2010 EVENTS
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2010
The Ireland Chamber Atlanta kicked off its 2010 calendar with a luncheon meeting at Ri Ra Irish Pub in Midtown. The meeting featured Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig, Director of the Global Business Perspectives Program at Emory University. Dr. Rosensweig has conducted extensive research regarding the Celtic Tiger phenonomen. He gave useful background on the developments that lead us to our current economic situation, and spoke to the group in detail about current status of the world economy with special focus on Ireland and on the prognosis for recovery. Thanks to Dr. Rosensweig for taking the time to share his insight with our group.
A BUSY END TO 2009
The Ireland Chamber Atlanta Chapter ended 2009 with two December events. On December 9, a full house attended our luncheon to hear Dennis W. Kelly, CEO of Zoo Atlanta. He wove two stories together. The first is the story of the Atlanta Zoo itself, from its founding through the challenging years of the 1970’s and 1980’s and into the success that the Zoo has enjoyed in recent years. The second story was about the Zoo’s most famous resident, Willie B., who initially spent many years isolated from other gorillas but in later years became part of a breeding program to help replenish the declining population of silverback gorillas. Thanks to Mr. Kelly for the wonderful insight into Zoo Atlanta past, present and future! Then on December 15, we gathered at Fadó for a bit of holiday cheer and networking. It was a busy month for the Ireland Chamber Atlanta!
HOW’S THE WEATHER – NOVEMBER 2009
On November 11, a capacity crowd attended the ICCUSA luncheon at our new venue, Ri Ra Irish pub. Our featured speaker was Michael J. Kelly, CEO and President of the Weather Channel Companies. He gave the group behind-the-scenes insight into the Weather Channel, including facts such as the number of meteorologists they employ (157) and the number of countries where they provide weather forecasts (229). He also spoke about how the company has successfully adapted to changing technology including the Internet and mobile phone applications. As a side note, he mentioned that use of the Weather Channel’s products is not high in Ireland (the forecast is always rain!) and California (similar but opposite situation!). He ended by speaking about his Irish heritage. Thanks to Mr. Kelly for taking the time to speak to our group.
NETWORKING - SEPTEMBER 2009
On September 29, we had the pleasure of networking at Fadó Irish Pub with representatives of five Irish companies that were here in Atlanta as part of a trade mission. The mission was led by the Atlantic Corridor and the Midlands of Ireland, and the five companies were WPA Mobile, NIS Ltd., Wellwood Healthcare Park, The Virtual Classroom, and Last Mile Broadband. Besides the usual Irish cheer, the group had the pleasure of hearing music played by a trio of musicians including James Donohoe of The Virtual Classroom. As usual, a good time was had by all!
NETWORKING – AUGUST 2009
Old friends and new friends joined us at Fadó Irish Pub on Thursday, August 6. Our guest of honor was Sinead Lynch, the Georgia winner of the Rose of Tralee competition, as she heads off to the international Rose of Tralee Festival to be held in Tralee, Co. Kerry. The winning Rose is the woman deemed to best match the attributes relayed in the song: "lovely and fair". The winner is selected based on her personality and ability to be a good role model for the festival and for Ireland. Best of luck to Sinead!
HELLO AND GOODBYE – JUNE 2009
An enthusiastic crowd braved the summer heat to join us at Fadó Irish Pub on June 30th. Our guest of honor was Ciaran Morris, who is leaving IDA after twenty years with IDA, with the last six years here in Atlanta. However, IDA’s loss is the gain of the Price Waterhouse Coopers, since Ciaran will be joining their Atlanta office. The Ireland Chamber thanks Ciaran for his years of service and we look forward to staying in touch.
JUNE 2009 LUNCHEON
On June 9th, an overflow crowd at the World Trade Center Atlanta gathered to hear featured speaker Mayor Shirley Franklin. Mayor Franklin opened her comments by commending the Chamber of Commerce for its role in the Republic of Ireland’s recent decision to locate its newest consulate in Atlanta. She said that Atlanta should emulate Ireland’s investment in education and its policies that foster environmentally conscious development. She also announced that Atlanta would receive an award at the Sister Cities International conference to be held in Belfast in July. Thanks to Ms. Franklin for taking time from her busy schedule to address our group.
