Westmeath companies win titles at National Enterprise Awards

Watt Footprint Ltd, who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Westmeath, were among the winners at this year’s National Enterprise Awards.

Another LEO Westmeath client company, Bevcraft Group, won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the event.

The awards, which took place at the Round Room in the Mansion House in Dublin, were in their 24th year and run annually by the LEOs.

Paul O’Reilly and Paul Mahon of Watt Footprint Limited took home the Regional Finalist Award for the Mid East Region.

Mullingar based Watt Footprint enable businesses to take control over their energy usage and cost. They use advanced proprietary software, AI and machine learning, and the advanced integration of meter data, coupled with the automation of bill reading and interpretation.

Christine Charlton, head of Enterprise with LEO Westmeath, said: “The National Enterprise Awards highlight the best businesses that the LEOs are working with across the country. The diversity of sectors and innovation shown again this year are outstanding, and the winners are destined for international success.”

Paul Mahon said: “We are delighted to take home the regional winner award this year, it is a testament to the team we have built in Watt Footprint and the success we have achieved in such a short period of time. We would like to thank again the team in LEO for the amazing support we have received on our journey to date.”

The overall winner at the National Enterprise Awards was Dreamdev Technologies, who are supported by LEO Kildare. DreamDev was set up by Eoin Barry and Douglas Augiar in 2019 with the aim of utilising online tools and software to enable faster digitalisation for companies. Their flagship product, ‘the dot-star enterprise’ software platform enables software engineering teams to create their own bespoke software programmes which deliver results with significantly reduced resourcing requirements.

Announcing the award winners at the Mansion House and after earlier launching the new Local Enterprise Office Policy Statement, Minister Peter Burke said: “The National Enterprise Awards are the highlight of the small business and enterprise calendar. Year on year the diversity of businesses and the standard of companies that are coming through the process is getting stronger. We should not be surprised given the innovation and endurance that businesses have shown in recent years. We have some outstanding winners but the finalists on the whole have been excellent, and this is very much the start of their journey.

“The new Local Enterprise Office Policy Statement I announced today sets out the vital role that LEOs have in fostering entrepreneurship and helping small businesses thrive every day across the country. The Policy Statement charts a clear roadmap of how LEOs will align their work with the priorities of the White Paper on Enterprise and ensure that their high-calibre offering continues into the future. I pay tribute to the great work of the current and former staff of the LEOs who, over the last 10 years, have helped and guided small businesses in Ireland which are at the heart of every town, village and community and are vital to our economy.”