Chairman's Report 2009

I am pleased to present the 2009 Annual Report on behalf of Louth County Enterprise Board and reflect on another productive year for the Board and the services it provides to small business in County Louth. It has been a difficult year for small business with Enterprise Board clients suffering a 9% closure rate, with employment reductions to match. The Board has been tailoring its soft support offerings to respond to these challenging times and many companies have availed of the focussed mentoring and support initiatives that we now have in place.

While external funding from SEUPB and Interreg were not available through the year, the Board continued its support for the Creative Industries sector, an initiative which has led to the planned development of an enterprise centre for such entrepreneurs, to be based in Dundalk.

The Board was also keen to maintain its support for women in enterprise, a programme which was originally funded by Cooperation Ireland. Through 2009, this project was funded exclusively by the Board in association with Network Louth, the network for business-women in the County.

The Board has actively supported the various inter-agency fora which have been established to improve County Louth’s position on economic, social and cultural fronts. It welcomes and supports the cooperative efforts of both public and private bodies in achieving these objectives. The Board is also particularly pleased with the support it gets from teachers and students at all three levels of education as it strives to develop an enterprise culture among our young people.

We are indebted to the professionalism of all of our staff and the various contractors who supported us in our efforts and look forward to continuing this good work through 2010. 

Liam Woods
Chairman

Louth County Enterprise Board, Quayside Business Park, Mill Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland. Telephone: +353 42 932 7099 Fax: +353 42 932 7101