MAY 2009 LUNCHEON
The Ireland Chamber Atlanta Chapter held its May luncheon meeting on May 14 at the World Trade Center Atlanta. The group enjoyed a keynote address by Mr. Irial Finan, President Bottling Investments & Supply Chain with Coca Cola. Mr. Finan touched briefly on the long-standing connection between Ireland and Coke. He then spoke at more length about Ireland and Coke today and Coke’s commitment to Ireland, including a new manufacturing and research center in Wexford. We appreciate Mr. Finan taking the time to share his thoughts with our group.
ANNUAL ST PATRICK’S DAY BREAKFAST 2009
An overflow crowd came out bright and early to enjoy the 7th annual St. Patrick’s Day breakfast at the World Trade Center. As part of the festivities, the group was honored to have the winner of the statewide annual essay writing contest, Chad Wisinger, read his essay on “What St. Patrick’s Day Means to Me.” Mr. Wisinger is a senior at South Forsyth High School.
The keynote address was presented by Mary Hanafin, Minister of Family and Social Affairs, Republic of Ireland. Ms. Hanafin discussed the measures being taken by the Irish government to address the economic challenges. She also observed that Irish people have dealt with times more challenging than these and the Irish spirit today is undiminished. She reaffirmed the Irish commitment to education and to the peace process in Northern Ireland.Ms. Hanafin also announced that the Republic of Ireland would open a full diplomatic consul in Atlanta later this year. The Irish Chamber is delighted by news of the new consulate, which will further strengthen the ties between Ireland and Atlanta.
2008 EVENTS
HOLIDAY NETWORKING
On December 16, 2008, we held a networking event at Fado in Buckhead. The holidays are a busy time but not too busy to keep a dedicated group from sharing a pint! Everyone enjoyed the famous Fado conviviality and holiday cheer, as well as the chance to meet others interested in Ireland-related business.
NORTH IRELAND TRADE MISSION – NOVEMBER 2008
The 5th annual North Ireland trade mission of the Atlanta Chapter of the Ireland Chamber was a great success. Representatives of Lagan Construction, Glass Craft, Datactics, SARS Andronics, and Lowe Refrigeration were here in Atlanta the week of November 10th, 2008. Nearly 100 meetings were held during the day, and the Atlanta Chapter also hosted an evening reception. Thanks to Jim Gaffey for all his hard work in coordinating the mission and thanks to the law firm of Paul Hastings for making their offices available for the trade mission.
LUNCHEON - NOVEMBER 2008
On November 18, our group was pleased to host a luncheon featuring guest speaker Liam O'Mahony, Chief Executive of CRH plc. CRH is headquartered in Dublin, has operations in 34 countries, and employes approximately 92,000 people at over 3,500 locations. Mr. O'Mahony gave an interesting and informative talk regarding the enormous growth that CRH has experienced since it was formed by the merger of two companies in 1970. Thanks to Mr. O'Mahony for taking the time to speak to our group.
LUNCHEON - OCTOBER 2008
On October 14, 2008, ICCUSA-Atlanta welcomed Ken Stewart, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, to its monthly luncheon. Mr. Stewart gave brief comments about the tremendous transformations of the Irish economy and the world economy that have taken place over the last twenty-five years and about the State of Georgia’s continuing efforts to attract businesses to our state. He also commented in some detail regarding the efforts of the Department of Economic Development to make sure that Georgia is competitive with other states and that Georgia retains the companies that are here now. Everyone who attended this meeting walked away with a greater appreciation of what the State of Georgia is doing to maintain and enhance the prosperity that we enjoy.
LUNCHEON - MAY 2008
The Atlanta chapter of ICCUSA was honored to have Bill Whelan, the Grammy Award- winning composer of Riverdance, as the featured speaker at its May 13 lunch meeting. The meeting was held at the World Trade Center in SunTrust Plaza in downtown Atlanta. Besides the usual wonderful camaraderie and food, attendees enjoyed an inside look into the early days of Riverdance, including an explanation of its connections with Atlanta. Mr. Whelan also talked about his life in music and his numerous current projects.
