We are well aware that the local authorities depend on Commercial Rates to fund approximately a third of their costs (€33m out of a total of €87m) and while the private sector has had to tighten up and reduce costs in order to survive, the public sector must do the same.

For example, the rates base must widen: only 8% of the buildings here are eligible to pay rates…there are no rates levied on public buildings, domestic buildings or businesses such as B&Bs.

The introduction of broad-based charges will reduce local authority budgetary pressures and thus the dependency on business to make up the short fall in funding. Minister Gormley must make sure that recommendations for Local Government reform are implemented by national government. The situation as it exists cannot continue. Already the contribution by business is down because of closures and the collapse in forecasted development contributions income. This underlines the fragile nature of local authority budgets and must be moved to a more sustainable funding model.

In order to restore competitiveness Government must move to reduce the amount of rates and charges that businesses are forced to pay. Costs savings and economies of scale are necessary, amalgamation of back office functions between the city and county councils would be one such route, much like the VEC proposals.

Businesses in Galway city and county have been through and are still going through very difficult times. These businesses cannot support what is essentially an extra tax on business. Our members have always paid their share and have no objection to paying a fair share but in the current economy this extra tax on business is insupportable and will cost jobs.

And speaking of jobs and keeping our spend local….it’s coming to that time of year again when we urge members and the wider public to shop local and to Sp€nd Christmas in Galway. Good news then that the proposed Christmas Market has been saved at the 11th hour.

In a recent press statement issued by Galway Chamber and following a briefing to our Council on the proposed market, we said that we would be working to ensure that local businesses gain maximum advantage from the expected influx of visitors to the City in the pre-Christmas period.

We will be working this year as every other year to attract people to ‘Sp€nd Christmas in Galway, both visitors and locals alike and we will continue to promote Galway as a fantastic place to visit and to shop over the Christmas holiday season with the Christmas Market further supporting this campaign.

Galway Independent Column - 20 October 2010

2011-03-10T14:58:00.001Z

Only if you’ve been on another planet will you not have heard of ‘social media’…this brave new world of facebook, twitter, blogging et al is not really that new but for us ordinary mortals it’s time has come. The computer whizzes among us have been involved in this phenomenon for years and predict that the next wave is not far away. Now, in case you are one of the intergalactical travellers there’s the movie..The Social Network.

On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication.

A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history… but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications. From director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin comes The Social Network, a film that proves you don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.

So says the blurb, the film is based on the book “The Accidental Billionaires” by Ben Mezrich. For business the most interesting aspect of this ‘social media’ scenario is that it’s free. Essentially its free marketing for your business. It’s time intensive but otherwise free. Here in Galway Chamber we are firmly in favour of any initiative that will benefit our members and the wider business community. That’s why we have hosted three interactive sessions over the last three Tuesday mornings on Social Media, blogging, twitter and facebook. Led by Ina O’Murchu who’s company Social Bits is based in the new Webworks building these sessions have been both informative and interactive.

Before the advent of social media and the technology to make it possible, our reach in terms of marketing was finite. Sure, by means of traditional advertising we could reach a wide audience but at a cost that would be beyond the budget of most small businesses. Now, with some training and an application of time and the right tools we can reach an audience of millions.

This is the future and business has to prepare for it. It’s a brave new world out there and business has to be courageous and take the first step. Galway Chamber held its 219th AGM yesterday. We currently have a facebook page. We blog and we twitter. We have evolved for our members over the years. We will continue to do so.

Finally the news this week that a US company is targeting the city for a possible 800 new jobs in the call centre arena is very positive. Let’s do everything we can to make sure that Galway ticks the right boxes on their list.

Galway Independent Column - 13th October 2010

2010-10-13T10:34:00.002+01:00

There’s only two months to go to Budget 2011 and rarely has an upcoming budget engendered so much talk and frankly, dread. Government and Opposition are batting it across the house and in the media…utterances are getting daily more alarming culminating this week in Deputy Varadkar’s belief that our Budget deficit might be reduced by €8 billion, a whopping €4 billion more than the Government’s ‘worst’ case scenario. Minister Lenihan has warned that the budget target would be ‘well above’ the existing figure of €3 billion.

Not since the days of ‘Mac the Knife’ has the prospect been so grim. Minister Lenihan has the toughest of tough jobs to do but are we, as a nation, ready or indeed able to take this ‘medicine’?
In this column Galway Chamber has written about our Pre-Budget to Government document where each year we alert Government to the issues, the generalities and particulars that are important to our members and some suggestions as to how these matters should be dealt with. We have always been conscious that this document would include possible solutions because, as we know, it’s very easy to demand change but it’s a different matter to come up with viable, acceptable ways to implement change.

Taxation and Enterprise are high on our agenda in our Pre Budget deliberations. By Enterprise we mean everything that affects enterprise here. By taxation we mean all taxes included extra taxes that only business pays ie Commercial Rates, a crippling extra tax on business that many businesses perceive are not entitling them to anything ‘extra’ event though it is hugely affecting their bottom line and in some cases is their death knell. It was recently reported in a list of items effectively ‘mothballed’ for the foreseeable that one of these longfingered reforms is ‘A System for Financing Local Government’. We are aware that Local Authorities have to balance their books, we are aware that services must be provided but it is no longer possible for business to balance the books for Local Authorities.

There has to be another way. We have long advocated that Government its system of funding for Local Government to help compensate for the decline in construction activity and its effect on revenues derived by local authorities from development contributions. Specific measures to redress this inequity should include: a phasing out of Commercial Rates by introducing a more broadly based sectorally inclusive system of funding for Local Government. During the phasing out period the level of Rates must be reduced. There must be value for taxes paid at a local level.

What about looking at it from a private sector point of view…Is it ok to have 30 plus Local Authorities replicating back office functions across the country? It is hugely costly, not sustainable and would not be acceptable in the private sector in current times. We need to protect jobs and we need job creators. We need to continue to compete, innovate and grow while sustaining employment, supporting Irish companies and continuing to attract foreign direct investment. Business is prepared to pay its fair share but not at the expense of jobs and not to bail out unnecessary duplication in the public service.

Galway Independent Column - 6th October 2010

2010-10-13T10:34:00.001+01:00

In 1980 a brave group of people in Galway made a brave decision. They raised money and developed a regional airport. Since 1982 business in Galway has directly benefited from this decision. We have welcomed companies such as Boston Scientific, Hewlett Packard, Medtronic, APC, Cisco and Nortel among others.
The availability of an airport in Galway was a factor in the decision by these companies to set up in Galway and it is a factor in their decisions to stay here. These companies employ over 12.000 people in the Galway area and have been a backbone of our business based since they first opened their doors.
The whole issue of funding for regional airports is hugely important for Galway and Galway Airport. Coming up to Budget time, the Cabinet is to discuss the future of Government funded Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes and whether or not they should be renewed. A €2 million operational grant for six airports along the west coast is up for renewal at the end of this year and a separate €15m a year is provided by the state through the PSO routes. This was reported in the media on the same day that it was announced that Metro North work is to begin in Dublin next Spring at an estimated completion cost of €5 billion…that’s a lot of money.
General Manager of Galway Airport Joe Walsh has said that without Government support Galway Airport will have significant challenges. In a recent survey carried out by Galway Airport among businesses in the region, more than 80% said that air accessibility was essential to their location in the West.
Galway Chamber made this point to Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. Batt O'Keeffe, T.D at a recent meeting in Dublin. We put it to the Minister that by putting our Airport in jeopardy we are putting the next generation of Boston Scientifics, Hewlett Packards, Medtronics, APCs, Ciscos, Nortels et al in jeopardy also. When air accessibility is on the checklist for one of these type of companies in their location search are we automatically excluding Galway from consideration if we don’t have air access? Are we going to disqualify ourselves before they even come to visit? And of course our indigenous companies have travel needs also. On any given day on a flight to Dublin you will bump into people who are travelling to Dubai, the Far East, Europe and the US seeking out new business and new markets. It is the Government’s own view that our economic recovery will be export led.
So, yes, we are all aware of and welcome the fact that the road network has been immeasurably improved but on many occasion business wishes to air connect from Galway to their final destination using Dublin or any other hub. Surely in this day and age that should be an option?

