Tag Archives: Shannon Chamber

WORKERS at Shannon companies took to their bicycles last week to celebrate World Bicycle Day, marking Shannon’s inaugural participation in this celebration of the humble two-wheeler. This unique lunchtime event was organised on Wednesday, June 5 by Shannon Chamber in conjunction with Shannon Municipal District and Fine Grain Property with the support of Shannon Town Centre, HSE, CoMotion, Clare Sports Partnership and The Bike Doc, Ballycasey. CoMotion operate the shared bicycle scheme in Shannon, and most of those taking part availed of an offer to use their electric bikes free of charge. The cyclists wove their way from Shannon Free Zone, across the pedestrian overpass on the N19, onto Drumgeely Road and into Shannon Town Centre. Shannon Municipal District staff took up marshal positions along the route to ensure cyclist safety. The cyclists stopped off at the Town Centre for a light lunch, free health checks provided by HSE staff, bike repair advice from Ballycasey-based The Bike Doc, and ice …

ERIN Hooban is the new chair of Shannon Chamber’s Human Resources Forum. Ms Hooban is Group HR manager with Enva, and has significant experience working within manufacturing environments and is vastly experienced in interacting with a diverse range of clientele from business leaders to operations including a global HR team. She has been a member of the Chamber’s HR Forum since its formation in 2017 and replaces Caroline O’Brien chief people officer with Shannon Engine Support (SES) Ltd., who held the chair in 2022. The purpose of the forum is to create the space, time, and an environment to support the thinking, reflection, sharing of ideas, best practices, and planning for the future of strategic HR. Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes said, “Ms Hooban has the ideal credentials to steer the HR Forum in 2023. She is conversant with strategic and operational HR activities and will use her unique leadership skills to take the forum on a new trajectory. “With …

SHANNON Chamber is joining forces with the Mid-West Regional Skills Forum and Modular Automation to host an event that will showcase the wide range of Government-funded flexible learning courses available in the region. The event will be held in Modular Automation in Shannon on Thursday, September 22 from 9.30am to 12.30pm. The event is free of charge to attend but online booking is required via Shannon Chamber’s website www.shannonchamber.ie/events-training Its purpose is to ensure that that the Mid-West region continues to have a highly skilled and trained workforce, given that talent is now the determining factor for companies to maintain competitiveness. Launching the event, Mid-West Regional Skills Forum manager Joe Leddin said: “Lifelong learning is not new; however, what is new is the rapid pace of change in technology with career pathways less defined. “This event will give people working in Shannon the opportunity to meet with representatives from the University of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology, Limerick and Clare …

TRADE and investment links between the Shannon Region and Canada were highlighted when Shannon Chamber held a briefing for the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, Nancy Smyth on a visit to the town. Local company Tekelek outlined how the Canadian market is a significant growth area for its sensor solutions and components which serve a vast range of industries, including oil, gas, water, waste water and agri-food. Demand has greatly increased, particularly in the Alberta area according to Sean Ganley, Chief Sales Officer. Tekelek has over five million sensors deployed in the field and employs 40 people in Shannon. The Ambassador was also briefed on inward investment into the Shannon Region from Canada. Dermot Whelan and Tammy Jerome of Limerick-based, Canadian company, Bath Fitter, outlined how the family-owned firm decided to locate in Limerick three years ago to develop Irish, UK and European markets for its bath and bathroom remodelling products.  “With over 250 locations in North America, the company saw …

Shannon Chamber was named as the winner of the ‘Most Successful Policy Campaign’ category in Chambers Ireland’s Awards 2022. The awards, hosted by Chambers Ireland, recognise the work of chambers of commerce throughout the country in supporting local, regional, and national business. The announcement was made at the awards ceremony in Dublin. Shannon Chamber’s entry into this category was the preparation of the business case for a multi-annual, fully funded regional air access recovery and growth action plan, which was presented to Government. The business case was prepared by Shannon Chamber in collaboration with the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), and supported by Ennis, Limerick, and Galway Chambers. The objective of this policy campaign was to demonstrate that, while the funding allocated by Government to support Irish airports up to 2021 was welcome, a reform of funding strategy would be needed in the future. The collective business and hospitality representative grouping wanted the Government to consider providing three forms of sustained …

SIXMILEBRIDGE haulier Eoin Gavin is the new President of Shannon Chamber. He succeeds outgoing president Stephen Keogh, managing partner of Sellors LLP, who served a two-year term as president. Mr Gavin set up Eoin Gavin Transport in 1998. The company now exports/imports products for a wide range of customers in diverse sectors to markets in Ireland, the UK, Europe and worldwide. A director of Shannon Chamber since 2018, Mr Gavin has contributed greatly to the work of the Chamber. As a member of its Transport Committee, he played a key role in lobbying for new transport links between Ireland and mainland Europe, post Brexit.  He also called for changes in the processing of customs documentation to alleviate the delays experienced by hauliers and freight forwarders in transporting goods from Ireland to the United Kingdom in early 2021 and appeared before the Oireachtas Committee for Transport and Communications to present the case for change.  Mr Gavin was also a member of …

IN light of the current labour market crisis, Shannon Chamber has sought answers on delays in securing work permits for non-EEA nationals. A request was made by members of Shannon Chamber’s HR Forum to meet with Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English TD, to discuss labour market matters. Minister English was able to assure them that delays being experienced in the processing of employment permits for non-EEA nationals were being reduced. The meeting arranged through Deputy Joe Carey, which was held virtually, enabled Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes and members of the HR Forum to discuss these issues in person with Minister English and officials from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The minister acknowledged that the delays to employment permit processing times are not acceptable. He said, “We experienced a significant increase in applications for employment permits in the past year, impacting on processing times. “From the start of January to the end of …

THE social nature of Covid-related behaviour was the topic of a fascinating webinar delivered to Shannon Chamber members. “How people (mis)perceive risk, how they respond to symptoms of the disease, the impact of campaign reminders, behavioural impacts of blended working, and wellbeing, were just some of the issues addressed by Professor Pete Lunn. The founder and head of the Behavioural Research Unit (BRU) at the ESRI was addressing a recent Shannon Chamber webinar, supported by Adare Human Resource Management. As a member of the Behavioural Change Subgroup of NPHET and the Department of Health’s Communications and Behavioural Advisory Committee, Professor Lunn’s team have conducted multiple behavioural studies for the Department of Health and the Department of the Taoiseach, designed to support compliance with public health guidance and to improve public communication. Advising organisations to factor in the great variability in how people handle uncertainty, he said it was crucially important to ensure that employees understand and can clearly see the …