Athlone company eyes National Enterprise Award
An Athlone company has reached the final eight in the National Enterprise Awards event. Advanced NDT Solutions (ANS) based in the Blyry Industrial Estate won the Westmeath County Enterprise Awards recently and have not been included in the final eight for the national final. Organised by the County and City Enterprise Boards, the ceremony for the Enterprise Awards is being staged in Dublin's Mansion House on Wednesday November 21. There are thirty-five County and City Enterprise Boards around the country, which provided a variety of enterprise supports to over 27,000 small business owners last year, including the eight finalists. Advanced NDT Solutions (ANS) was nominated for the prestigious award by the Westmeath County Enterprise Board. ANS, established in June 2010, is Ireland's leading provider of advanced inspection and non-destructive testing services. It has seen a steady growth in business in Ireland and overseas. The company's ambition is to build long term sustainable business globally, utilising its wealth of experience and the most up-to-date equipment. Visit www.ansndt.com The complete list of finalists this year are: Irlanda en Espanol (Dublin City), Web Team International (Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown), Keogh's Crisps (Fingal), Hailstorm Commerce (County Limerick), Quickcrop (Sligo), Advanced NDT Solutions (Westmeath), Innovate (Wexford) and Carrig Solutions (Wicklow). "Our local finalist symbolises the strength, innovation and resilience within our county's small business community," said Christine Charlton speaking on behalf of the Westmeath County Enterprise Board. "As we look to build a strong base of indigenous companies, we must continue to support and encourage entrepreneurship right across each county, starting with local support for our micro-enterprises," she added. The four categories this year are: 'Overall Winner', 'Best New Business', 'Innovation' and 'Exports'; winners receive a cash prize, in addition to a specially commissioned trophy from Leitrim-based designer, Kate Oram. Last year's overall winners were Agrispread, a family-owned manufacturer of agricultural machinery, supported by the Mayo County Enterprise Board. This year's winner will be announced on November 21st, with the results being available from www.enterpriseboards.ie