Galway Independent Column - 29th September 2010

2010-10-13T10:31:00.001+01:00

Galway Independent Column - 22nd September 2010

2010-10-13T10:29:00.001+01:00

Any individual, being a fully paid up Member of Galway Chamber, can put himself or herself forward to be a member of the Council of Galway Chamber, in effect our board of directors. Election to Council takes place every year and currently the Postal Ballot of the Chamber Council Elections 2010/2011, is with members. Half of the places on Council are decided by postal ballot with the remaining places being voted for at our AGM in October.

Our Council members all work with Galway Chamber in a voluntary capacity to make Galway, as we say in our mission statement, the leading location for business, investment and people. Council members come from all business sectors and range from sole traders to employees of multi national companies and everything in between. What they all have in common is a wish to make business better in Galway.

Policy issues, lobbying campaigns, programme of work are decided by Council and enacted by the executive with committee assistance from Council. There is a full meeting of Council once a month with an agenda pertinent to Chamber business and the issues relevant to the wider business community. This year Galway Chamber will hold its 219th AGM which is a long time being in business for business.

Our offices at Commerce House, Merchant’s Road are open five days a week from 9 am to 5.30 pm and members and potential members are very welcome to call in. As a business organisation our strength is in our membership and the more members we have the more strength we have to lobby on issues affecting business in Galway. Our website www.galwaychamber.com has more information about what we do and how to become a member. We are also on Facebook and Twitter and these Galway Independent columns are available for comment on Galway Chamber’s Blog on www.galwaychamber.blogspot.com

Our current President is Paul Shelly and the following list of Presidents of Galway Chamber from 1923 to 2010 includes names that will be very familiar to readers. They all made a significant contribution to Galway Chamber and to business in Galway: Alex Grant, Martin McDonagh, T. J. W. Kenny, E. K. Jackson, J. O'Kelly Lynch, P. O'Gorman, Martin McDonagh, T. J. W. Kenny, J. J. Ward, Louis O'Dea, J. J. Ward, J. F. Costello, M. O'Flaherty, Dr. T. Walsh, J. D. Whelan, G. D. Naughton, John Allen, R. T. Curley, D. D. Coyle, Lord Killanan, G. I. Corbett, G. O'Gorman, P. D. Ryan, J. M Lydon, C. E. Faller, Kerry O'Sullivan, N. C. Rabbitt, Joseph Herbert, E. L. Hynes, L. M. O'Brien, Thomas McDonagh, Joseph Curley, P. McCambridge, Conor Connolly, G. P. Watson, John D. Coyle, D. P. Griffin, Seosamh o'hOgairtaigh, Thomas O'Connor, Mary Bennett, John D. Coyle, Jim Sweeney, Bernard O'Hara, Terry Brennan, Michael Corless, Liam O'Connell, Joe Greaney, Michael Hegarty, Judy Greene, Michael Coyle, Joe Greaney, Hannah Kiely, Chris Coughlan, John Madden, David Niland, Peter Allen and Paul Shelly. Carmel Brennan is the incoming President.

Galway Independent Column - 15th September 2010

2010-09-15T09:47:00.000+01:00

Each year Galway Chamber, in consultation with our members, makes a Pre-Budget Submission to the Minister for Finance and an Taoiseach. This submission expresses the views and opinions of our members, real business people operating in the real world.

These real opinions from real people focus on issues such as Public Sector Costs, Infrastructure, Commercial Rates, Jobs, Education, Taxation, Stimuli for SME’s and Maintaining Ireland as an Attractive Area for Investment. This is a core group of headings for the Submission but where there is a particular issue in a particular year, it will be highlighted. Clearly this year Jobs is a priority and will be addressed.

Galway Chamber will call on Government to put measures in place to allow Ireland Inc. to compete, innovate and grow while sustaining employment, supporting Irish companies and continuing to attract foreign direct investment. While our message is national, it’s main focus is local and our submission will reflect the particular issues of importance to Galway businesses, our members.

We have long been lobbyists on Commercial Rates and this ties in with our views on public sector finance in general. In our submission we will urge a freeze on Government controlled cost increases, a reduction in the public service pay bill, reduction in non-pay costs in the public service like overtime and other work related costs, the elimination of duplication of support services/agencies and the rationalisation of ‘back office’ services across the public sector. This last item is something we have been vocal on for some time and the message seems to be hitting home. Only last week the Minister for Health suggested that consultants could possibly share office services…

Government needs to reform its system of funding for Local Government to help compensate for the decline in construction activity and its effect on revenues derived by local authorities from development contributions. Specific measures to redress this inequity include: a 3-year phasing out of Commercial Rates by introducing a more broadly based sectorally inclusive system of funding for Local Government. During the phasing out period the level of Rates increases must be reduced. There must be value for taxes paid at a local level, for example, a direct tax credit against actual rates paid. Inequity in location must be addressed in terms of Commercial Rates where centres of critical mass are being penalized i.e. Rateable Valuations. The Local Authority paybill must be reduced through a ‘back office’ rationalisation plan for activities such as HR, IT and Finance Administration

Galway needs to consolidate its position as our countrys third city by encouraging iconic, relevant and important developments. Our city is in serious danger of losing out to Cork, Limerick and Dublin in relation to vital infrastructure and investment projects.

We continue to urge both national and local government to support the work of the business community and to ensure that where possible job creating projects be secured for Galway in the short term to allow Galway to maintains its attractiveness as a location to live, work and do business in the longer term.,

That’s why this week’s comments by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan at his party’s ‘think-in’ here in Galway were so alarming. Speaking to reporters on his arrival in Galway the Minister who controls our purse strings said that the figure of €3 billion in ‘adjustments’ already promised in the upcoming December budget was ‘a minimum’. This word ‘minimum’ is a relatively small word with big implications. Bottom line is that any larger tax increases coupled with service cuts in the next Budget will have a profound impact on business here. There are currently 80 vacant premises in Galway city centre. That’s too many.

Galway Independent Column - 8th September 2010

2010-09-14T12:28:00.001+01:00

At a time when unemployment levels continue to be too high, it’s often easier to try to find a quick fix solution than what really matters, which is putting in place the foundation for future growth and investment that will ensure employment and a good quality of life for all.

We’ve often spoken of ‘smarter cities’, ‘smarter travel’ et al and now more than ever we need to concentrate on the ‘smarter’ part. A recent report by IBM’s Institute for Business Value by, among others TCD’s Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev, outlines how, in the 21st century ‘growth, economic value and competitive differentiation of cities will increasingly be derived from people and their skills, creativity and knowledge, as well as the capacity of the economy to create and absorb innovation. To compete in this new economic environment, cities will need to better apply advanced information technology, analytics and systems thinking to develop a more citizen-centric approach to services. By doing so, they can better attract, create, enable and retain their citizens’ skills, knowledge and creativity.

Galway Chamber has long advocated this approach that business will come when the basis or foundation is here and that it is incumbent on us to create the optimum environment and to make that environment ‘citizen-centric’. When Galway Chamber last revisited our Mission Statement ‘To make Galway the Leading Location for Business, Investment and People’ we felt that it was very important to include the word ‘people’. A ‘smarter economy’ is all about people. Gurdgiev calls it the ‘brains and creativity’ as opposed to the ‘bricks and mortar’ drivers of economic growth and activity.

To attract the highly skilled, innovative citizens for Galway, part of this ‘optimum creation’ is, however, about the ‘bricks and mortar’ of the systems here. To explain: we haven’t heard yet whether Galway City Council’s ‘Galway Metropolitan Smarter Travel Area Bid’ has been successful. It’s necessary as is the Galway City Outer Bypass…an optimum ‘smart city’ isn’t gridlocked. Our health services are currently ‘gridlocked’, that’s not ‘smart city’, our school class sizes are too big, that’s not ‘smart’ and there are many other examples.

