Karl Fitzpatrick re-elected as President of Wexford Chamber

Wexford Chamber held its Annual General Meeting on Thursday last in their new offices on Hill Street in Wexford town. The event marked the re-election of Chamber President, Karl Fitzpatrick, for a second term.

Reflecting on his first year in office, Mr. Fitzpatrick highlighted the role which the Chamber played in tackling some of the major challenges facing the local business community and stated that “we have made great progress during 2016 by addressing the access to credit issue for our members, placing Wexford firmly on the map of national retailers and providing business owners with a greater understanding of how to capitalise on the vast array of online opportunities. Mr. Fitzpatrick also paid tribute to Wexford Chamber CEO, Madeleine Quirke, for her fervour and enthusiasm in promoting all that is good about doing business in Wexford”.

In a year which saw Wexford Chamber introduce a Business Finance Expo, a Franchise Expo and the Google Digital Garage to its impressive calendar of events, the organisation also promoted Wexford as a prospective business location at a number of national, sector specific exhibitions.

Following the development of a comprehensive Retail prospectus, which promoted Wexford Town as an ideal location for retailers looking to expand in Ireland, last February, Wexford Chamber exhibited at the Completely Retail & Leisure Marketplace Expo in Dublin Castle, promoting Wexford to both national retailers and commercial estate agents. Wexford Chamber also exhibited at the Customer Contact Management Association’s annual conference in Kildare in May.

Furthermore, Wexford Chamber also partnered with The Irish Franchise Association to host a Franchise Showcase in June, where franchise businesses, from a range of sectors, promoted their proven business models to potential franchisees in Wexford.

Looking ahead to 2017, Mr. Fitzpatrick outlined his key priorities for the proactive and progressive organisation.  “Next year, Wexford Chamber will focus its efforts on assisting Wexford based businesses to regionalise their service offerings, along with attracting new businesses to the Model County”.

The AGM also saw the reelection of Niall Reck of Graphedia as Vice President, in addition to the election of three new board members; Colm Blake of Zurich, Mary French of Wright Insurance Brokers and Patrick Doyle of Tom Doyle Supplies. Retiring directors, Jerry Fitzpatrick and Ann O’Brien were thanked for their valued contribution to the Chamber during their tenure.