Randox Laboratories has opened a $7m facilitiy in Kearneysville, West Virginia, in what will be a major strategic expansion for the Northern Ireland diagnostics company.

The Crumlin-based firm said it is seeking to employ 130 people in the US over the next two years, significantly increasing the company’s potential in the North American market.

The recruitment drive will focus on research and development staff, as well as those required for customer and technical support, sales and marketing at the new 30,000-square-foot facility., which is located only 60 miles from Washington D.C.

State Governor Joe Manchin, opening the facility, said: “West Virginia works in partnership with industries here at home and around the world to develop successful relationships and create sustainable jobs. I am pleased that Randox is investing in West Virginia and welcome the opportunities presented by Randox Laboratories. I am confident that West Virginia has the people, skills and infrastructure that will enable Randox to prosper in the United States.”

Randox founder Dr Peter FitzGerald (pictured) added: “The utilisation of these facilities will enable Randox to increase the level of technical and service support we can provide to our customers in the US, enabling greater market penetration. We are now actively recruiting sales, marketing and technical support staff and are also seeking high-grade life scientists to compliment our cutting edge research and development conducted in Northern Ireland.”

Initially the new facility in West Virginia will act as a centre for customer and technical support, research and development and as a sales and distribution hub. Manufacturing capabilities are anticipated in the future.

“The United States offers great opportunities for Randox,” said Dr Fitzgerald, “and we are very much looking forward to developing our operations here.”

He might be known for his snail porridge and bacon and egg ice-cream, but celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal’s tastes also run to Northern Irish design work.

The chef has awarded a contract worth about £5m to Newry-based company MJM to fit out his new restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hyde Park, London.

MJM provides specialist joinery fit out and refurbishment services to clients in a number of sectors including cruise liners, banks and hotels. Owned by Brian McConville, it employs about 100 people and expects to increase its turnover to close to £20m this year from £12.5m last year.

Invest Northern Ireland, which has provided assistance to MJM, said that in total the company had won contracts worth £6.2m in the London hotel sector in recent months.

Mr McConville, Chairman of MJM Group, said: “Our recent success in London’s hotel industry signals the continued success of our global sales strategy, which has been bolstered by the assistance and support of Invest NI over the last number of years. By enhancing our skills and capabilities we’ve built up a strong reputation as a global player in the industry and will continue to focus our future sales efforts on opportunities outside Northern Ireland.”

Commenting on MJM’s successes, Jeremy Fitch, Invest NI’s Managing Director for international business, added: “This local company has consistently invested in skills and wider capability development in order capitalise on sales outside Northern Ireland.

“Their latest hotel fit out contract highlights how making fundamental and continuous improvements to operations can help local companies position themselves strongly to win new business in key markets.”

Antrim company Mivan has secured a contract worth over £90m in Egypt – one of the largest contracts in its history.

The deal is a commercial and residential construction project working for Al Futtaim Real Estate Development at the Cairo Festival City project. Mivan recently completed a construction management contract for the same client on the construction of a number of themed ‘Oriana Villas’ also on the Cairo Festival City site.

The contracts are Mivan’s first in Egypt during a 35-year history in which it has worked in over 40 countries. The company will be on site until August 2013 for the latest project, which involves the construction and fit-out of offices, apartment blocks and retail units.

Mivan’s Acting Chief Executive Mervyn McCall said: “The Festival City project in Cairo is one of the most impressive masterplans for the region. Egypt and Cairo in particular is going through exciting changes and Mivan is pleased to be involved with its development. This series of contracts also marks our first project with Al Futtaim, a global player in every sense.”

The success follows hard on the heels of Mivan winning a £2m contract for the re-fit of the Pacific Pearl cruise liner. The deal will see Mivan work for Carnival Australia, for whom it recently completed the £1m refit of the Pacific Dawn in Australia.

Work on the Pacific Pearl will take place in Singapore in November this year for 36 days, with Mivan refitting the ship’s Salt Grill and Waterfront restaurants, Sunweaver Café and Connexions and Oasis Bars.

The 63,500-tonne superliner will have her inaugural cruise from Auckland on 22 December 2010, joining P&O Cruises Australia’s existing fleet of three ships, Pacific Dawn, Pacific Sun and Pacific Jewel. Following the refurbishment it will have capacity for around 2000 passengers.
Mivan now employs 375 staff worldwide.

Dr Mark Sweeney of FG Wilson, students Peter Mathews and Lisa Davison, Dick Elsden, Caterpillar (UK) Ltd, student Aislinn McGinn and Professor Fleck

Seventeen Queen’s University engineering students are the first to benefit from a unique new partnership with local company FG Wilson.

The students, from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, have been awarded FG Wilson Caterpillar Scholarships for academic excellence in mechanical engineering.

At a recent ceremony in the University, students received a certificate and a cheque for £1,000 from Dr Mark Sweeney, Managing Director of FG Wilson and Dick Elsden, Caterpillar (UK) Ltd’s Director of Government Affairs.

The FG Wilson Caterpillar Scholarships will not only provide financial support, but will also offer mentoring opportunities and work placements, providing the students with the best possible chance of achieving their full academic potential.

