President Address to 115th Chamber AGM

25^th June, 2009

This is effectively my end of term report for year one of my presidency 2008/2009 module. In my business life as General Manager and Director of Murphy Environmental we produce an Annual Report and I insert a fore word for the reader summarising our year just ended. However we don’t have such a formal structure, or in depth report for the AGM address but I would like to focus on the work we have done in your name as members of the Chamber and the people who have done that work on your behalf.

Objectives I set out at that AGM of 2008 for my term as President

• To raise the profile of the Chamber locally and nationally whenever the opportunity and the appropriate issue was available to me
• To increase the membership of the Chamber
• To increase our lobbying power and resources.
• To add value to the Chambers membership for the membership
• To work with other stakeholders in the community to ensure that we get appropriate recognition for the business community and the wider community that makes up Drogheda and District.
• To reach out to include more businesses and relate to more business interests in our area
• To become a more representative and more inclusive Chamber of Commerce
• To promote recognition of those people and businesses that are good and great in the area
• To bring a modern and user friendly Chamber facility to the members for the members benefit
• To support as many of our members in the execution of our representation as possible throughout the year

 These objectives could be summarised in one phrase:

Positive Action for Positive Outcomes

I want to draw attention to our wonderful Council members all of whom give their time on a voluntary basis to serve the local business community. They are drawn from a wide range of businesses and expertise and giving their time freely and without any compensation or for a large part any recognition. As President I am the face of the Chamber for the term of my office – The Council is the body of the Chamber, the Sub-Committee members are the heart of the Chamber and the members themselves – that is you that is all of us - are the soul of the Chamber the essence of its being and its ethos

The Council

For your reference I want you to know the various authorities and bodies that our Council members sit on, on your behalf:-

• Eugene Kierans – Tourism Committee Valley/Strategic Planning - Water Rates/ Finance Committee/Enterprise Committee/Drogheda Partnership/Rathmullen Drop In Centre
• Jim Corcoran – Chair Retail Committee/Drogheda Partnership/Drogheda Telesales/Drogheda Employment/Drogheda Tidy Towns
• Paul Lappin – Council Secretary/Finance Committee/Resource Centre for Full Employment/Louth County Enterprise Board/Louth County Enterprise Fund
• Graham O’Rourke – Chairman of the Enterprise Dev Project/ Member of the DEF and Member of the LEF/Finance Committee/ Strategic Planning Committee/Louth Leader/Louth Leader Partnership/Droicheada Arts Centre
• Mark Markey – Finance Chairman/Member of the DEF/Enterprise Dev Committee/
• Cathal Hanratty – Events & Marketing Committee Chairman
• Denise Fay – Events Committee Member/ Chairperson of the Strategic Planning Committee
• Rory Scott – Tourism Chairman/Events Committee Member/Irish Hotels Federation
• Mark Munro - Events Committee/ Enterprise Development Committee
• Mick McCarthy – Council Member
• Gavin Collins – Tourism Chairman prior to Rory
• Fran Caffrey – Council Member
• Karen Devine – Chair Events Committee/Board of DIFE/DEF Committee/Ageing Well Network

Outgoing Council Members

I would like to thank Rory Scott, Gavin Collins and Fran Caffrey all of whom are stepping down from Council this year for their tremendous support and work during this time!

The Sub-Committees

I would also like to recognise the work of our sub-committees: Finance, Tourism, Marketing and Events, Strategic Planning and Retail. Thank you all for your immense work in each of these respective areas.

The Chamber Staff

Business Services Manager:  Karen Devine

At the helm of the day to day business of the Chamber – briefing the Council – the President – the media – the local authorities – the rest of the team at the Chamber – planning the detail of the events – managing the work of the staff and delivering the quality product that we want to issue for and on behalf of our members at each and every opportunity. Keeping abreast of what is relevant to the Chamber and the policies we wish to pursue and promote. Reads herself and then us into the myriad briefs that land on the desk and affect our business members, engages with all the people we need to keep in touch with and all the issues we need to keep abreast of. Acts as PA to the President frequently and helps the President to present herself, on time in the right location with the right information for the right people. Karen acts as a sounding board for ideas and innovation – liaises with Chambers Ireland – other individual Chambers and other Local and State organisations on behalf of the Chamber.

Business Development Executive:  Sarah Gardiner

No increase in fees for 2009  – want more bang for our buck and want to grow the membership, enhance the offering that we bring to the members and deliver the best product we can at each and every opportunity for our members our supporters and our Area. Sarah deals each week with the Shop Local Campaign – secures our sponsors so we can run good quality events for the members at minimal cost or no cost according to the realities of the event itself

Office Administrator:  Marian Caddell

Marian is the eyes and ears for the Chamber and the President bringing the needs of the members to the attention of the President and the Council. Running the office administration and dealing with the front line queries, managing the diary of the Chamber boardroom, the certificates of Origin for export companies, the correspondence of the Chamber to and from its members and all other parties that we interact with. Providing the information link with the Council members the Sub-Committees, the President and most important of all the members.

So back to my own report at the end of year one of my Presidency. You may wonder what has gone on during that year?

