SFA National Small Business Awards 2020 Finalists announcement

The finalists in the SFA National Small Business Awards 2020 have been officially announced by Sue O’Neill, SFA Chair and Chair of the SFA Awards Judging Panel. The aim of the awards is to celebrate the achievements of small business in Ireland, and to recognise the vital contribution of the small business sector to Irish industry. 
 
“The response to the awards programme serves as a reminder that Irish small companies are resilient, putting their best foot forward and seeking recognition for their efforts” commented Sue O’Neill. “As well as our eight award categories, we also feature five of the best Emerging New Businesses (less than two years established) and, given the quality of the businesses represented this year, entrepreneurship is alive and well in Ireland. 
 
“The SFA National Small Business Awards are now entering their sixteenth year and are a celebration of small business owners who in the past five years created over 75,000 jobs. The 267,000 small firms in Ireland employ half of the private sector workforce and these awards aim to promote excellence, achievement and innovation amongst these companies in all sectors and parts of the country. The companies that have been announced as finalists this year represent all that is good about small business” said O’Neill. 
 
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, TD, who is Patron of the Awards, stated that: “Small and medium businesses make a huge contribution to the Irish economy and the SFA awards are a fabulous and timely opportunity to recognise the talent and innovation in the Irish SME sector.” 
 
41 companies have been selected as finalists, from 12 different counties, across 9 categories. 
 
MANUFACTURING CATEGORY FINALISTS (up to 50 employees), sponsored by NSAI: 
 
KORE Insulation, Cavan 
Big Red Barn, Mayo 
Kells Traditional Timber Windows & Doors, Meath 
Carlow Concrete, Carlow 
Green Angel, Dublin 

 FOOD & DRINK CATEGORY FINALISTS (up to 50 employees), sponsored by Bord Bia: 
 
Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 
Food at Fishers, Wicklow 
Kettles Country House Hotel, Dublin 
The Tipperary Cheese Company, Tipperary 
Camerino Bakery, Dublin 
Ice Cream Treats, Cavan 
 
SERVICES CATEGORY FINALISTS (up to 50 employees), sponsored by Vodafone: 
 
Etag Fixings Ireland, Dublin 
On-site Refueling, Dublin 
Riverside Spa, Cavan 
SimoTech, Cork 
T&I Fitouts, Kildare 
Hero Recruitment, Galway 
 
OUTSTANDING SMALL BUSINESS FINALISTS (up to five employees), sponsored by One4All: 
 
BusterBox, Dublin 
Gill Opticians, Dublin 
Scattery Island Tours, Clare 
Smart Business Analytics, Westmeath 
Mattress Mick, Dublin 
Child Paths, Dublin 
 
INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR FINALISTS (up to 50 employees), sponsored by Permanent tsb: 
 
Big Red Barn, Mayo 
Equine MediRecord, Kildare 
Ice Cream Treats, Cavan 
Terra NutriTECH, Kildare 
Woodco Renewable Energy, Tipperary 
Zevo Health, Dublin 
 
Sustainability FINALISTS (up to 50 employees), sponsored by Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland: 
 
KORE Insulation, Cavan 
MBSL, Dublin 
Vivid Edge, Dublin  
Shoe Lane Coffee, Dublin 
 
EXPORTER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS (up to 50 employees), sponsored by Enterprise Ireland: 
 
Carlow Concrete, Carlow 
IMS Marketing, Galway 
Smarter Surfaces, Dublin 
Adams & Butler, Dublin 
BusterBox, Dublin 
Big Red Barn, Mayo 
 
WORKPLACE WELLBEING (up to 50 employees), sponsored by DeCare Dental: 
 
Interactions, Wicklow 
Guardian Safety, Dublin 
IMS Marketing, Galway 
AVCOM, Dublin 
 
 
EMERGING NEW BUSINESSES (up to 50 employees and under 2 years in business), sponsored by IE Domain Registry: 
 
Vitztronics Smart Solutions, Kildare 
Buildtech, Dublin 
Soothing Solutions, Meath 
The Salt Rooms, Meath 
Vanguard Health Services International, Dublin 
 
The Awards prize package for ALL finalists includes participation in the SFA Business Connect event on February 6, 2020, a strategic management masterclass weekend, as well as broad-ranging national and local media coverage, all valued at €50,000. Finalists also receive five complimentary tickets to the gala prize giving ceremony which will take place in the RDS on March 12, 2020 when the category winners and overall winner will be announced.  
 
The category winners will be presented with a trophy and free membership of the Small Firms Association for one year. The overall winner will also receive a bursary of €5,000 to present to a charity of their choice (funded by the 2013 Overall Winner, Megazyme International Ireland).