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Ballygarvan firm gets quality mark

January 12th, 2019 7:15 AM

By Southern Star Team

Ciara Cross of Wedding Dates receiving All-Ireland Business Foundation All-Star accreditation at Croke Park from Dr Briga Hynes of the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick and Minister of State for Trade, Employment and Business, Pat Breen. (Pic Conor McCabe).

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A Ballygarvan company is one of the first businesses in the country to achieve a new quality mark signifying that it meets the highest standards of service and trust.

A BALLYGARVAN company is one of the first businesses in the country to achieve a new quality mark signifying that it meets the highest standards of service and trust.

Ballygarvan-based Wedding Dates, which helps couples plan for the big day, has been awarded the coveted All-Ireland Business All-Star accreditation – an independently verified standard mark for indigenous businesses, based on rigorous selection criteria.

The accreditation is overseen by the All-Ireland Business Foundation, whose adjudication panel is chaired by Dr Briga Hynes of the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick and Kieran Ring of the Global Institute of Logistics.

Dr Hynes said the accreditation, which is now held by 200 firms, is needed by the thousands of small and medium businesses out there who operate to their own standards, but have nothing to measure them by.

‘It provides very important credible and transparent benchmarking that hasn’t been available up to now, allowing companies to very clearly understand where they are versus their competitors,’ she said.

‘We evaluate a company’s background, trustworthiness and performance, and we speak to customers, employees and vendors.

‘We also anonymously approach the company as a customer and report back on the experience.

‘The business goes through at least two interviews and is scored on every part of the process against set metrics.

‘Internally, this process gives confidence to the organisation, allows them to leverage their advantages and identify areas that they need to improve in, particularly in innovation and product development.’

The All-Ireland Business Foundation will be responsible for identifying and accrediting best-in-class Irish businesses, overseeing both the awards and ongoing accreditation, promoting peer dialogue, in addition to hosting the All-Ireland Business Summit on May 1st and 2nd.

It will also create an active community of progressive businesses and ambitious business leaders who work together and openly share knowledge.

At a Croke Park presentation event recently, Minister of State for Trade, Employment and Business, Pat Breen, said the commitment to quality of the small to medium enterprise sector was critical to the Irish economy.

‘Ireland has the fastest growing economy in Europe and one of the fastest rates of business start-ups,’ said Minister Breen.

‘Small to medium enterprises make up 99% of Irish businesses and their importance to the Irish economy can never be understated.’

Further details available at businessallstars.ie

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