Western Region
Gerard P. Kilcommins
Vice President Global Vascular
Operations & General Manager
Medtronic Galway Site
Chair American Chamber Western Group
The West remains an extremely attractive location for US companies seeking to invest in Ireland. The region’s youthful demographics, vibrancy, quality of life and positive outlook continue to foster an innovative and constructive atmosphere for business.
The American Chamber of Commerce Western Region represents US companies located in the counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The West is accessible by road, rail and air with air access provided through Galway, Shannon and Knock international airports. On the academic front, the region is very well served. The National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) in Galway City, the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) in Galway City and Castlebar and the Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) cater for a combined student population of 31,000.
There are around 70 US companies located in the Western Region, providing valuable employment to over 12,000 people directly throughout Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Those companies operate in a number of key business sectors e.g the life sciences (primarily medical technologies), information and communication technologies, engineering and international services. There are many thousands more indirect jobs supported by the presence of US multinationals in the region and this investment also forms the customer base for many of the successful indigenous companies in the region. Hence, the direct and indirect contribution of the community of US companies to the health and ongoing development of the area cannot be understated. The American Chamber plays a key role in helping magnify and drive the Western business and investment agenda at a national level and helps promote a business environment that makes it attractive for US companies to locate and invest in the West of Ireland
The strategic priorities for the western region in 2008 included:
- the acceleration of high quality infrastructure investments being delivered in the region under Transport 21;
- a focus on the educational pipeline in order to develop talent to meet the future skills and resource needs of industry in the West;
- increasing further foreign direct investment into the region and retaining existing investments,
- supporting initiatives to develop the West as an economic counter pole to Dublin.
Joining Forces With Others
Since 2006, the American Chamber Western Group has been an important and very active member of the Western Action Group. This group is comprised of a number of other representative bodies such as the Galway Chamber of Commerce, IBEC West, Irish Hotels Federation Galway Branch, Ireland West Tourism and the Information Technology Association of Galway. Collectively, this highly engaged group drives awareness and action around the West’s infrastructure issues. In a classic example of “the whole being greater than the sum of the parts”, the Western Action Group possesses a very powerful unified voice representing the pressing needs of the region. The group is committed to working with local and national Government, and with other regional groups – including those with concerns about these projects – to ensure that the West of Ireland will get maximum economic and social benefit from the opportunities created by the completion of the key infrastructure programmes in the region.
Another collaborative initiative within the region is the support American Chamber West gave to the Mayo Industries Group (MIG) during 2008. MIG’s key focus is to align all business voices in Mayo around securing an investment to upgrade the N5 linking Mayo eastwards with the N4 to Dublin.
Separate to these initiatives, the Western Branch of the American Chamber has a ‘Core Steering Group’ which also meets on a regular basis to ensure the Chamber remains up to date on developments and key issues in the region and to advance the representation where appropriate of all our members in relation to matters around infrastructure, competitiveness, investments, education, etc. I’d like to recognise and thank the American Chamber West Core Group members for their efforts and the time they each give up on behalf of all US multinational members in the West of Ireland. The American Chamber West Core Steering Group make-up is as follows: Michael Connolly (Ingersoll Rand), Chris Coughlan (Hewlett Packard), Ollie Daniels (Nortel), Tom Hyland (Tom Hyland & Associates) and Sean Moran (Baxter).
During 2009, the Western Group will continue to monitor the delivery schedule for the N6 to Athlone and N18 south towards Shannon, sustain the focus on the need for improvements to be made to the N17 and N5 and, in collaboration with local educational institutions, bring renewed attention to the skills needs of the region’s foreign direct investment community. We live in extremely difficult, turbulent and uncertain economic times right now. I am confident that industry in the West of Ireland will continue to thrive if it concentrates on its marketable strengths as the base of some world-class education, Research & Development, high-end manufacturing and commercialisation capabilities. Our region has a natural and unspoilt environment with a vibrant, young, forward-looking workforce that is renowned for creativity and quality of life and this will help sustain the region through this challenging economic period.
Western Region at a Glance
- The West region comprises the counties of Galway, Roscommon and Mayo. The total population is over 413,000. Galway City is the major urban centre in the region with a population of 72,500. The principal towns in the West include Tuam, Ballinasloe, Loughrea, Roscommon, Athlone, Castlebar, Ballina and Westport.
- In total, there are over 70 multinational companies with operations in the West region, employing over 12,000 people directly.
- Medical Technologies, represent the prime sector for FDI in the west at more than 60% of the total, Pharmaceuticals, Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), Engineering and Financial and Professional Services, complete the broad sectoral contribution of western investment.
- A Western Development Fund (WDF) was set up to promote economic and social development in the Western Region to provide risk capital by way of equity and loans to projects and businesses. This fund is in the region of €34.4 million and is only available to the seven Western counties. Since it was set up the Investment Fund has made investments totaling €27 million with over 75% of the monies having gone to SME’s and the balance invested into community projects.
Access
- Galway Airport provides the region with vital access to hub airports like London Luton, Manchester International and Dublin. Through these hubs, the population of the region has easy and immediate access to a multitude of onward destinations worldwide.
- Knock Airport in Mayo provides links to international hubs such as Dublin and Birmingham. The airport is currently undergoing an expansion that will increase its annual capacity to 1 million passengers.
- Shannon International Airport is also within easy reach and provides links with a number of locations in the US and Europe.
Knowledge Infrastructure
- Ireland’s Industrial Development Authority (IDA) has a network of world-class Business & Technology Parks in the West. These parks are fully serviced with all the necessary telecommunications and utilities infrastructure.
Western Lifestyle
The region is noted for its beautiful scenery, picturesque landscape and coastline and is rich in all that is best in Irish sport, folklore, music and song. It hosts many famous festivals, which include those with a special focus on racing, arts, oysters, films and music. The many and varied outdoor pursuits within easy reach include golf, sailing and hill-walking. The area is renowned for the warmth of its people and for the continuation of traditions, particularly the Irish language. The Irish language is widely used in the Gaeltacht areas of the region, in particular the Connemara Gaeltacht, which is the largest Irish-speaking area in the country.
Western Region Events 2008
- Members Spring Briefing – Radisson SAS Hotel Galway, March, Sponsored by Premier Global Services
- R&D Meeting – Nortel, September
- Members Autumn Briefing – The Glenlo Abbey Hotel, October, Sponsored by Delta Airlines
- Innovation in People Practices – Medtronic, November