The largest jobs announcement involving an indigenous company and Enterprise Ireland was made yesterday in Navan, Co Meath, by Quinn Direct when it said it planned to create 1,000 jobs over the next five years.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Michéal Martin called on other indigenous companies to look at how Quinn Direct had grown and internationalised its business. "Quinn Direct is an excellent example of how an ambitious Irish financial services company can grow and internationalise."
The company will build an office block in Navan where approximately 700 jobs will be created to service Quinn Direct's operations in the UK and Europe. The range of jobs will cover most areas of the business, from insurance selling to customer support to claims processing. The new office building is due to be completed by mid-2008.
The remaining 300 jobs announced yesterday are to be created in Quinn Direct's existing facilities in Cavan and in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin.
Most of the new jobs will qualify for Enterprise Ireland support but no figures were released yesterday.
Colin Morgan, general manager with Quinn Direct, said there were a large number of highly skilled people in the Navan area who commuted to Dublin to work and who would be happy to take up good jobs nearer to home. He said this was a key factor in the company's decision to locate in Navan. Other factors were the town's location and the positive attitude of local authorities.
Mr Morgan said Quinn Direct entered the UK market in 2003 and was "really excited about the opportunities to grow there". It was also looking to expand in Belgium and the Netherlands, two countries that it had identified as being particularly suited to Quinn Direct's business model.
The new jobs will mainly service growth in these new markets, particularly the UK.
He said the company decided to locate the jobs in Ireland "because we feel that Ireland is the best place to get the people we need for growth".
Minister for the Environment Noel Dempseysaid: "The importance of this is not just the jobs but the signal it sends to others that Meath and Navan are open for business," he said.
The chief executive officer of Enterprise Ireland, Frank Ryan, said an integrated effort by the local authority to create jobs for the 25,000 commuters who left the county every day to work in Dublin began two years ago and yesterday saw the results of those efforts. "Meath has been a role model in terms of the co-operation between Enterprise Ireland, the Industrial Development Agency and Meath county council. All three were involved in meeting the needs of this particular investment opportunity.
"The internationalisation of Irish business is of paramount importance to the future success of the Irish economy," Mr Ryan said.
The council knew from information on commuters who had registered their skills on its website www.workinmeath.ie that 22 per cent worked in the financial services area and wanted to work in Meath and to no longer have to commute to Dublin.
Quinn Direct is part of the Quinn group, owned by Fermanagh-based Seán Quinn and family. The group's activities include cement and glass production, radiators, stockbroking and property. The group employs approximately 6,500 people in eight European countries.
