I met with staff of the Western Development Commission in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrm last week to discuss key projects, including their investment fund.
The WDC fund has invested more than €55 million in 166 SMEs, MIcro and Social/Community Enterprises in the Western Region with more than 5,000 people employed directly or indirectly in portfolio companies.
The WDC is a key stakeholder in the Atlantic Economic Corridor Taskforce, which I chair. The Taskforce co-ordinates strategies for economic growth throughout the nine counties from Kerry to Donegal.
I also had the opportunity to visit Cora Systems, a global software company first formed in 1999. The company now employs 80 staff in the north west and has regional offices in Dublin, Bedford in the UK and Arlington, Virginia, in the US.
Cora is a fine example of what can be achieved with investment and support.