Dungarvan Enterprise Centre – New Facility and New Beginnings
After fourteen successful years working with entrepreneurs, microenterprises and SMEs in Glanbia’s campus Old Friary building, Dungarvan Enterprise Centre (DEC), with support from Waterford City & County Council, opened its facility at Fairlane, Dungarvan. Currently, the Centre is home to seven organisations; a mixture of high-tech, high-value-add and social enterprises, and eight co-workers from multinational and local enterprises spanning the South East region. The new facility also contains state-of-the-art boardroom and training room facilities that are available for hire by entrepreneurs, businesses, trainers and educators.
On the 11th June, with more than 50 people attending, the official opening of the new facility was performed by the Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Jason Murphy. During his presentation, Mayor Murphy thanked Waterford City and County Council and the DEC Board of Directors for collaborating to sustain the continued development of this enterprise hub in Dungarvan. Mayor Murphy said, “the future of this enterprise hub is both exciting and ambitious, because based on DEC’s plans, this will be a very important resource for enhancing the growth of entrepreneurial activity in Dungarvan and West Waterford”.
During his presentation, Professor Bill O’Gorman, chairperson of DEC, also thanked Waterford City and County Council for their support in creating this magnificent new facility for entrepreneurs, microenterprises and the business community in general based in Dungarvan and its environs. Prof. O’Gorman also outlined some of DEC’s immediate and long term plans stating that DEC, as a partner in an EU funded project and in conjunction with SETU, it will be collaborating with international partners from The Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal and Albania to position Dungarvan and West Waterford as a centre for enhancing the development of rural enterprise networks and communities. He said, “moving to this new facility enables the Board of Directors to renew its focus on realising a digitally capable, adaptive and sustainable business community and society in Dungarvan and West Waterford, through the provision of an unrivalled enterprise hub facility with associated remote working, training, incubation, and innovation programmes and services”.
