Potential for Expansion as Private Sector Footprint in Regeneration Areas Grows.
Fifty new jobs are being created by an American manufacturing company Clenn Construction after Limerick City and County Council confirmed they will be establishing an operation in Galvone on the Southside of the city.
The company builds and manufactures modular houses and the opening of the business will be the company’s first time investing in the Irish market.
The enterprise will be operational in 2018, initially employing 50 people, with the potential for expansion and the creation of an estimated 300 to 400 direct and indirect jobs over the next three to five years.
The jobs will be in the assembly of timber frame housing sections and the company will be looking for employees with a range of skills including roofing, tiling, plumbing as well as groundworks and machine operatives.
As part of the announcement, Limerick City and County Council is looking at the skill-set which will be required by the company and will work with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board and the Department of Employment and Social Protection to identity potential employees.
This approach mirrors that which is being applied to the film and hospitality sectors in Limerick, which have proven to be hugely successful.
The company chose Limerick as their first location in Ireland as the father of one of the founders was from Limerick before emigrating to America.
Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Stephen Keary said: “This is great news for the Southside of Limerick. New businesses and new jobs are always very welcome to Limerick and these jobs show a commitment by Limerick City and County Council in helping to make Limerick an attractive location for companies wishing to invest.”
Patrick Benn from Clenn Construction said: “We’re delighted to be able to work with Limerick City and County Council to set up a base in Limerick. One of the reasons we chose Limerick was because one of the founders of the company was from the city before emigrating to America.”
“Clenn Construction is an expert in this sector and we will be hoping to replicate our success here in Limerick. We are hiring people with a range of skills, initially 50 people, but this will grow as we expand into the Irish and European markets.”
The investment follows a series of meetings and negotiations between Limerick City and County Council and the company, which were initiated during a council delegation to Boston last year, led by the then mayor Kieran O’Hanlon.
Dr Pat Daly, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Economic Development with Limerick City and County Council said: “The confirmation of these jobs show our commitment to helping to secure investment and job opportunities for the people of Limerick. By locating these jobs in the heart of one of Limerick’s regeneration areas, it also highlights our commitment to improving the economic fortunes of the southside of the city.”
Carmel Kirby Director of Social Development with Limerick City and County Council said: “We’re particularly delighted that private sector companies are choosing Galvone Industrial Estate as the location for investment. It shows that Limerick continues to reverberate with international companies as the ideal location for businesses to expand and attract the right talent to facilitate their needs.”
“Continuing to engage with private sector employers, focusing on projects of scale, and citywide catalysts for economic development, aligned with the Limerick 2030 strategy, is one of the key recommendations of the Limerick Regeneration Implementation Framework Plan, with Limerick City and County Council actively pursuing prospective employers for the region.”
Sean McGlynn, Regeneration Programme Manager with Limerick City and County Counciladded: “This announcement will have a direct impact on communities in the Southside, raising the economic profile of the area. We already have a collective partnership approach to training, skills development and job creation, with Limerick City and County Council working closely with all stakeholders in the region, and this has resulted in a new wave of economic momentum for the city.”