Growth Commitments by Antrim and Newtownabbey Businesses Set to Deliver £1.8million into the Local Economy
Pictured (L-R) are Councillor Mark Cooper, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council; Ashleigh Averell, Managing Director, iBrandEverything; Leeann Saunders, Managing Director, QualCom Managed Services Ltd; Louise Brogan, CEO, Louise Brogan Ltd; Steven Norris, Deputy Director of Economic Development, Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council; Susan O’Kane, Eastern Regional Manager, Invest Northern Ireland; Karl Conlon, Technical Director, Novogen Engineering Solutions Ltd; Michael McKenna, Deputy Director of Investment and Business Development.
Seven companies from the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area are investing for the future by expanding into new markets and creating 27 new jobs, leading to a £1.8million investment in the local economy.
Qualcom Managed Services Ltd, Louise Brogan Ltd, iBrandEverything Ltd, NovoGen Engineering Solutions Ltd, Ammlee Group International Ltd, Ross Companies and Mouldtec are all taking part in Invest Northern Ireland’s Ambition to Grow programme. Together they aim to grow their sales in Great Britain to over £1.2million and increase exports to European markets by over £1m.
The companies are from a range of sectors, including Creative & Digital Technologies, Manufacturing, Construction, Advanced Engineering and Future Technologies.
We are delighted to be able to work with these seven companies and support them to make their growth ambitions a reality. In turn these companies will bring vital investment into the local economy through increased productivity, sales outside Northern Ireland and new jobs.
Susan O’Kane, Eastern Regional Manager, Invest Northern Ireland
Susan O’Kane, Eastern Regional Manager for Invest NI, said: “The Ambition to Grow programme offers support to innovative, ambitious Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) seeking to sell into new markets. It offers support to small businesses across all of Northern Ireland. It provides advice and guidance to SME companies to develop export plans and financial assistance towards new jobs and marketing outside NI.
“We are delighted to be able to work with these seven companies and support them to make their growth ambitions a reality. In turn these companies will bring vital investment into the local economy through increased productivity, sales outside Northern Ireland and new jobs.
“It’s great to build relationships with new businesses in the area, many of which have availed of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s support programmes and now moved onto Invest NI for further support. We work closely with the Council to boost economic growth in the region, and we know that this programme is already having a positive impact on the local area.”
It is through initiatives like these that our community thrives, and I look forward to seeing the continued success and positive impact these businesses bring to our Borough.
Councillor Mark Cooper BEM, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
The support offered to each company is not solely financial. Each company has a Client Executive to offer advice and coaching as well as regular group networking sessions on topics such as leadership and exporting.
Leeann Saunders, Managing Director for Qualcom Managed Services Ltd, said: “We were delighted to secure a place on the first cohort of the Ambition to Grow programme. Since joining the programme last year, we have learned so much from the team at Invest NI, and from the other companies. We now have a clear plan for how to grow our business into new markets, and thanks to the financial assistance through Ambition to Grow we have been able to grow our team to do this.”
Welcoming the investments in the Borough, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Mark Cooper BEM, said: “I am extremely proud that seven companies from our Borough are participating in Invest Northern Ireland’s Ambition to Grow programme, aiming to exceed £1.2m in sales in Great Britain and increase exports to European markets by over £1m. It is through initiatives like these that our community thrives, and I look forward to seeing the continued success and positive impact these businesses bring to our Borough.”
The Ambition to Grow programme re-opens for applications on Monday 5 February with a Going Green initiative, targeting green economy businesses and businesses with a green growth project. The Department for the Economy’s 10x Vision has identified real opportunity for Northern Ireland to benefit from the global drive to address climate change. We aim to support local businesses to be best placed to capitalise on the opportunities associated with green growth.
