News Release -
Grant & Cleary Get “Offaly Good” Send Off to Entrepreneur Final
Offaly’s leading entrepreneurs Stephen Grant and Gerard Cleary, both finalists in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year competition addressed a gathering of over seventy of Offaly business people in Birr Technology Centre on Thursday last, October 18th.
The event which was organised by Shannon Development was aimed at local businesses and companies operating in the County. Denis Duggan of Shannon Development said that “It was a great opportunity for Offaly entrepreneurs, business owners, company managers and the general public to hear the fascinating stories of our leading businessmen. Both Stephen Grant and Gerard Cleary have been recognised by Ernst & Young in this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. In Shannon Development, we are delighted that such a large gathering of business people came to hear both Stephen & Gerard tell of their experiences in business. We wish them both the very best of luck in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year final on Thursday.”
Stephen Grant is the founder of Grant Engineering Ireland Limited which he started in 1977 near Birr, County Offaly to design, manufacture and supply a wide range of efficient heating products. From an initial factory size of 1500sq ft with 20 employees and manufacturing the Twin Pass Back Boiler for domestic use, the company’s product range and output has grown to require a 75,000sq ft factory facility in Crinkle and now employs 200 in Ireland and 60 in the UK. Grant Engineering has an annual turnover of €40million. The Company has recently expanded and now includes solar panels and a variety of boiler types.
Gerard Cleary leads Glenisk Dairies based in Killeigh, Tullamore which is Ireland’s largest organic fresh dairy products. Established in 1987 by Cleary’s father John, he inherited the business in 1995 and within a year, in response to the demands of a growing market, developed it into a fully organic business. The company has built a strong reputation of providing a range of healthy dairy products throughout Ireland including; organic milk, goat’s milk and yogurts. In 2006 Glenisk teamed with Stonyfield Europe, co-owned by US based Stonyfield Farm and Paris based Danone Group. The business agreement has expanded their distribution chain to Tesco, Sainsbury and Wholefoods stores in the UK. The company employs 35 staff.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year final takes place in City West Hotel on Thursday evening, October 25th. The Awards final will be televised on RTE 1 at 10.45 p.m. on Thursday night.
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