TWO Clare companies have been named as finalists in the 2019 Small Firms Association (SFA) National Small Business Awards. Shannon based CalQRisk have been nominated in the Innovator of the Year category while, Get the Shifts, who are also based in Shannon, have received a nomination in the Emerging New Business category.
Thirty eight companies have been selected as finalists, from 14 counties, across eight categories.
The awards prize package for all finalists includes participation in the SFA Business Connect event in February, a strategic management masterclass weekend, as well as broad-ranging national and local media coverage, all valued at €50,000. Finalists also receive five complementary tickets to the gala prize giving ceremony which will take place in the RDS in February 2019 when the category winners and overall winner will be announced. The category winners will be presented with a trophy and free membership of the Small Firms Association for one year. The overall winner will also receive a bursary of €5,000 to present to a charity of their choice. Full details are on the SFA awards website at www.sfa.ie/awards
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.