West Cork’s best business asset is our people

This article originally appeared in our special 28-page WEST CORK BUSINESS & TOURISM AWARDS magazine which is free in this week's Southern Star. Get your copy in shops across West Cork or online via the Southern Star digital edition ➡️  www.southernstar.ie/epaper

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BY SEÁN MAHON

WHEN I last wrote this column it was just before our last West Cork Business & Tourism Awards in November 2019.

At the time who could have foreseen that, due to Covid, it would be three years until our next awards. However, I wrote then that business in West Cork was in good health and I’m delighted to report that even after three years of disruption and some huge challenges, business in West Cork is still thriving!

How do I know this? I was privileged to attend the awards ‘Pitch Night’ back in December last year (superbly hosted by AIB). Alongside everyone else in the room I was blown away by our finalists - local business people that came from all over West Cork and from all types of businesses - to present their three minute ‘elevator pitch’ to a packed room which included the judges as well as their fellow finalists.

On display at the ‘Pitch Night’ was passion, creativity, ingenuity, innovation and collegiality from businesses that were big and small, new and established. Some employ one or two people and some employ hundreds.

It really was a fantastic evening, where our finalists delivered their presentations, networked with each other and ultimately made the judge’s job of picking winners a whole lot harder.

Ultimately, success in business comes down to one thing … great people! In West Cork we have such an eclectic mix of people launching, developing, diversifying and running businesses.

Some of them have a vision, some of them take risks, some of them follow their dream when others are saying it will never work.

These are the people and the businesses that we should celebrate, the ones who create local employment, who contribute to our local (and national) economy and who help promote the West Cork brand’ through their products and services.

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This article originally appeared in our special 28-page WEST CORK BUSINESS & TOURISM AWARDS magazine which is free in this week's Southern Star. Get your copy in shops across West Cork or online via the Southern Star digital edition ➡️  www.southernstar.ie/epaper

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West Cork is a melting pot of entrepreneurial and business talent where homegrown ideas blended with ideas from around the world come together, where people like to think and act a little differently, and as a result often create a work/life balance which is good for themselves, good for business and good for their employees.

I would like to thank Cork County Council for their continued support of the West Cork Business & Tourism Awards as our awards partner for the third year and also for their commitment to helping develop and support local businesses across West Cork through their Local Enterprise Offices, their experienced advisors and their range of other business supports that are in place.

Thank you also to all of our awards category sponsors for your valued support too, AIB, Fáilte Ireland, Carbery, Access Credit Union, Collins Brooks Solicitors, Blackwater Motors, MasterKabin, Lilly and Cork Airport.

Thank you to our judges, Rose Carroll, Head of Tourism, Cork County Council, Deirdre O’Mahony, Senior Enterprise Development Office, Cork County Council, Paul Di Rollo, Glentree Furniture and Stephen Rowe, Branch Manager, AIB Clonakilty.

A big thank you too to my wonderful team at The Southern Star who do a superb job delivering these awards across all aspects of our operation – editorial, marketing, web/social media/email, video, design, print, sponsorship, finance – there’s a huge amount of work involved and a lot of people behind the scenes.

Thank you also to Sandra Maybury who came on board as our awards project manager this year and has done a superb job.

Finally, my biggest thanks must go to all the businesses that entered this year’s awards.

Thank you for taking the time to enter and I wish you all every success in the future.

Seán Mahon is the Managing Director of Southern Star Media.