Gurdgiev focuses on four high-impact areas of improvement for any city wishing to aspire to ‘smart city’ status:
 Reduce congestion in transport systems
 Improve public safety by reducing crime and emergency response time
 Streamline and tailor services for the citizen, including a heavy emphasis on education and training
 Enable appropriate access to healthcare data for better quality of care, early disease detection and prevention.
(In addition to these he also mentions energy, water and environmental sustainability, urban planning and architecture). All of these feed into making Galway a leading location for business, investment and people. We’re not the only city privy to this information. We need to act now.

Galway Independent Column 1st September 2010

2010-09-01T14:55:00.000+01:00

A number of years ago a former President of Galway Chamber when asked to describe the spirit and work of the Chamber in one word said ‘access’. It’s still a good word to describe in an overall way what we do.

Access means a lot of things, it includes access to representation on both local and national issues from commercial rates to Governments Budgets. It means access to Networking where every Chamber event has a networking element as well as our monthly Business After Hours networking opportunities.

Access to business information and knowledge is available through our newsletter, ezines, website and our programme of events including seminars, business lunches and conferences. Access to innovation includes the incubation and other facilities that our subsidiary the Galway Technology Centre offers.

And finally access to and from Galway road, rail and of course air, offered by our subsidiary company Galway Airport. Access is the ability to "easily reach" and there’s no easier way to reach Galway than by flying into Galway Airport. It’s still the quickest, most efficient way to get to Dublin, London Luton, Lorient, Edinburgh, Manchester and Waterford and onto a myriad of destinations from these hubs. The codeshare agreements in place mean that luggage can be checked through from Galway Airport to facilitate travel ease.

This facility has always been important to Galway and in particular to the business community in Galway. This is why Galway Chamber has been the majority shareholder in Galway Airport from its inception as a commercial airport. It exists to provide access to and from Galway. It’s not the only means of access. Galway Chamber has lobbied for and welcomed the N6 and continues to lobby for the N6 Galway City Outer Bypass as well as West on Track. Business needs choice.

That’s why the news that an Interim Examiner has been appointed to Aer Arann, main carrier at Galway Airport is of concern to the business community in Galway. However, having had discussions with the Board and the Management of Galway Airport it is important to stress that during the period of examinership flight services will continue to operate as normal to and from Galway Airport. This has been confirmed by Aer Arann. Galway Airport will continue to serve the business and leisure traveller the same as always during this time. Access to air routes in and out of Galway needs to be supported by Government and by us, the travelling public.

As a Gateway city, Galway must provide access which must in itself be timely, always available, of high quality and cost effective. If this doesn’t happen then Galway's continued success and growth could be seriously jeopardised.

Congratulations and Good Wishes
Just a note of congratulations and good wishes to someone who has over the years been involved in the transition of Galway from a town to a city and everything that entails. Bernard O’Hara retires today as Registrar of GMIT having worked there since the college opened as the RTC Galway in 1972.

Bernard began his academic career as a lecturer in Business Studies, was promoted to Head of Department, followed by Head of School of Business and Humanities for nineteen years, latterly served as Registrar of the college for the last eleven years.

Among his many achievements in a working life full of achievement Bernard was a Board Member of Galway Chamber for over ten years and was President during the bicentennial year of 1991/92 when he said at his inauguration that he believed that the Chamber’s mission was to act as a catalyst for the economic and commercial development of Galway and its hinterland. We wish him a happy and healthy retirement.

Making A Difference

2010-09-01T14:54:00.001+01:00

Is there a link between littering and anti-social behaviour or between anti-social behaviour and littering? If an individual litters is he or she more likely to engage in what we call anti-social behaviour? What is anti-social behaviour and is its definition different from person to person?
These questions are prompted by the most recent litter survey from IBAL, the Irish Business Against Litter organisation who carry out surveys each year with the help of An Taisce to find which towns and cities in this country (with a population of over 6,000) are considered ‘Clean to European Norms’, ‘Moderately Littered’, ‘Littered’, ‘Seriously Littered’, or ‘Litter Blackspot’. Galway fitted into the ‘Moderately Littered’ category along with fellow cities Dublin and Cork. Limerick, the fourth city surveyed ended up in the ‘Littered’ category.
In fairness the survey is not just based on litter thrown on the ground by wanton litter louts, approach roads etc also come into play and cleaning of same comes under the remit of city and county councils. But, the keeping clean of visible areas outside a business premises is the responsibility of the business owner. IBAL say that to keep on the right side of the law as well as to show corporate citizenship and community spirit, businesses should look to clean up outside their premises, including their car parks twice daily. This would have an enormous impact on our streetscapes, they say, in one fell swoop and reduce local authority cleaning costs. This might not sit well with businesses who wonder what exactly they get for their Commercial Rates Bill paid to the council…street cleaning?
The majority of businesses do keep their street area tidy, they have pride in what they do and their premises and its environs reflect this. Which leads to the first question involving anti-social behaviour… Anti-social behaviour is any aggressive, intimidating or destructive activity that damages or destroys another person's quality of life, it’s all about the effect that one’s behaviour has on others. What might seem like harmless fun to one person may seem like something entirely different to someone else.
The person who ends up having drunken fisticuffs with his ‘mates’ at three am doesn’t realise or doesn’t care that he’s keeping local residents awake, the person who urinates on someone’s front door doesn’t care that the householder will have to clean it off the next day and he certainly doesn’t care that he’s frightening people. This scenario can equally take place at three o’clock in the afternoon when tourists and children are the recipients. If this sort of thing happens once outside your door, you can get over it. But if it happens on a very regular basis like it does at the Spanish Arch, it is a serious problem for residents and businesses in the area. This has been highlighted time and time again. We haven’t seen any major riots there this summer but anti-social behaviour is like litter, it’s always there. The street cleaners do a particularly good job at the Spanish Arch each morning but like the anti-social behaviour, its there again the next day. Dropping a piece of litter might not seem like anti-social behaviour but it’s all about just not caring.

Galway Independent Column - August 11th 2010

2010-09-01T14:52:00.002+01:00

The news this week that the Government intends to increase electricity by 5% in October comes as yet another unwelcome cost base hike to business.
The increase, according to the Government, is due to the public service obligation levy, a charge designed to improve the country’s security of energy supply and to develop renewable energy….scant comfort to businesses already buckling under a raft of charges including commercial rates, water and waste charges.
In the real world any extra charges to business at this time will be at best detrimental and at worst catastrophic. Sure, we appreciate that securing supply and developing renewable energy are good things and must happen but the timing of this proposed increase couldn’t be worse. The Commissioner for Energy Regulation says that if the levy is postponed consumers will have to pay more later…
But it’s the here and now that concerns businesses at the moment. It’s keeping afloat and providing jobs. The possibility of lower bills in the longer term doesn’t cut any ice with businesses trying to pay today’s bills.
The increases will also hit the bottom line of our larger businesses and particularly those in the manufacturing sector. For a country whose cost base is perceived already as being high (in fact Ireland has the fourth highest electricity charges in the EU), this will not help in attracting future foreign direct investment to locate here. The IDA have already expressed their concerns regarding the increase which will of course make their job of attracting foreign direct investment significantly more difficult.

On a more positive note, it’s good to be able to offer something for nothing to businesses… a reminder that those SMEs who wish to provide a work placement to a participant on the WebActivate programme this autumn, Galway Chamber as the Galway business link along with Galway provider GTI invites SMEs to apply to take a work placement. Chamber Members will receive a brochure with an application form attached in this week’s mailout and details are also available on www.webactivate.ie Remember participant WebActivators do not need to be accommodated in the place of business. Rather they are empowered to work independently, equipped with a notebook computer and software, 3G broadband and mobile and technical support. Thus equipped they will create a web presence that will enable the host SME to grow its business through the web, using the internet to reach and drive customers to the business.

