Media Archive

Galway Chamber Business Awards 2009

The Galway Chamber Business Awards 2009 were presented at a gala President's Dinner in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill on Thursday night. Sponsored by Vhi Healthcare the awards celebrated excellence among Galway Chamber member companies. 320 attendees including Mayor of Galway Councillor Declan McDonnell, celebrated with the nominees in each of the eight categories.

President of Galway Chamber Paul Shelly, in his address to guests on the night said  that for the past 200 years Galway Chamber has been part of the fabric of commercial life in this city:

‘Through good times and bad we have supported business and lobbied for the betterment of business in Galway. The way we do that may have changed but the issues on which we lobby remain the same.

Galway Chamber's mission statement is ‘to make Galway the leading location for business, investment and people'. We will only succeed in this if we are united in purpose, take on the challenges, support our jobs and act to implement a shared vision for our city.'

Speaking on behalf of Vhi Healthcare, main sponsors, Tom Brennan Regional Manager, Connaught said:

 ‘Vhi  Healthcare is delighted to be involved with Galway Chamber in recognising the achievement of excellence within the Galway business community.  I'm particularly pleased that the Awards this year include a new category - Corporate Social Responsibility - which recognises the efforts made by businesses to improve the quality of life here in Galway through sustainable and community-friendly business practices'.

The after dinner speaker was John Concannon, Director of Regional Development, Failte Ireland who spoke of the Volvo Stopover in Galway, its implications for tourism and its legacy. He also shared a stirring DVD of clips from the coverage of the stopover in Galway.

Traditional music set the scene for the event on the terrace of the Galway Bay Hotel and the formalities were followed by entertainment with The Timbertramps.

The Winners

The Eight Category winners announced at the Galway Chamber Business Awards in association with Vhi Healthcare were:

Enterprise & Innovation
Sponsored by RDJ Glynn Solicitors
iRadio represented by Rena Maycock

Customer Service
Sponsored by Galway Airport
Glenlo Abbey represented by Brian Bourke

Arts/Culture/Sport
Sponsored by Failte Ireland
Galway Arts Centre and Cúirt represented by Craig Stephens

Environment
Sponsored by Galway City Council
Thermo King represented by Tim Folan

Small & Medium Enterprises
Sponsored by Galway City Tribune
Lynx Transport & Logistics represented by Enda McDonnell

Marketing
Sponsored by Discover Galway
Galway Airport represented by Joe Walsh
(see picture above)

eBusiness
Sponsored by the Galway Technology Centre and eGalway
Anthony Ryan's Homestore represented by Anthony Ryan and Kevin Murray

Corporate Social Responsibility
Sponsored by the Irish Greyhound Board
Boston Scientific represented by Siobhan Kearney Casey

The Overall Winner

And the overall winner on the night was Lynx Transport and Logistics. The overall award was accepted by a delighted Enda McDonnell, Company Operations Manager from President Paul Shelly and Tony McSweeny, Director of Individual and Corporate Business Vhi Healthcare, main sponsors of the Galway Chamber Business Awards.

Lynx Transport was established as a two man delivery service between Galway and Dublin in 1985 and has expanded into one of the leading supply chain specialists in Ireland. Lynx Logistics set up in 1997 and with the establishment of Palltrans Ltd in 2004 gives Lynx customers access to 250 vehicles on the island of Ireland. 25 years on, Lynx uses the newest web based technology to offer clients state of the art transport and logistics.