• I have attended over 100 events, launches, or other significant achievements held by members of this Chamber in their businesses assisting them to promote those businesses at which the President has attended to add our support and help to promote those businesses and their achievements – an average of two per week since I took office in fact.
• July – along with the then President Eugene Kierans and Council member Mark Markey we attended at the Borough Council to address the joint oreachtas committee on Economic Development
• September – Meet & Greet with the Local Authorities at Scholars Restaurant
• September – Launched the Business Awards for 2008 here at the d Hotel
• September – Open meeting inviting all retailers to attend at the West Court Hotel
• October – Secured agreement from Enterprise Ireland for 0.5 million funding for an enterprise building to assist start up and step up businesses locally
• October – Honouring Dr. Tom Costello at the Chamber and then at a formal lunch at Scholars Restaurant
• November – Secured a representation on the County Development Board for the Chamber for the first time ever so we could have a voice in the decisions made at County Level that affect us at local level
• November – DBEA held on 8^th November at Boyne Valley Hotel & Country Club with Derek Davis as the host
• November – Chambers Ireland Awards where we were delighted to accompany the Drogheda Borough Council who were finalists in the Local Authority Categories
• November – Secured a commitment to provide a site for the Enterprise Building from the Borough Council
• December – our first Chamber Christmas Lunch held at the d’Hotel where we were to be joined by Bertie Ahern T.D. however we actually managed to secure the voluntary services of our very own Dragon Gavin Duffy, we heard the beautiful Drogheda Male Voice Choir and we shipped in at the very last minute the extremely funny Alan Shortt who gave us Bertie, Brian, Michael Noonan and many more familiar faces to amuse us
• December – The Christmas Lights were switched on by the Mayor and the President was there to represent the retailers who work so hard all year around to deliver this magnificent spectacle for the businesses and people of Drogheda especially Niall Kierans and Kevin McAllister
• December – launched the Drop the VAT campaign and lobbied the Ministers for Finance – the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment to get something done about the cross border exodus to shop
• January – the President was invited by the County Manager to sit on the committee of the newly designed Louth Economic Forum which is to deliver the objectives for Louth identified in the Indecon Economic and Strategic Survey another Council Member sits on that committee as well GOR – as part of that initiative a Drogheda Economic Forum was also devised and is Chaired by the President and two other Chamber Council members sit on that committee
• January – Success Against the Odds with Adrian Birrell the Irish Cricket Team Coach and Eamon Gilmore Leader of the Labour Party (d’Hotel)
• February KPMG Managing in Turbulent times a seminar to address the fiscal management of your business brought to you by one of the country’s leading finance advisors at City North Hotel
• March – WWLBE with Guest of Honour Mary Ann O’Brien of Lily O’Briens and the Jack and Jill Foundation where we honoured women in this locality for the way they lead by example in the work that they do under FOUR categories.
• March – Shop Local Campaign Launched in conjunction with the Drogheda Independent – huge success and rolling on well into its second run with literally thousands of participants piling in their entries every week and good news business stories accompanying these draws and competitions each week
• April – Connect 4 Lunch on the topic of Marketing on a low budget presented by Denise Fay, one of our Council members and owner of Achieve Marketing.
• May – Speed Networking in the Highlanes Gallery at the Andersons Cafι this event was revived by popular demand having been off the agenda for a year or so and we were treated to some of the delicacies available at the Andersons Cafι and we were really impressed with what we saw
• May – lodged the plans for the Enterprise Building with the Borough Council. They are available to view on the Chamber website, at the Chamber office or in the foyer of the Borough Council office.
• June – Meeting and Greeting with the newly elected Borough Councillors and the Louth and County Meath Councillors and other Local Authority stakeholders and business leaders and stakeholders including the Meath County Manager and the Chairman of the Louth Economic Development Forum Padraic White – this event was held at Eastern Seaboard in Bryanstown

Other activities:-

• We have engaged with heads of the Labour Party, Green Party, Fine Gael – Fianna Fail invited them all to functions hosted by the Chamber of Commerce to address the members
• Held the Connect 4 Lunch meeting bi-monthly
• Held a Budget Breakfast to accompany each progressively depressing budget and we did those with the incredible generosity and good grace of the Boyne Valley Hotel and Michael and Richard McNamara and their team – the equally incredible and voluntary assistance of Gail McEvoy who delivers her expert summary in easy to understand language.
• Launched the Drogheda Economic Development Forum.

What will happen in the next 12 months? I have mentioned this before and I will refer to it again

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. I can report we have had many opportunities since July last year. When you are faced with these opportunities you can as the saying goes see the difficulty or see the opportunity. We are all having a hard time of it in business and anyone who tells you any different is not telling you the truth or is about to get a horrible shock.

Business people don’t enter business because they think it is going to be easy. They don’t survive in business because they are not afraid of hard work and hard times Even those who are willing to work hard and live through hard times may not all survive

Those who do not need to remember something that we in Ireland are all to quick to forget – there is no shame in trying and failing – only in failing to try I would like to believe that every time we hear of someone closing up in these current economic circumstances we each of us say – hard luck but better luck next time – support each other and wish one another well because we all need support and especially now more than ever.

We have a tendency in Ireland to think that failure is shameful and that we should be ashamed – we need to dispel this myth. We need to support each other, stay strong together, work together and unite behind each other to survive this current difficult time.

Being a member of this Chamber is one way to help achieve that. This is a simple numbers game the more of us there are the stronger our voice becomes, the greater notice is taken of what we say and do. We achieve more when we work together and fight together for the things we need as a business community.

Drogheda and District, and the Drogheda Chamber is a bit like my family in a way it is a diverse bunch of individuals each with their own unique way of viewing things each with a strong personality and conviction that they are right – happy to argue with one another and fight when they feel the need to get their point of view across - but we unite in one strong unit as a force to be reckoned with, especially when threatened by anything outside. With this strength of character and personality of its own that draws from all its aspects and diversity, we have a lot to draw comfort from a lot to be proud of in Drogheda & District and we should continue stay strong, work together, fight together, suceed together. So what do I have to say about the next 12 months – bring it on!