Enda Kenny officially opened the Castlebar Business Centre on 26th April 2010. The centre contains a range of shared offices for local small and start up businesses along with meeting rooms and a state of the art IT training facility.

Cutting the ribbon

Research has shown that there is a definite absence of small, flexible and affordable office space in Castlebar. It was from here that the idea was born to create a Business Centre in the town that would offer business people a place where they could do business without bearing the brunt of all the costly overheads that can be overwhelming and often off putting.

Speaking at the launch Enda Kenny said that this was a "really innovative development that offers an excellent opportunity for small and growing businesses in Mayo".

Peter Glynn president of the Castlebar Chamber of Commerce added that "the development was a huge confidence boost in these trying times" and he was certain that it would be a success.

Westnet Broadband are already located in the centre and CEO, Paul Cunnane said that "the facility has been instrumental in supporting their business development".

The bright, modern offices are fully furnished and have access to all the necessary services including broadband, call answering, accounts, payroll and secretarial support. The centre will offer an affordable option for any entrepreneur who needs professional office space that suits their budget, their business needs and gives them the perfect environment from which they can run their business.

The IT Training Room

This may be a base from which to work, somewhere to meet clients or even simply a mailing address for business listings, website and business cards - in essence a professional business address and location will give a small business the credibility and professionalism needed to compete effectively.

Enda Kenny and Sean McGuire

The man behind Castlebar Business Centre is Seán McGuire, Managing Director of two local success stories; Aniar IT Services and The Phone Answering Service. When asked where the idea came from Seán explained "We were already providing vital business services in the form of IT support and call answering services so when the opportunity arose to move into bigger premises we were keen to expand on this and create a space that would help small businesses get started and grow." He continued "Running a small business can be daunting, especially in this day and age where the odds seem stacked against entrepreneurs getting started. At least with the Castlebar Business Centre they don't have to worry about buying office equipment and furniture, setting up phone lines and broadband connections - all of that is done for them, for as little as €10 per day they can be setup in 10 minutes!"

Enda Kenny, Sean McGuire and Frank Fullard

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