Congratulations to the Salthill Village Festival which was launched in the Galway Business School at the weekend. The Festival itself will take place this year on the weekend of August 21 and 22 and will host among other events, a giant tea dance, a vintage car rally, DJ’s in the marquee, a ghost run, fire juggling, ice sculpting, giant jenga, poetry, literature, art, windsurfing, diving, salsa, capoeira and lots more. This is a great family festival and as the organisers say: ‘It’s Free by the Sea’. We wish all our members in Salthill every success with this initiative. www.salthillvillage.com

Galway Independent Column - August 4th 2010

2010-09-01T14:48:00.002+01:00

We’ve come a long way from the first racing festival held in Ballybrit on Tuesday, 17th August 1869 when the two-day event heralded what would become the modern phenomenon that is The Galway Racing Festival.
Last week saw a city alive with people, with fun, with colour, with good humour and was truly an advertisement for what Galway does really well. Yet again, congratulations to John Maloney, to his team in Ballybrit and to the Race Committee.

But congratulations also to the Galway business community, to the hospitality industry, to the shopkeepers, to each and every employee who made it such a good week for the visitors and Galwegians alike. Each smile, each courtesy made the week better for someone. We’re now into the final month of voting for ‘Galway’s Best Awards’ winners, the new customer service excellence awards supported by Failte Ireland and Galway Chamber, sponsored by the Central Park Group and in association with Heineken. The aim of the awards is to find the best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer, and Festival/Event as voted by the public. Last week was a great opportunity for businesses to make their mark with the public.

We would like to commend those establishments that stuck to their normal prices…we still purchased our takeout coffee at €2, we enjoyed a great lunch with enormous choice, for €10 including excellent coffee and there was lots more. Yes, we were asked to comment on ‘rip-off Galway’, as we are every year and we replied by talking about ‘Choice’. The Oxford Dictionary definition of the word ‘Choice’ is …an act of choosing between two or more possibilities. We all have choice. When we go to a new place as a visitor we have choice. We check out the various possibilities and then we make our (informed) choice. We choose what we do, we choose where to eat, sleep, drink, socialise, shop etc.

There was value to be had in Galway last week in terms of accommodation. There were also some very expensive options available…we have choice. Some chose the expensive options, some didn’t but there was a choice. There is a ‘supply and demand’ situation going on here. If people will pay the higher rates and are happy to do so, then why wouldn’t the provider charge them? There is a competitive element, prices must compete at the lower and the higher ends of the scale. There are also many extra overheads in the hospitality sector that feed into the racegoer’s overall experience, extra staff, late bars, entertainment etc.

Eating out offered many possibilities last week, from takeout ‘on the hoof’ to pub grub, to a gourmet experience (which is not to say that a gourmet experience can’t happen in a pub, because it can!), the choice was there. The race course roast beef sandwich has made many a punter very happy over the years and long may it continue.

Essentially the Galway Racing Festival is a festival for everyone. That’s what has made it unique. You never know who you’re going to meet at the racecourse or around the town. There’s room for everybody and a welcome for everybody. There’s loads of entertainment, most of it free and an atmosphere that you just couldn’t buy. The Galway Racing Festival gets it right. It was a great idea back in 1869 and it was great last week. Well done to everyone involved.

Galway Independent Column - July 28th 2010

2010-09-01T14:45:00.001+01:00

It is becoming ever more apparent that to establish trading in the Digital Economy all Irish SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises), from sole-trader to micro to medium sized, need to have an online digital presence. This means using at least the minimum digital channel of a ‘Google friendly’ website to reach and drive customers to a particular business.

Galway Chamber has long been an advocate of the internet as a marketing tool for business and we set up our website www.shopgalway.com in 2005 to allow business to promote their special offers in a free and user friendly way.

A report on Information Society and Telecommunications (ICT) released by the CSO in December 2009 shows that while 95% of enterprises had a computer connected to the internet only 66% had a website or homepage.

Businesses will need increasingly high levels of skills and greater technical capability to respond effectively to the opportunities and threats posed by globalisation and advances in digital technology.

With this in mind, WebActivate is an innovative programme designed by Digital Skills Academy and delivered in partnership with the Digital Hub, the Chambers of Commerce and leading Further Education Colleges in the participating cities. In Galway the partners are Galway Technical Institute and Galway Chamber.

The programme is funded by the government Labour Market Activation Fund and the courses are free of charge to participants. There are no fees or charges for the SMEs providing work placements in the programme.

Digital Skills Academy: is based in the Digital Hub in the heart of Dublin. Building on many decades of accumulated experience in Internet & Digital Media, the Academy offers the highest standard of multidisciplinary training in digital skills.

Galway Chamber invites SME members to express an interest in providing work placements for course participants.

The WebActivate programme will provide participants with specific skills in digital media, and allied sectors, along with broader e-skills increasingly in demand across all industry sectors. WebActivate is a high-quality training programme delivered by an expert group of quality assured trainers. The aim is to equip participants with the necessary skills to effectively design and publish websites for businesses with no previous online presence.

This will be achieved through completion of a suite of FETAC modules which ensure proficiency in internet publishing and on-line marketing. Among other, these modules include: Internet publishing, iMarketing, Social media marketing, Publishing Google Maps, Digital photography & web publishing
Participants will also be trained as trainers so that they will be in a position to transfer their newly acquired skills and learning into the businesses with which they are placed.

Work placements will commence at the end of September 2010.
Following their 6 weeks ‘In-Centre’ training, each participant will spend 12 weeks with 3 different SMEs. In this time they will create websites and coach employees on how to maximise business via their newly achieved web presence at no cost to the employer.

During work placement the course participants will attend their designated training centres one day a week for classes, ongoing mentoring and coaching from their expert trainers. Each participant will be equipped with a Notebook computer, software and 3G broadband, all of which are provided through the WebActivate programme. Anyone interested in hosting trainee placements and “Web-Activating” their business should contact Maeve Joyce at Galway Chamber on 091 563536

Galway Independent Column - July 21st 2010

2010-07-21T16:37:00.002+01:00

There was good news this week for companies involved in research, when Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn announced the latest EU round of financial support for research and innovation. €6.4 billion is to be spent over the next 14 months.

Under the EU’s Framework Programme 7 (FP7), Irish scientists and companies involved in research can apply to the programme for funding. Under the programme support is given for collaborative research conducted with public and private sector research partners in other EU countries. The monies will be allocated to SME’s as well as larger organisations and will act as a much needed financial stimulus

The package, the biggest ever, covers a vast range of scientific disciplines, public policy areas and commercial sectors. This funding is intended to advance scientific boundaries, increase European competitiveness and help solve societal challenges such as climate change, energy and food security, health and an ageing population. Around 16 000 participants from research organisations, universities and industry, including about 3 000 SMEs, will receive funding. Grants will be awarded through calls for proposals and evaluations over the next 14 months. This package is expected to create more than 165 000 jobs and is a long-term investment in a smarter, sustainable and more inclusive Europe. It is a key element within the EU's Europe 2020 Strategy and in particular the Innovation Union flagship initiative, which will be launched in autumn 2010.

Announcing the funding Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn said that it would speed up the innovation process from research to retail and would give Europe a competitive edge. Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan TD encouraged Irish researchers, particularly from SME’s to apply for the funding which, he said, would allow them to use research to improve their competitiveness and grow their business.

Galway Chamber has consistently called on Government to support innovation and to foster a culture of research and development in particular in the SME sector. In our most recent Pre Budget Submission to the Minister for Finance we said that Government must put measures in place to allow Ireland Inc. to compete, innovate and grow while sustaining employment, supporting Irish companies and continuing to attract foreign direct investment. We have also lobbied to encourage Research & Development activity through the R&D tax credit.

