Seventy-five jobs are to be created in Laois, Galway and Longford as part of ConnectIreland, an organisation that financially rewards individuals who help bring employment to Ireland.
The three companies involved were introduced to Ireland through ConnectIreland, the company responsible for delivering the Irish Government’s Succeed in Ireland initiative, as part of the Action Plan for Jobs.
The companies creating the 75 jobs are US automotive coatings company Magni Group, US consulting firm Flagship Management, and Italian firm Ark Energy Consulting Limited.
Magni Group is to establish a new manufacturing plant and R&D laboratory in Portarlington and create 50 jobs.
Flagship Management is to locate the EMEA headquarters of its maritime consultancy and recruitment business in Kinvara, resulting in 15 new jobs.
Ark Energy Consulting Limited is to create 10 new roles in Longford town as it expands its Italian operation to Ireland.
Each of the three companies was referred to ConnectIreland by a registered ‘connector’ who put the company in touch with the expert FDI team at ConnectIreland, when they learned that they were in expansion mode.
In the case of Magni Group, for example, Laois man Kieran Leavy stands to receive a reward of up to €75,000 after putting the company directors, who he knew socially, in touch with ConnectIreland. Leavy’s involvement in the GAA played a role, as he first heard of ConnectIreland at the GAA Annual Congress, where the company had a stand.
Under ConnectIreland, a minimum of €1,500 is given to an individual for every job created if he or she persuades a foreign company to set up shop in Ireland.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the 75 jobs are a welcome boost for the local communities.
“Every job that is created through ConnectIreland, under the Succeed in Ireland Initiative, is a job that may not have come to Ireland without the intervention of a ‘connector’. Whether it is individual connections or wider Government strategy, our message is: Ireland is open for business and a great location for inward investment.”
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD, said Magni Group, Flagship Management, and Ark Energy Consulting Limited, companies which would not otherwise have come onto the radar of the IDA, are now choosing to locate operations in regional locations which do not traditionally benefit from multinational investment and jobs.
