Dear Chamber Member,

I hope you, your family and colleagues are keeping safe and well. 

Last week saw a number of very positive announcements for the Cork city region. On Monday Merck announced an investment of €440m into its Cork facilities. These investments will provide a major jobs boost to the city, county and region and are testament to the confidence that this global company has in the ability of our city region to continue to deliver the right environment for growth. The Carrigtwohill plant which has already seen huge investment over the years, will now grow its employment base adding 135 new jobs. The construction of the new Merck site at Blarney with a further 235 jobs is excellent news and the entire life sciences ecosystem will benefit from these investments.

Apple also announced expansion plans for its Cork operations last week, creating capacity for a further 1300 staff in coming years with the construction of a new sustainable office building that was another show of a global company’s deep commitment to Cork. Apple is a much-celebrated and flagship investor in our region and has played a key role in the growth of the region’s technology sector, encouraging both indigenous industry and FDI investment

Apple has shown huge ambition and leadership with the planned extension to run entirely on renewable energy and incorporate a ‘commute hub’ designed to encourage active and sustainable travel. In the wake of Cork’s selection to be a carbon neutral city by 2030, it is clear that this level of ambition and activation across the business community will be essential in achieving this goal.

With these ambitious private sector investments to be completed in a short few years, it puts into sharp focus the need to fast-track delivery of sustainable transport, housing and other infrastructure needs in the Cork region. It is now essential that we see greater urgency in realising plans contained in Housing for All and Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS) particularly the electrification of our suburban rail lines, the introduction of additional stations, and Bus Connects. Connected functioning cycle-ways along with the delivery of housing to support the continued economic growth of our region are crucial.

We will continue to work with our political representatives, and local and national government on your behalf to ensure delivery of the sustainable housing and transport links that will help to unlock Cork's potential and economic growth. Thank you for your continued engagement and contributions which help to shape our agenda and advocacy work. Please be in touch to share your views on this or other issues that affect your business and industry.

Meanwhile we are progressing with an active schedule of Chamber member events and have been enjoying in person networking and knowledge sharing. Our International Services team continue to support strong demand for export documentation along with our schedule of international relations engagements. Cork Chamber Skillnet has its finger on the pulse of training and development needs across our membership, delivering funded training for your team. Please visit our website for more details on any of these services. www.corkchamber.ie

I welcome you to contact me directly on 087-9471858 or by e-mail HERE to discuss any issues affecting your business. We are here to represent you.

Warm regards,

Conor Healy,

CEO