Further information on the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) can be found on www.ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/

Speaking of innovation, congratulations to Macnas on their spectacular Wild Hunt parade on Sunday and while the Galway Arts Festival comes to a close this weekend we look forward to the Galway Racing Festival starting on Monday. Last year over 150,000 people attended the summer festival meeting and we look forward to a successful festival again this year.

Galway Independent Column - July 14th 2010

2010-07-14T10:34:00.000+01:00

In a recent survey of Galway Chamber Members, results of which will be published in the coming weeks, ‘Access to Credit’ was ranked as the second most important in a list of fifteen ‘Pressing business issues’ facing members. The importance of this issue to business in this country is underlined by the fact that Minister for Enterprise Trade and Innovation Batt O'Keefe TD supported by Junior Minister Dara Calleary will be in Galway this week to embark on a fresh round of meetings with the business community around the country on the issue of bank credit availability.

The purpose of the meeting is for Ministers O’Keeffe and Calleary to hear at first hand the views and experiences of local businesses on access to bank lending. This full exchange of views aims to facilitate a greater understanding of the issue at both regional and national levels, giving an indication of how matters have changed since last year, when Minister O’Keeffe met with the group in the first instance.

Galway Chamber will be represented at the meeting by our President Paul Shelly with members of the Chamber Council in the SME sector, who will put the experiences and views of Chamber members to the Ministers and who will continue to press for easier access to credit for SMEs.

The Ministers must be made fully aware that credit difficulties have made successful businesses go to the wall since last year and while we welcome An Taoiseach’s global message this week of Ireland ‘turning the corner’ with the launch of his €500 million ‘Innovation Fund Ireland’ in New York, Galway Chamber will continue to lobby strongly for our members in their particular areas of need. This meeting with Ministers O’Keefe and Calleary is part of that process.

Galway Chamber continues to be committed to make Galway a better business environment for our members and with this in mind we are supporting a range of activities that will allow our members to access extra help for their businesses. One of the ways in which we’re doing this is by facilitating projects under the Labour Market Activation Fund operated by the Department of Education and Skills.

For many businesses the ability to hire new employees to tackle a specific project or to deal with outstanding work is not a runner while financial pressures remain. The Begin Again programme being offered by ICBE, Irish Centre for Business Excellence, initiated by the Labour Market Activation Fund, allows employers to take on an experienced and qualified individual for work experience.

This experienced and qualified individual who has been made redundant (for at least 3 months) will undertake placement experience for 12 weeks at no additional cost to the business. The individual placed in the company retains all Social Welfare benefits while gaining valuable experience and furthering his/her networking activities. To ensure both the company and the individual maximise this opportunity both mentoring support and training will be provided. This would appear to be a win all round situation so if you’re a business owner or unemployed (for at least 3 months) and want to learn more about this programme contact Paula Crowley on 091-755736/paula@leapadvisors.ie.

Galway Independent Column - July 7th 2010

2010-07-14T10:33:00.001+01:00

Having written last week about the tentative economic growth being experienced in the country it is heartening to see that this week the country appears to be over the recession (that dreadful word) but facing lengthening dole queues. Therefore it would seem to be premature to welcome the end of the recession while greater unemployment looms.
That is why we have consistently lobbied Government on job creation and the culture that attracts jobs. This includes investment in our third and fourth level educational institutions which continues to prove so successful for Galway. We welcome unreservedly the news that Merit Medical has announced an expansion which will create 100 jobs over the next year. This is a boost to the local economy and again underpins Galway’s role as a hub in the life sciences sector. Each time we have the opportunity to welcome investment in Galway, the point is made that the availability of a highly trained, skilled workforce is key to attracting investment. Announcing the Merit Medical investment, CEO of the company referred to the ‘skill set of the existing Irish management team’ as a decision maker in Merit’s location choice.
Galway Chamber continues to provide relevant skills training for members and to this end has recently partnered with the Institute for Professional Selling (IPS) to offer IPS educational programmes to Chamber members. In any business sales are key and sales training has now more than ever become critical to business.
The Institute was launched in Jan 2010 by the then Minister for Education Batt O’ Keefe TD and since then it has formed strategic alliances with many of Irelands leading business organisations to promote the profession of sales.
IPS offers a suite of accredited sales qualifications aimed at each level within the sales profession from entry level to sales director with the qualifications designed to improve both people and process.
Each qualification has ECTS (European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System) credits attached which allows for the transfer of learning experiences between different institutions, greater student mobility and more flexible routes to degree and to further higher education levels.
The timing for this initiative is excellent. In order for Irish companies to regain competitiveness our sales force must have the skills to adapt and compete in changing economic circumstances.
The IPS Pathway to Professionalism in Selling consists of accredited academic programmes that allow salespeople, managers, trainers and coaches to match their career and their academic aspirations. The collaboration between academia and business in an independent structure will ensure that all of the programmes offered remain innovative, current and relevant while maintaining the rigour and balance of an internationally recognised quality assurance process.
Galway Chamber will send details of the Institute for Professional Selling’s courses to members and for more information on this or any other business matter, please contact us on 091 563536.

Galway Independent Column - June 30th 2010

2010-07-14T10:30:00.001+01:00

Just last week the government launched a new initiative to help employers create jobs. The Employer Job (PRSI) Incentive Scheme has been set up to help employers to create jobs and get people back to work.
Aimed at taking people who have been unemployed for six months or more off the Live Register, the scheme, according to the government, will save an employer in the region of €3,000 from the annual cost of employing an additional worker by exempting the employer from paying employers PRSI for 12 months from the date of approval of the full time position.
Launching the scheme An Taoiseach said that the measure is being deliberately targeted at those who have been unemployed for six months or more as the proportion of people who return to employment after a short period out of work remains relatively high but after 6 months on the Live Register there is a danger that people will drift into long-term unemployment. Therefore the scheme will only be available for new employees who have been unemployed for 6 months or more.
The scheme will be administered by the department of Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, and will be pertinent to any new job created in 2010 which employed a person who had been unemployed for 6 months or more. The government hopes that this initiative will create several thousand jobs.
Obviously, Galway Chamber welcomes any initiative that makes it easier for an employer to employ and any initiative that cuts employers costs but one wonders whether or not many employers are in a position to take on staff even with the exemption in PRSI.
Could the government come up with an initiative to safeguard existing jobs as well as creating new positions? Most employers are still struggling regardless of what the recent economic outlooks say. (Bloxham Stockbrokers Irish Quarterly Economic Outlook June 21 expects the economy to grow by 0.5% on a Gross Domestic Product basis) Now would be a good time, for example, to revisit local government funding and its reform. The double taxation, both unfair and inequitable, that is Commercial Rates, needs attention. It can no longer be used to balance the books for local authorities. Government needs to get its think tanks working on this before a winter of discontent sets in with businesses frankly being unable to pay their rates bill resulting in staff layoffs and ultimately closure. A closed business can’t take on staff, regardless of any PRSI exemptions.
For more information on the Employer PRSI Incentive Scheme see www.welfare.ie

Galway Independent Column - June 23rd 2010

2010-06-24T15:15:00.000+01:00

It’s a tough time for traders at the moment. The summer season is key and for many businesses it’s a successful summer season that will keep them going during the lean months ahead. The season’s trade is vital to all of those employed in the retail and hospitality sectors in our city. Anything that affects trade adversely is a problem for our members.

