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Minister for Small Business visits Guinness Enterprise Centre where 280+ people are employed in heart of Dublin’s Liberties
· At the end of 2011 GEC originating companies had sales of over €90M and directly employed in excess of 1,000 people
Minister for Small Business, John Perry, this week visited the Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC) in the heart of Dublin’s Liberties*. The Minister was hosted on his visit to the GEC by Professor Frank Roche of UCD Chairman of Dublin Business Innovation Centre (DBIC) and Desmond Fahey CEO of Dublin BIC.
The thriving centre, managed by DBIC is home to over 70 highly innovative start-up companies employing over 280 people.
During his visit Minister Perry said: “The Government places a high priority on supporting entrepreneurship and growing Irish owned business. All types of entrepreneurship are critical to the health of the Irish economy. The Government, with the assistance of Enterprise Ireland (EI) supports entrepreneurs to establish, scale, export successfully, and create jobs. In order to achieve this, Enterprise Ireland’s 10 regional offices work closely with entrepreneurs, local development agencies and local representative bodies offering a wide range of supports for entrepreneurship.
“When it comes to promoting prosperity through job creation, the role of new enterprises can hardly be overstated. Entrepreneurship activity provides the Irish economy with increased levels of innovation in the market place, increased productivity, cost efficiency as well as employment.
“The GEC provides an important range of supports to innovative startup companies and over the last eleven years has supported 491 companies, across a range of technology sectors. Dublin BIC also plays a valuable role by acting as a facilitator to the entrepreneur in finding practical solutions to problems they may face on a day to day basis.
“Entrepreneurship keeps the economy fresh and moving forward. But there is no machine or formula for generating creativity. In providing their services GEC and BIC are enhancing the existing, extensive supports provided by State’s Enterprise Development Agencies. Our role in Government is to provide the right supports, the investments and the incentives that will steer entrepreneurs in the right direction towards fulfilling their potential, achieving success and meaningful job creation.”