The Local Enterprise Office Cork North & West is officially open for business as, Minister Sean Sherlock having officially launched the initiative in Mallow on Monday. There is also an office in Clonakilty covering the West Cork region.

The Action Plan for Jobs has put enterprise and job creation firmly at the centre of government policy and now with the establishment of the Local Enterprise Offices, enterprise is very much placed at the centre of local government, staffed with professional people with business training, to assist budding entrepreneurs and existing businesses at local level.

The mission of the Local Enterprise Office Cork North & West is to promote entrepreneurship, foster business start-ups and develop existing micro and small businesses to drive job creation and to provide accessible high quality supports for business ideas, the Minister explained.

Small businesses face a host of barriers to success, including: not knowing where to find information and resources; inexperienced management, access to finance or lack of marketing and business planning skills. Helping to overcome these challenges are among the many ways that Local Enterprise Offices will serve the practical needs of people in business. The offices will act as a First Stop Shop for business enquiries, making sure that everybody with a query is routed towards the most relevant person or agency to deal with that issue.

Michael Hanley, Head of Local Enterprise at LEO Cork North & West that the Local Enterprise Office Cork North & West will provide strategic, administrative, technical and financial support and services to start, grow and develop micro and small business in the North and West Cork region.

“It combines the former offices of the West and North Cork Enterprise Boards with the reach of the local authority to bring a full suite of services to business. We are there to make sure that whatever area of business that you wish to pursue, you receive the best of advice and referral to enable you to make a success of your venture” Mr Hanley added.

Noel O’Connor, Mayor of Cork County ,spoke about how twenty years on since their inception, the County & City Enterprise Boards have been very successful at providing supports to the micro and small business community across the county. “The introduction of the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) aims to build on the successful track record of the Enterprise Boards. This new collaboration between LEO and Local Authorities now offers us every opportunity to grow on the past successes of the Boards and to provide more future successes and even more business wins for North & and West Cork”, according to the Mayor.

Also speaking at the launch, Tim Lucey, County Manager said that over the lifetime of the County and City Enterprise Boards, many constructive relationships were developed and one of the very strongest has been with Cork County Council.

"Working with previous managers, particularly through the Economic Development Section of the Council, many projects have left a lasting positive legacy throughout North & West Cork and beyond. Projects such as CorkMEET, UCC Ignite Graduate Business Innovation Programme and the Futuralia Initiative continue to deliver economic returns to the region."

The Manager went on to say that the Council's partnership with the Enterprise Boards has also resulted in the development of a network of advance industrial and food space and said more of this is in the pipeline.

"The Council’s economic development fund is unique in the country in providing assistance to projects that fall outside the remit of other agencies and this fund will be used for other collaborative projects in co-operation with our colleagues in the Local Enterprise Offices. I am very pleased that through the LEOs, the County Council will be at the centre of business creation and development”, Mr Lucey said.

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