Road closures are a problem. Loss of trade for one day is a major problem. Loss of trade for a week can be catastrophic. Traffic in Newtownsmith was one way for five days last week ‘To implement a trial contra-flow cycle lane as part of National Bike Week 2010. Traffic shall not be permitted to travel along Newtownsmith from Abbeygate Street / Bowling Green to St. Vincents Avenue / Salmon Weir Bridge. However a cycle lane shall be provided in this direction. Vehicular traffic shall still be permitted to travel along Newtown Smith from the direction of St. Vincents Avenue / Salmon Weir Bridge to Abbeygate Street / Bowling Green. Some on-street parking will be temporarily removed in order to provide this trial contra-flow cycle lane. (Galway City Council Public Notice)

An alternative route for traffic was via a signposted diversion route as follows: ‘Traffic approaching Newtown Smith from Abbeygate Street and Bowling Green will be required to access Newtown Smith by travelling along Mary Street and turning onto St. Francis Street. From St. Francis Street vehicles will be required to turn left onto St. Vincent's Avenue (at courthouse junction). From St. Vincent's Avenue, vehicles can access Newtown Smith’ (Galway City Council Public Notice)

What tourist or indeed local is going to brave those diversions if they don’t have to? What the above two paragraphs really say is ‘Avoid This Area’. What Galway Chamber says is ‘Traffic Experiments should not put jobs at risk’

Businesses in the area have said that this pilot scheme has caused serious problems for them. They believe that there wasn’t proper advance warning about the scheme and they feel that they weren’t consulted even though it is their businesses that were directly affected. The City Council did publish public notices on the scheme and did have the same notice on their website and they also say that a letter would have been sent to the particular businesses affected. However, we don’t always see a public notice on page whatever of a local newspaper, neither are most businesses in the habit of assiduously checking the City Council’s website for such information.

What business wants is communication from City Hall, real face to face communication on matters of such importance. It’s only fair to ratepayers (and let’s not forget here that €33 million was levied in commercial rates this year in Galway City) that any schemes, road closures, major road works, refurbishments, traffic diversions be communicated to them…in advance. If an initiative is going to result in any business losing revenue and as a result possibly ending in job losses, then advance consultation must be a given. It’s not too much to ask. Businesses similarly affected should contact Galway Chamber.

Galway Independent Column - June 16th 2010

2010-06-24T15:13:00.001+01:00

When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping…
There’s no doubt that it’s been a difficult time for the retail trade. Spending by the general public has been cautious of late with global recessionary worries filtering to local pockets. But as much as the retail sector is a barometer of the economy so also it is the life blood of our towns and cities. People come to town to shop and anything else is a bonus. It is not untrue to say that our hospitality sector depends on our retail sector and the health of one is directly affected by the other.

So, in order to keep a vibrant city economy we need to attract shoppers. We have a great product and must do everything in our power to bring people here in the first instance and make them want to return. On a recent radio programme presenter Lucy Kennedy, in a discussion about Grafton Street, said that her favourite shopping street is, in fact, Shop Street in Galway. This is the sort of thing we want to hear. With the new motorway Dublin is only a couple of hours away…We want Dublin people to come and shop here. We have flights from Dublin, Cork and Belfast into Galway airport, a stone’s throw from the city centre. We want them all to come here to shop.

This week the Galway City Business Association launched a shopping guide. It joins Galway Chamber’s Shop Galway website www.shopgalway.com, a free website listing business in Galway in all sectors where shops can advertise their special offers free. Using a password, retailers can change their offers and add and delete at will making it the most up to date shopping site available. These are some of the practical things that are being done to attract shoppers and make the experience of shopping in Galway the best it can possibly be.

And let’s not forget the search to find Galway’s Best, where Galway Chamber is pleased to partner with the Central Park Group, in association with Heineken in a quest to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County. Also supported by Fáilte Ireland, the awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. For details of the public voting process log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com

Having a great product is the best possible start but we still need to attract shoppers. We must be ambassadors for our product at all times. This week the Around Ireland 2010 Offshore Powerboat Race finished in Galway, last week the Latin Quarter salsaed to the Little Havana Festival, this week the Galway Sessions Festival 2010 brings a Scottish flavour to Galway with musicians and dancers from Stirling joining our own in gigs and a pub session trail… and we’re only a heartbeat away from the Arts Festival. All of these events are opportunities to showcase our shopping, to bring people into our city, to strengthen our retail sector and safeguard all of the jobs dependant on it.

Galway Independent Column - June 9th 2010

2010-06-24T15:12:00.000+01:00

Projects involving the word ‘Bypass’ on the NRA Website as at Bank Holiday weekend, June 2010 include the following: M1 Dundalk Western Bypass, N2 Ardee Bypass, N2 Ashbourne Bypass, N2 Carrickmacross Bypass, N2 Castleblayney Bypass, N2 Monaghan Town Bypass, N2 Slane Bypass, N3 Belturbet Bypass, N4 Edgeworthstown Bypass, N4 Sligo Inner Relief Road, N5 Ballaghaderreen Bypass, N5 Charlestown Bypass, N5 Longford Bypass, N6 Loughrea Bypass, N7 Limerick Southern Ring Road,
N7 Limerick Tunnel, N8 Mitchelstown Relief Road, N9/N10 Carlow Bypass, N11 Arklow Gorey Bypass, N11 Enniscorthy Bypass, N11 Rathnew / Ashford Bypass, N15 Ballybofey / Stranorlar Bypass, N15 Ballyshannon / Bundoran Bypass, N16 Manorhamilton Bypass, N17 Collooney to Tobercurry Bypass, N17 Tobercurry Bypass, N17 Tobercurry Bypass, N17 Tobercurry Bypass to Knock Bypass, N18 Ennis Bypass, N21 Adare Bypass, N21 Castleisland Bypass, N22 Ballincollig Bypass, N22 Cork Northern Ring Road, N22 Tralee Bypass, N24 Carrick on Suir Bypass, N24 Clonmel / Cahir Bypass, N24 Clonmel Bypass, N24 Mooncoin Bypass, N25 Dungarvan Bypass, N25 Kinsalebeg to Youghal Bypass, N25 New Ross Bypass, N25 Waterford City Bypass, N51 Navan Inner Relief Road, N52 Ardee Bypass, N52 Mullingar Bypass, N52 Tullamore Bypass, N56 Letterkenny Relief Road, N59 Moycullen Bypass, N59 South Westport Relief Road, N61 Boyle Town Bypass, N61 Roscommon Town Bypass, N62 Horse and Jockey / Thurles Bypass, N62 Roscrea Bypass,
N62 Thurles Bypass, N69 Listowel Bypass, N81 Tallaght Bypass Extension, N83 Ballyhaunis Outer Distributor Road, N84 Ballinrobe Relief Road…

The above, non-exhaustive list, does not include all of the hundreds of villages and smaller towns that have been bypassed by the motorway construction of recent times. The towns in the above list have either been bypassed or are in the process of being bypassed. The aim of a bypass is to reduce accidents, remove long distance traffic from local roads and improve the local environment. A bypass aims to act as a lifeline to commercial and tourist activity and make the bypassed village, town or city a better place in which to shop, work and live. Think back the few short years to when all of the above had to be traversed on any journey, anywhere….Also on the above list is the N6 Galway City Outer Bypass.

While the legal issues regarding the GCOB are ongoing, the need for the bypass has not changed. The news this week that the Supreme Court ruled that the legal issues relating to the Bypass and its compliance with the EU Habitats Directive, should be referred to the European Court of Justice, is welcome in that it will bring finality and clarification to the issue.

We hope that there will be an early determination from Europe but we believe that while Europe is deliberating there is work to be done here. We would like to see agreement from all parties that preparatory works begin right away. It’s worrying to think that further delays will involve significantly increased costs.

Galway Chamber has publicly welcomed the M6 Dublin-Galway motorway and looks forward to increased business for Galway as a result. As part of our lobbying on all matters infrastructural, Galway Chamber lobbied on the M6 and as part of that process we also lobbied for the Galway City Outer Bypass which we see as integral to the M6 motorway.

It makes complete sense that the Galway City Outer Bypass be part of the M6. There is no logic in a motorway finishing on the outskirts of Galway with its traffic having to cross the city via the city centre regardless of its destination. This is as true for a visitor from Dublin going to Clifden as it is for someone living in Knocknacarra going to work in Parkmore. Galway Chamber will continue, with our lobbying partners, to meet with those involved in this process. Our position has always been that the Galway City Outer Bypass will take traffic out of the city that doesn’t need or want to be there, thus freeing space for those who wish to visit the city centre to shop and for leisure purposes, and for public transport.

