Westmeath business among 31 set for National Enterprise Awards Final

An energy solutions company from Mullingar will compete with the country’s best small businesses as one of the finalists for the National Enterprise Awards next week.

Watt Footprint Ltd will represent Local Enterprise Office Westmeath at the awards that take place, on Thursday 23 May in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin.

Paul O’Reilly and Paul Mahon of Watt Footprint Limited are based in Mullingar. Watt Footprint is leading a revolution in the energy sector with its advanced proprietary software and technology platform.

Incorporating AI and machine learning with the advanced integration of meter data, coupled with the automation of bill reading and interpretation, Watt Footprint enable businesses to regain control over their energy usage and cost.

This offers the convenience of having a fully-fledged remote energy management team’s expertise accessible at their fingertips, setting a new standard for energy efficiency and cost management in the business world.

Paul Mahon said: “We are delighted to be representing Westmeath at this year’s NEA awards. The support we have received from LEO Westmeath has been instrumental in the growth and success of our business.

“There are some amazing businesses on show, and we look forward to be a part of a fantastic competition this year.”

This is the 24th year of the Local Enterprise Office initiative, which was won last year by Advanced Cosmetics, supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo. The Ballina based company was set up Noreen Hackett in 2018, an launched to market in 2022. As one of the only ‘concept to shelves’ cosmetics companies in Europe, it has achieved significant success, securing contracts with some of the biggest brand names in the cosmetics industry.

This year the finalists cover a range of sectors and industries from transformational digitisation software (DreamDev Technologies) and reduced mobility booking systems (PRM Assist) to luxury handmade chocolates (Grá Chocolates) and hand-crafted natural soap (The Black Stuff).

With Ireland’s success on the global film stage continuing the finalists also include a film production company that helped give Paul Mescal his break (Harp Media) and a prop and set design company who are working with some of the biggest international productions in Ireland providing bespoke props and set materials (Monarú).

Tracey Tallon, Senior Enterprise Development Officer with LEO Westmeath, said: “The National Enterprise Awards serve to highlight the best businesses that the Local Enterprise Offices are working with across the country. The diversity of sectors and innovation shown again this year are outstanding and the winners will no doubt produce businesses destined for international success. These businesses have excelled in their areas and have the potential to follow in the footsteps of previous winners to become successful global companies.”

LEO Westmeath have had previous success at the awards as local craft canning company Bevcraft won at National Level in 2021.

The finalists compete for a prize fund of €50,000 and along with an overall National Enterprise of the Year winner there are categories, for Best Start-Up, Best Export Business, an Innovation Award, a One-to-Watch Award, and a Sustainability Award. There is also an Outstanding Achievement award for a business that started with their LEO and gone on to achieve international growth with the assistance of Enterprise Ireland.

Previous winners of the National Enterprise Awards include the likes of Irish Yoghurts (1998), Obelisk (2000), Simtech Aviation (2008), Digiweb (2004) and Design Pro (2013), Terra NutriTech (2018), Pestle & Mortar (2019), Bevcraft (2021) and Aqualicence in 2022.

The National Enterprise Awards are one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day, and Local Enterprise Showcase.

The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland.

Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow. Since their inception eight years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 70,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice, and financial supports to small businesses. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie.