Cork Company of the Year Awards 2017: 'Large' Category

There are not many more impressive Cork commercial success stories than the powerhouse that is Dairygold, the largest farmer-owned dairy business in the country.

With 1,150 employees, a turnover of €800m and hundreds of millions invested into the local economy in recent years, Dairygold has positioned itself as an entity competing globally with distinction.

Formed in 1990 when two of the most historic co-operatives in Cork, Ballyclough and Mitchelstown, merged to become one bohemoth, Dairygold is now Ireland’s largest farmer-owned dairy business and the country’s second largest dairy processor, producing a whopping 1.2bn litres of milk annually (around 20% of the Irish milk pool) from its 2,900 milk suppliers, with 95% of its dairy products now exported worldwide.

Its dairy business, following its recent investment of around €200m, produces milk powders, whey proteins and cheeses.

Its agri- business services the need of Dairygold’s farming members, Ireland’s second largest agri-trader, combining grain-intake, milling, feed and fertilizer and a retail sales network.

Dairygold could easily sit back and bask in its success of the past 27 years but continued investment and world-class facilities have always been in the DNA. A 33% milk supply growth since 2011 of 300m litres, with further increases of 300m litres projected by 2020, required Dairygold to invest significantly.

The €200m investment sees €83m pumped into the regeneration of the Mallow Dairy Nutritional Complex and the €33m development of the Mitchelstown Castlefarm Campus, creating world-class dairy processing facilities on both sites.

Multi-million euro partnerships with Ornua and Tine have also seen jobs and the economy in Cork and Munster boosted considerably.

To be recognised by Cork Chamber is an honour, according to Dairygold chief executiveJim Woulfe.

He said: “Dairygold is pleased to be a finalist for this prestigious award and appreciates the recognition.

“It recognises the successful execution of the current phase of Dairygold’s strategy through the completion of its capital investments programme, strategic partnerships agreed and the economic benefits being delivered to the wider Cork region, made possible by the commitment and work ethic of the organisation’s many stakeholders.”

Putting patient care and comfort first at Mater Private Cork

It’s Ireland’s newest private hospital and already the Mater Private Cork has gained a reputation for excellence and the highest quality of care of its patients.

A hospital visit can be a stressful one at the best of times, but Mater Private Cork is rewriting the playbook for how it can be done and how it should be done.

In its own words, it wants patients to get better, and get the best care when doing so.

Located at City Gate, Mahon, the hospital is equipped with the very latest technology, private en-suite rooms, and free parking for patients and visitors.

More importantly, the Mater Private Cork is staffed by consultants, doctors, and nurses of the highest standard.

According to the hospital, the consultants and the rest of the staff are its greatest assets, each striving to make the Mater Private Cork the best place to receive care, practice medicine, and work.

Formed in 2012, it is a purpose-built building meeting all regulatory and Hiqa requirements.

In 2016 it opened a new Emergency Department, added a new spine service, new vascular surgery service, and an endocrinology service. The expansion plans are not over by a long shot. The next move is planned for this year at the next building in City Gate.

The hospital has now got 270 full-time staff employed and with the continued expansion and more services, that means more hires in the future.

As well as expansion of services and new hires, Mater Private Cork also takes corporate social responsibility seriously, supporting causes such as local GAA clubs like Blackrock hurling and charity long-distance cycles.

Mater Private Cork is delighted to be recognised by Cork Chamber for the Company of the Year Awards, it said.

CEO at Mater Private Cork, Donna Roche, said it was a privilege to be nominated as well as a privilege to serve the people of Cork.

She said: “Our mission is to improve the health and lives of the people we are privileged to serve. We are proud to be a finalist in the Cork Company of the Year Awards, the most prestigious business event in the region.

This achievement is a testament to the dedication of all the team at Mater Private Cork. Our reputation is based on the excellence of our outcomes.

Every member of our staff is a care giver who places an emphasis on access and exceeding expectations, and continually linking to excellence.”

Ronan Daly Jermyn growing and committed as ever to clients

With the centuries of experience between more than 100 lawyers at renowned legal firm Ronan Daly Jermyn, it is hard to believe there is any legal quandary in any specific area beyond the scope of the experts who work there.

It’s not hyperbole — Ronan Daly Jermyn is ranked as one of the top 10 Irish law firms and the only one of those 10 headquartered and managed in Cork.

It’s truly a firm with a global reach. A unique national footprint is bolstered by strategic alliances with UK and US law firms, allowing the firm to offer global services in 69 cities and 38 countries. More than 100 lawyers advise on a full range of transaction for local, national, international, private and public sector clients.

The company mantra is: “We place our clients first in the way we think and work, and consistently strive to deliver the best service.”

The rise of Ronan Daly Jermyn has been meteoric in the past couple of years. Headcount has increased from 140 to 235, it opened an office in London in 2013 and in Dublin in 2014, its Dublin operation has grown from just eight people in November 2014 to 35 people in 2016.

In the past two years, it has recruited a head of finance, of marketing and of information, all from multinational enterprises.

It moved to Mahon for its Cork operation in May 2013. No large law firm in Ireland had ever moved from the city centre before that.

Being nominated at Cork Chamber’s Company of the Year Awards is recognition of what Ronan Daly Jermyn is trying to do, it says.

Managing partner at Ronan Daly Jermyn, Richard Martin, said it was an honour to be selected.

““We are delighted to be selected as a finalist for Cork Company of the Year 2017. Ronan Daly Jermyn has achieved a number of exciting milestones over the past four years including the opening of a fourth office, in Dublin, an increase of more than 50% in the number of employees, and the establishment of strategic alliances with UK and US law firms.

“We are always focused on enhancing our ability to provide solutions for our clients, not just in Ireland, but across the world and we are proud to be doing this from Cork.

“Our growth has always been driven by a focus on better serving our clients. We look forward to bringing continued innovation, efficiencies and high-quality legal counsel to our clients.”