As we have previously stated there is no conflict between public transport, bus lanes, cycle lanes, park and ride and the Galway City Outer Bypass. Funding for the GCOB will be through Public Private Partnership non-tolled, and will not have a detrimental effect on funding for any other transport initiatives in the city. It will in fact inject about €200 million plus in capital infrastructure into the area with all the attendant employment that such a large project brings.

Galway Independent Column - June 2nd 2010

2010-06-24T15:08:00.000+01:00

‘To interact or engage in informal communication with others for mutual assistance or support’ is one of the definitions of the verb ‘to network’. It’s an example of a word that has become part of our lexicon without us even realizing it. While we twitter, facebook, poke, defriend, friendsource, rescue call, we’re networking, albeit by computer, but there’s still a lot to be said for the old fashioned face to face networking, the non-digital form of social networking which began circa the mid-70s, the earliest use of the phrase social network dates to 1976.
Like all good things face to face networking has evolved and grown and the latest incarnation is Speed Networking (not to be confused with Speed Dating where you don’t end up trying to have a relationship with everyone in the room!) If anyone remembers that good old wedding favourite the Paul Jones, then that’s what speed networking is all about…an inner and outer circle of people facing each other in pairs, one circle moving on each time a bell rings. It’s basically a number of short, scheduled meetings with new business contacts. You chat about your business for a couple of minutes and that of the other person, making notes about that new contact before moving onto your next meeting.
Meetings are structured and scheduled so you have time to see as many people as possible. As networkers themselves would say… successful people get ahead in the time that other people waste. Essentially you have 5 minutes to work out if the person sitting opposite you is a potential new client, supplier or business partner for your future. The advantage of speed networking over traditional forms of networking is the high turnover and the guarantee that you will to meet lots of like-minded individuals in a session. It is also a good opportunity for you to distill your unique selling point into a short, sharp message suitable to impress in a brief encounter.
Galway Chamber is pleased to bring our members and guests the opportunity to Speed Network on Tuesday June 15th at the biggest Speed Networking Event of the year in Galway. The event will begin at 6 pm and conclude at 8.30 pm in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill. The evening will be professionally facilitated by Tricia Murphy known as The Networking Queen. We’re very pleased that Tricia will be joining us as part of a successful Speed Networking event is an experienced facilitator.
This is Galway Chamber’s first Speed Networking event and it follows our very successful Business After Hours monthly networking events. We started our BAHs in 2004 based on a US model where Chamber members had the opportunity to host a networking event in their own premises for fellow Chamber members and guests. From our first BAH in Baron’s Self Storage in March 2004 to our most recent BAH on board the Corrib Princess with hosts Go West Event Management last week, the formula has proved successful. Our next BAH will be in the premises of RDJ Glynn Solicitors, Aengus House, Long Walk on Wednesday 23rd of June at 6 p.m.
For both the Speed Networking and Business After Hours please register with Elaine Murphy [emurphy@galwaychamber.com]. Fees for the Speed Networking event are €20 for members and €25 for non-members to include refreshments.

Galway Independent Column - May 26th 2010

2010-06-24T15:05:00.001+01:00

25 degrees and sunny…over the weekend we thought we were, well, somewhere else where there are cloudless blue skies and the outlook is always sunny. Beaches were busy, shops were running out of ice cream and there was a definite summer feeling from the smell of the barbecues to the glow of the sun worshippers who will never learn that it’s not ok to go out in the sun without protection.

As the now famous Baz Luhrmann monologue has it ‘If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience’.

Experience, however meandering, is one of the most valuable tools in our arsenal in these difficult times and when a group like Retail Ireland publish a survey on the retail sector we must take notice. Galway Chamber as advertised over the last few weeks is this week offering classes and seminars free to the public on matters of importance to all SMEs which includes the retail sector.

Among its findings the Retail Ireland survey results said that jobs are under threat and that landlords who have continued to reap unsustainably high rents have to cut rental costs without delay as the sector struggles. As a result of the survey they called on commercial landlords to reverse rent hikes in keeping with price reductions on the High Street, housing and day to day bills.

Rent coupled with Commercial Rates is crippling the retail sector and needs to be addressed before we lose our indigenous business on the High Street altogether. When you add the issue of access to credit into the mix, it’s obvious that something has to give, and sooner rather than later. The retail sector, and particularly its small family businesses, need to be encouraged to prosper and create employment, not encounter the brick walls of local taxation, difficult credit and impossibly high, upward only rents at every turn.

As part of SME week the Bank of Ireland will hold a seminar tomorrow evening, Thursday May 27th in the Ardilaun Hotel from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm entitled ‘Managing your Business through Recession’ covering such topics as cash flow management, enterprise building and business diagnostics. As with all of the other events during SME week it is free to the public.

The weather forecast for the rest of the week isn’t as hot as last weekend but the sunscreen advice stands as does the advice provide free to the public during the week by Dr. Aidan Daly; Enterprise Ireland and WESTBIC; Vodafone, Bank of Ireland and Sheehan & Co. Solicitors.

Galway Independent Column - May 19th 2010

2010-06-24T15:04:00.001+01:00

At a time when business is under unprecedented pressure our minds must turn to ways in which business can actually save money. One of these ways is to lessen or eliminate crimes against business. These crimes include shoplifting, vandalism, thefts, fraud, anti social behaviour or any of the other crimes that either cost business in terms of time or revenue.

Galway Business Watch is a crime prevention programme designed by the Gardaí and is based on the same principals as the Neighbourhood Watch scheme. On Monday a Galway Business Watch forum was held in the offices of Galway Chamber on Merchant’s Road where the business community met with members of the Gardai to discuss ways in which we can join together and be instrumental in preventing crime in our own community.

This can be done through awareness, observation and commitment to action, people at work can become extra 'eyes and ears' of the Gardaí and act as a 'watchman' to their own and their neighbour’s premises, in the prevention of crime. Business Watch is based on a series of ‘Street Coordinators’ who take on a liaison role with Gardai on behalf of all the businesses on their particular street. This has proven in the past to work really well and acts as an important link between Gardai and businesses.

The Gardaí themselves play a significant role in terms of specialist crime prevention advice through liaison with the Business Watch Committee to address crime and crime related issues for business. Galway Business Watch is one tangible way that business can take ownership of their own protection from shoplifters, anti-social behaviour etc. This benefits all of us as well as visitors and tourists to our city in the coming months and thereafter.

This week also saw a meeting of the Galway City Joint Policing Committee which has been set up in each local authority administrative area as part of the local government structures. The purpose of these committees is to provide a forum where a local authority and the senior Garda officers responsible for the policing of that area, with the participation of Oireachtas members and community interests, can consult, discuss and make recommendations on matters affecting the policing of the area. Piloted in 2006 the Committees were put in train in 2008.

Both Galway Business Watch and the Galway City Joint Policing Committee are based on consultation with the Gardaí and the relevant local organisations. Inclusion and consultation on pertinent, relevant issues are at their core. We hope that Galway Business Watch will be supported by the local business community who will seize the opportunity to have their voices heard on matters of importance with regard to their special issues of concern. People often say that there’s a lack of consultation on matters concerning business, this is an opportunity to debunk that perception, to get involved and to make a difference.

Galway Independent Column - May 12th 2010

2010-06-24T15:02:00.000+01:00

It’s that time of year again, the tourist season is upon us and we hope its going to be a good one. Like in the old days when we whitewashed before the Stations, businesses in the city are getting spruced up and the flower boxes are beginning to bloom. The retail sector in particular is getting ready for its busiest time of the year. It’s a time to think about the Galway experience for visitors and Galwegians alike. What makes the visitors return and the Galwegians stay loyal?

