Chamber CEO looks to future on second anniversary of role

Two years into his role of Athlone Chamber of Commerce CEO, Tommy Hogan is in reflective mode.

Appointed in March 2023, the Clara native is effusive in his words as he describes his time in the job as a "rewarding process".

Not being from Athlone, Tommy said he received "great support from the Chamber board" during his initial "bedding in" phase, the CEO position "maturing" into a role which he had not envisaged when he took office.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the town, its businesses and its people. It has been great to support those businesses as well over the past two years," Tommy said.

The CEO noted the enjoyment he gets from the role, making the day to day tasks easier to approach and ultimately achieve.

Outlining his aspirations for the future of Athlone, Tommy said that while change can be a "slow process" there has been significant developments during his two year tenure.

"Change can be a slow process but during my two years as CEO we have had the development of the new streetscape which is a wonderful feature. There's been some significant changes with investment in the town, particularly from an industrial aspect, some major companies now established in Athlone. As a designated Regional Growth Centre under the National Planning Framework, we would like to see investment continuing and we expect it to do so," Tommy said.

Tommy noted that Athlone is a "fantastic town" for investment with its "centralised location" and "wonderful connection links".

"There's every reason and expectation that Athlone will continue to grow into a city in the not too distant future and as a Chamber we want to be part of that journey," Tommy said.

With Athlone's "vast potential" for growth Tommy is calling on the Government to invest in the town and realise its future potential.

"From a funding perspective Athlone certainly has vast potential for growth. The river is a fantastic natural feature and a resource that we should maximise particularly to improve our tourism offering," Tommy said.

The CEO praised Destination Athlone and athlone.ie for their ongoing promotion but stressed the need to "capitalise" on the town's assets.

"I would call on Government to provide us with the capital to maximise the town's ambitions. We have lobbied hard for infrastructure investment in Athlone to support it as place in which to invest as an industrial hub. As a Chamber we have made a number of submissions last year in that regard," Tommy said.

With the support of the constituency's elected representatives, Athlone Chamber of Commerce made a fresh water submission to Uisce Éireann in 2024, Tommy appreciating recognition from elected officials of the work the Chamber continues to undertake.

Additional infrastructure aspects must also be "maximised" the CEO stated, one of which is energy, Tommy noting it to be a "key aspect" for growth.

"Having our own reliable and secure energy supply is a 'no brainer'. We have the natural resources to do that in wind, so we are calling on that investment also," Tommy said.

In their pre-general election submissions, the Chamber called for such infrastructure support for Athlone in recognition of the town's designation as a "Regional Growth Centre".

Noting the "variance" in his role, Tommy said the "core" focus for the Chamber of Commerce is to look after its members.

"We support and promote our members and thankfully, we have a wonderful team in the office which enables us to do so," Tommy said.

The Chamber continues to grow, the recent appoint of a Festival and Events Co-Ordinator, funded by Westmeath County Council, a positive development for the organisation.

"The Festival and Events Co-Ordinator will support volunteer committees organising festivals in the town and region, so it's a wonderful for us as a Chamber to support this role. We want to grow the Chamber with new offerings for our members so there is a lot to be positive about into the future," Tommy said.

One current "positive" for the Chamber is the annual hosting of the Athlone Business Awards. Now in their sixth year, the awards ceremony celebrates the achievements of the local business community.

"The awards recognise businesses who have excelled in their fields so those who are shortlisted deserve praise as the standard of competition is always high. It is a great opportunity for our business community to celebrate, relax and unwind. Our businesses work extremely hard, so it's great for them to have the opportunity to come together at our awards," Tommy said.

Tommy has called on more local businesses to join the Chamber of Commerce and benefit from becoming members.

"We are always working hard to promote business in town and provide a platform for our members to grow and connect. There are great opportunities and benefits that you have from membership,” he said.