Jobs boost as market research firm opens base

A New York-based market research firm has opened a new base in Athlone which employs 20 people and is expected to generate an additional 80 jobs over the next three years. The company, NPD, had its new premises at the IDA Business and Technology Park officially opened by Minister of State John Perry on Friday last. NPD first established a "business incubation unit" in Athlone approximately a year ago. Its original team of six staff members increased to 20 over the last twelve months. It expects to employ 40 people by the end of this year, and forecasts growth to 100 staff over the next three years. The company is a leading global provider of consumer and market research, with offices in 12 countries. The jobs it creates in Athlone will be in such areas as data classification, software development, research & development, and data centre support. Speaking at the launch of the new facility, John Perry, the Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, welcomed NPD's first Irish base and said he looked forward to a mutually beneficial relationship between the company and the Midlands region. "The NPD group's decision to locate this world class operation here is of great significance to this region and to Ireland as a whole, and the creation of 100 high-value-added jobs will make a substantial contribution to the midlands regional economy," said Minister Perry. He also praised the work done by the IDA in securing this "key strategic win" for Ireland. Discussing the factors which convinced NPD to locate in Athlone, Tod Johnson, the company's chief executive, said it had undertaken a global search for a new location. This was narrowed down to sites in Eastern Europe, Spain and Ireland. Athlone was the "hands-down" choice of the company because of factors such as the availability of well-educated, multilingual staff and the assistance provided by the IDA "We found the IDA here was different from most of the development agencies we've worked with in the United States or other parts of the world," said Mr Johnson. "While financial support (from the IDA) was helpful and positive, what's been the real surprise and pleasure to us is the service that's been provided to help us get a quick start, get involved in the local community, meet people, and develop partnerships with various service organisations who have done so much to help us get going." Globally, NPD provides market research services to some 1,800 corporations. The company's local base will be headed by Dermot Ainsworth, the Director of Global IT operations with the NPD group. Mr Ainsworth said the local facility will be working to "take in consumer data and transform it into meaningful information which is used by customers to guide new product development and to guide their business decisions." The manager for the Midlands region of IDA Ireland, Frank Conlon, wished NPD well and said this region was well suited to providing the kind of skills which the company was seeking in its staff. He said the package of financial support which the IDA provides to companies such as NPD was "very small when compared with the return that the State gets and the economic gain that comes from having another operation that will build up to having 100 people employed." Athlone Mayor Sheila Buckley Byrne spoke at last week's launch to welcome NPD to the area. "The presence of the NPD group further positions the Midlands region as an excellent location for companies to achieve strong performance and for people to live and work in a top-quality environment here in Athlone," she said. Commenting on the company's arrival in the town, Deputy Nicky McFadden said: "I wish to congratulate IDA for securing this investment and I wish the NPD group the best of success in the future. The Midlands welcomes this development and it signals a step in the right direction for economic recovery."