Customer service is one reason. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. To make a business profitable, customers must come back. Good customer service is about sending customers away happy and then bringing them back. Satisfied customers tell others. In the retail circle the customer is at the centre. With this in mind and as part of Galway Chamber’s ongoing efforts to offer business enhancing events to members and their guests we are running a full programme of events for SME (small and medium enterprises) week this year from May 24 to 28.

As part of SME week on Monday May 24th from 8.30 am to 10.30 am in the Chamber offices we are hosting a Customer Service Seminar. This event, free to attend, will feature Dr. Aidan Daly of NUIG, an authority on Customer Service whose background in business before joining the Marketing Department in NUIG in 1982 places him in an ideal position to share his ‘Five Step Approach to Managing Consistent Customer Service’ with attendees. This event will also feature Galway Chamber’s three female ambassadors, Judy Greene of Judy Greene Pottery; Liz Cassidy of Irish Time Design and Audrey Kinahan of University Pharmacy who will share their experiences related to customer service. This is an ideal opportunity for all businesses dealing with the public especially in the retail sector to add value to their customer service offering before the summer season. Contact Elaine on 091 563536 to reserve a place.

And still speaking of retail, GMIT offer a Bachelor of Business Degree in Retail and Customer Service Management which is a particularly relevant and innovative idea. The course aims to provide learners with the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for a management career in a retail organisation and subjects include everything from customer care to management and finance to communications and marketing and everything in between. The interesting part of this degree course is that there is a full module of work placement for three months in the retail industry during semester 5 of the degree programme. This is a really good example of an academic institution educating for the real world. For further details contact Cáit Noone at the School of Hotel and Catering Studies at GMIT.

And finally, on the subject of Customer Service, if your business fits any of the categories in Galway’s Best Awards, why not enter the awards. Launched by the Central Park Group, in association with Heineken, Galway’s Best Awards 2010 aim to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County.
The initiative is supported by Fáilte Ireland and Galway Chamber. The awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. Businesses that fall under any of the named categories are invited to log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com and enter their business; which then will be put to a public vote over the summer period in order to find the ‘best’ in each group. The closing date for entries is Monday 24th May at 5pm.

Galway Independent Column - May 5th 2010

2010-06-24T14:56:00.001+01:00

In Galway Chamber’s Pre-Budget Submission to Government prior to the last Budget, we stated that Government needs to reform its system of funding for Local Government. There are many reasons for this, not just the decline in construction activity and its effect on revenues derived by local authorities from development contributions.

We proposed some specific measures including a more broadly based sectorally inclusive system of funding for Local Government, Rates increases must be reduced or at the very least capped at current levels. Commercial Rates, as a tax on business, are a tax on job creation and entrepreneurship.

There must be value for taxes paid at a local level (€32 million to be levied in rates in Galway City in 2010), for example, a direct tax credit against actual rates paid and inequity in location must be addressed in terms of Commercial Rates where centres of critical mass are being penalized.

One of our proposals in the document was to cut the Local Authority paybill through a ‘back office’ rationalisation plan for activities such as HR, IT and Finance Administration ie both City and County Councils using the same back office function. This occurs every day in the private sector as business struggle to survive.

This has come to the fore again recently where the Galway City Manager recently referred to the problem of Rates collection as being paramount to the difficulties the City Council is experiencing in balancing its books. As a business organisation, whose members are struggling to pay rates (particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors), an extra tax on the business community for which many people feel they get nothing in return, Galway Chamber would again encourage the City Council to examine the possibility of amalgamating certain functions with the County Council. Costs as well as revenues must be examined as arguably, the City Council has more control over costs. This would appear to be worthy of consideration before threatening legal action.

This idea is currently getting a lot of airplay in Limerick where the Boundary Commission Report instigated by Minister Gormley has generated responses such as ‘not an inch’ from at least one local elected representative on its proposal to extend the Limerick City boundary into Clare.

An Taisce in Limerick has gone so far as to propose a regional authority or a region with a unified authority involving Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary County Councils. This view of amalgamation to promote cost saving is not the preserve of local government…this week there appears to be emerging consensus in ongoing discussions on the future of the Irish Catholic Church that there are too many dioceses with four archbishops and 25 bishops. It appears that the diocesan structures in Ireland were established in 1111 and if that tradition is being examined then perhaps Local Government should be too.

Welcome the Green Shoots

2010-06-24T14:54:00.000+01:00

It was a pleasure to attend Thermo King’s celebrations last week A tour of the plant was followed by a mini-expo featuring energy efficient products and services from the facility and other local companies. The award winning Thermo King Galway site, at the leading edge of environmentally friendly design and manufacture of transport refrigeration equipment, has been part of the Galway business community since 1976.
As part of the Galway celebration, Transitions Optical was presented with the Trane Energy Efficiency Leader Award in honor of its demonstrated commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. The plant in Tuam recently completed upgrades to its buildings that are generating €144,000 in annual energy savings and reduced the energy required to produce each lens by 50 percent.
The new Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at Ingersoll Rand (CEES) was also announced by the company. Thermo King are former winners of the Galway Chamber Business Awards Environmental Category in 2005 and 2009.
Tim Folan, Environmental Officer at the Mervue Plant does incredible work with his team and the buy in to the environmental programme at the plant is palpable. Also very good news for Thermo King is that the 450 workers in Mervue are back to a five day week having been working a three day week since January 2009.
These good signs, now universally known as ‘green shoots’ have made a welcome appearance in Galway recently. It’s great to hear that Cisco have now increased their workforce to 140 employees while Avaya have advertised in the local press for 73 people. This is all positive and we welcome it. We also welcome next weekend’s International Association of Language Centres (IALC) Conference and Workshop which, as the biggest EFL conference to be held in Ireland, will bring 200 visitors to Galway and will generate over €400,000 for the local economy. We wish Celestine Rowland and David Niland of the Galway Cultural Institute and the Galway Business School every success with the event. Our conference business not only creates revenue for Galway but it showcases our city both nationally and internationally.
More good stories…Galway Chamber is pleased to partner with the recently launched Galway’s Best Awards. Central Park Group, in association with Heineken, has launched Galway’s Best Awards 2010 in a quest to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County.
The initiative is supported by Fáilte Ireland and the Galway Chamber. The awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. Businesses that fall under any of the named categories are invited to log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com and enter their business; which then will be put to a public vote over the summer period in order to find the ‘best’ in each group.
The closing date for entries is Monday 24th May at 5pm. To enter your business or for more information, log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com.

Wildly modern, iconic, beautiful…

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A recent visit to Dublin included a visit to the new Grand Canal Square and Theatre. This new district was beautiful, elegant, functional and a jewel in Dublin’s crown. It’s a stones throw away from the also new, and opening in September, National Convention Centre accessed by the Samuel Beckett Bridge opened a year ago. These wildly modern, iconic, large scale developments sit well with their more established neighbours along the quays and into the docklands and outline a progressive, open vision of a confident city.

With plans on the table for development in Galway of both Ceannt Station and our own docklands what sort of vision do we want for Galway? Do we want to raise the bar with modern, iconic statement co-existing with our city’s built heritage or do we want to play it safe…Most of us don’t get the opportunity to shape our city’s future, or at least we think we don’t. However, there are certain opportunities for the public to have input and to make our views known.

The Draft City Development Plan 2011 – 2017 has been on public display since early February. Submissions may be made until next Wednesday. The City Development Plan is an important document which will affect our city for the next six years. It will affect us in areas such as zoning, amenities, renewal and development, water, sewage, waste, accommodation services and other services to the community. Its basically a blueprint for the planning and development of Galway city for the next six years. You can read the Draft by logging onto the Galway City Council website on www.galwaycity.ie

Submissions or observations may be made to the Draft City Development Plan in writing up to Wednesday 21st of April at 16.00 hours. These submissions may be made to the Senior Planner, Planning Department, City Hall or by email to the same closing date and time to devplan@galwaycity.ie All submissions should be marked Draft Galway City Development Plan and should state the name of the person making the submission and where relevant the organisation or body represented.