Shortlist announced for Waterford Business Awards

A host of Waterford’s top businesses have been shortlisted for the ninth annual Waterford Business Awards.

Organisers Waterford Chamber have joined forces again with partners WLR and Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber for the gala awards ceremony which will take place in Faithlegg on Friday, February 24th.

Speaking about the awards, Waterford Chamber President Paul Nolan said, “The past number of years have been unprecedented and tough on our business community, so the awards will give us the opportunity to honour those who have excelled against adversity. We look forward to a wonderful evening filled with positivity in the company of the best in business at our gala awards ceremony in Faithlegg. We will also of course be joined by Mayor of Waterford, Cllr John O’Leary, who will present the Overall Waterford Business of the Year Award on behalf of sponsors Waterford City & County Council, our esteemed judges and category sponsors, without whom the awards would not be possible.”

oel Kelly, Chair of the Judging Panel; Oren Byrne, President, Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber; Cllr John O’Leary, Mayor of Waterford City & County; Paul Nolan, President of Waterford Chamber and Claire Power, WLR. Photo: Noel Browne.

Commenting on the decision-making process Noel Kelly, Chairperson of the Judging Panel, said, “The challenges for businesses over the past number of years have been enormous so it has been incredibly humbling and inspiring to review all the entries and understand how resilient and innovative our business community is. There were some very difficult decisions along the way and we are delighted to have such a strong shortlist coming into the awards in February.”

Managing Director of WLR, Des Whelan, said the station is delighted to be involved to both champion and promote the Waterford Business Awards for the ninth consecutive year. “The Business Awards are a beacon of positivity and once again the list of nominee companies in every category is of a very high standard. Following Covid and the disruption and change it brought it’s very encouraging to see so many new businesses come forward and there’s no doubt that a vibrant business sector adds considerably to a county that’s been recognized nationally as Ireland’s best place to live.”

The shortlisted businesses were nominated by the public and through a self-nomination process. An independent judging panel, chaired by Noel Kelly and including Lena Murphy, Truvium Vet; Martin Freyne; Des Whelan, WLR; Deirdre Houlihan, Faithlegg; Jackie Roche, Bausch + Lomb; TV Honan, Spraoi; and Jacqui Gaule, Waterford Local Enterprise Office, decided upon the final shortlist after a rigorous judging analysis of each application.

Three businesses have been shortlisted for each of the categories and the winners of those categories will then go head-to-head in the hope of claiming the Overall Waterford Business of the Year, sponsored by Waterford City & County Council. A Special Recognition Award, sponsored by Faithlegg and the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, sponsored by workLab, will also be presented to individuals chosen by the judging panel, and will only be revealed during the live event.

The Waterford Business Awards shortlist includes the following businesses:

Business of the Year (up to 20 employees)