Members of the outgoing committee Martin Fitzgibbon, Brian Coughlan, Dorian Marks and Charles Meiklereid.

NEWBRIDGE, 18 January 2002: by Brian Byrne. An exhibition organised by Newbridge Chamber of Commerce this week provided information on a broad range of the business and services located in the town, from motor dealers through computer companies to employment assistance for people with disabilities.

John Commins of John Commins Insurances.

The event in the Stand on the Curragh was held in conjunction with the AGM of the chamber, recognised as one of the most go-ahead of its kind in the county. In addition to providing a lobby and forum service to its members, the chamber also publishes a number of regular information sheets, recent ones ranging from regulations on access for the disables to premises to the rights and processes available to business owners to deal with loitering on their premises.

The Newbridge chamber has also recently taken advantage of a phone charges deal made by the Chambers of Commerce in Ireland with communications giant WorldCom, which has resulted in marked reductions in phone charges for those members which have taken up the offer.

Businesses which exhibited at the event included the Curragh Race Course, the Kildare Horse Development Company. John Commins Insurance, the Ray O’Brien Motors group, Newbridge Access Group, and the KARE-based Employment Assistance Bureau.

The IT-related operations included a stand for the Chamber SME e-business project run by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland. The national programme aims to develop the competitiveness of Irish business by engaging them in the digital economy and raising awareness of the business benefits of new technologies.

Other local businesses present included Shades and Shapes, VTTI, Astro Computer Training, and Clarke Recruitment. Community resource groups included the Obair employment service.

The guest speaker for the evening was an taoiseach, Bertie Ahern TD. The event was sponsored by Hewlett Packard.

Newbridge Chamber of Commerce has undertaken a number of initiatives in the community including participation in the IBAL national initiative to reduce litter, producing a brochure to highlight Newbridge and its commercial and tourism attractions, encouraging retailers to participate in the Show Front Awards programme, carrying out a traffic survey of Cutlery Road, and coordinating the annual display of Christmas lights in the town.

Further information on the chamber at its website or by emailing here.

Above left - Louise Nolan and Noreen Donnelly of KARE manning the EAB employment assistance bureau; and (above right) Conor Coughlan, regional manager of Chamber SME e-business.
Jane Feeley and Noreen Sweeney of Clark Recruitment.
Seamus Dillon, Tony Farrell, Gary Buicke, Nicola O'Hare and Sinead McCoy, from the Ray O'Brien Motors Group.
Nicky Tobin, Bill Kavanagh, Tony Monaghan and Pat Black of Central Health & Safety Services Ltd.

©2002knn

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