Congratulations to all the students who participated in the JA Company of the Year Regional Final hosted so generously by Limerick Institute of Technology. The competition was intense and the standards achieved by each team against each judging criteria were very high. The judges, Catherine Duffy, GM Northern Trust & President, Limerick Chamber; Brian Barrett, Head of Economics & Community Development, Galway Co. Council & Eoin O’Sullivan, Customer Service Operations Manager, viagogo had a very difficult decision to make. Thanks also to Liam Toland, award-winning entrepreneur, who took the time to prepare and delover an insightful and inspiring address.
To all the students, teachers and mentors involved – thank you for all your hard work – it was an inspiring day!
After a tough contest, the following two teams are nominated to represent the West-Midwest region at the National Final:
Ace Devices – St. Caimin’s Community School, Shannon, Co. Clare
ACE Devices comprises five dedicated student entrepreneurs from St. Caimin’s Community School, Shannon, Co. Clare. Aoibhe Frazer, Cian Hogan, Cian McInerney, Cormac Kelly & Evan Quigley designed and are selling a device, which protects cables for handheld devices. The devices are guaranteed to save money as they eliminate the risk of fraying, a costly frustration for anyone who has had to replace a damaged lead.
Guide a Key – Desmond College, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick.
Guide a Key, is the brainchild of a team of students from Desmond College, Newcastle West. The team comprises Emma Herbert (Managing Director) and her fellow directors: Eamonn Browne, Eoin Considine, Seamus Hurley & Diarmuid Curtin. These enterprising TY students designed and manufactured a device, to assist people with limited dexterity to insert their keys into locks. The device is affixed to the area around the keyhole; the user then simply slides their key into the device, which then guides their key into the keyhole. It works with any standard front door lock and comes compete with full instructions. To market their product the students have created their own website, Facebook, Snapchat, Linked In and Twitter accounts. Sales figures are encouraging as more and more people come to appreciate the unique selling points of this innovative product. For more information, type Guide a Key into Facebook
We wish both teams the best of luck in the National Final on 13th and 14th May and look forward to hearing which of the finalists will represent Ireland the European final in Berlin in July.