Dr Mark Sweeney, Managing Director of FG Wilson, said that a workforce with STEM (science, engineering, technology and mathematics) qualifications is vital for the sustained growth of Northern Ireland’s economy.

He added: “To enable FG Wilson to remain a world leader in the manufacture of generator sets into the future, we require access to high calibre STEM graduates into the long-term. We are therefore pleased to support these scholarships, which will help to ensure a workforce of STEM qualified graduates for many years to come.”

Professor Robert Fleck, Head of Queen’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, said: “We are very grateful for the growing support and successful partnership we have with FG Wilson and the Caterpillar Foundation, which is providing these students with an outstanding opportunity for learning and development.”

A new £700,000 Business Park in Blackwatertown is all set to breathe new business life into the quiet County Armagh village.

Bridge Business Park, with a high-spec office block providing 10 let-able units for start-up and established businesses, is now open for business.

The project was funded by the International Fund for Ireland, the Department of Social Development, Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment, Armagh City and District Council, and the Ulster Community and Investment Trust.

Chairman John Campbell said that the project was a wonderful example of how a community could strive to create a better future for its area.

“The drive and vision shown by Blackwatertown Development Association is proof that this community wants to move forward and create a better, shared future,” he said. “The new facilities are about more than attracting new businesses, they are also about strengthening and underpinning community life for years to come.”

Armagh Business Centre will manage the letting of the Business Park units.

“We are delighted to be associated with this new phase of workspace development,” ABC Property Manager Eileen Stewart said. “Business and entrepreneurial activity now quite literally sits at the heart of the Blackwatertown community. New businesses starting up, and businesses expanding, signal a growth in the economy and a changing mood in Northern Ireland.
“Providing high quality, affordable workspace within the Armagh District is a key objective for economic growth and Armagh Business Centre is keen to support organisations such as Bridge Business Park to achieve this goal.”

For information on letting of units at the Bridge Business Park, contact Eileen Stewart at Armagh Business Centre on 028 3752 5050.

Andrew Webb, Director of John Hogg Operational, at the company’s site in Banbridge.

Holywood-based John Hogg Group has formed a new company to make it easier for local companies to source products globally.

John Hogg Operational will bridge the gap in global sourcing capability for businesses ranging from SME’s to Multinationals by giving them access to its supply chain team of John Hogg based in China. This service offers negotiation on buying, dedicated quality control and access to globally respected international test houses.

Through ‘John Hogg Operational’, companies or entrepreneurs seeking product innovation will have access to product prototyping and development which can then be taken through to production and distribution globally.
It’s facilities at Banbridge mean the company can also provide e-fulfillment and warehousing up to 120,000 sq ft available.

“Every business needs to source and develop products in a cost and time effective way,” Andrew Webb, Director of John Hogg Operational, said. “For the first time a resource exists that can work with them every step of the way.

Jill O’Neill of ReFound, left, with artist Anushiya Sunda.

A new Belfast company is set to transform used furniture and add an artistic, yet affordable touch to Northern Ireland homes.

ReFound transforms unwanted furniture and turns them into pieces of functional art with the help of an ever-growing group of local artists including Lisa Malone, Anushiya Sunda, Bill Penney, Deepa Mann-Kler to name a few and one of Northern Ireland’s best-known painters, Neil Shawcross.

The ReFound Collective of artists adds their personal artistic style to a reclaimed piece to produce an individual ‘work of furniture’. Each one is signed by the artist that ‘ReFound’ it and is accompanied by a certificate to describe its journey from recycled found object to mini-masterpiece. Completed pieces to date include the colourful ‘Jackstraws Table’ by Donna Bates and striking ‘Russian Town Plan’ by Keith Winter.

The artistic restyling of the not-so-new-pieces turns each one into a collectors’ item – of the affordable range – with prices from £50-£400. Sold through a ‘pop-up shop’, the chance to claim a unique ReFound piece runs for four days from 17th to 20th June at 94 Castlereagh Road, Belfast, BT5.
“Refound aims to provide today’s consumer with a unique choice in home furniture design and bring a sense of style to recycling. The concept also creates a new platform for local artists to showcase their work and get it into the homes of people who may not otherwise come across their work.” said Jill O’Neill, founder of ReFound.

“A challenge, yes, but it’s working. With over 25 artists in the ReFound Collective, the pop-up shop is now brimming with unique, hand-styled, modern pieces. Its furniture with personality, for persons with individuality!”

“Cautiously optimistic” is the overall view of businesses in Northern Ireland regarding prospects for the jobs market, says the most recent independent jobs survey commissioned by recruitment website NIJobfinder.co.uk.

One hundred large and small companies from across Northern Ireland and representing a wide range of sectors including manufacturing, service and retail were surveyed to gauge activity and opinions about the job market over the past three months and looking forward to the next three.

Over 50% of those surveyed reported an increase in the number of vacancies available with a marked improvement in confidence as more roles are advertised. Only 9% felt that the situation was still in downturn. Whilst many companies had implemented a redundancy programme or job freezes, the focus was now on right-sizing agendas with sustainable recruitment procedures.

Looking towards the next three months, 42% of companies interviewed anticipated a modest increase in vacancies. Nevertheless, clear notes of caution were sounded especially amongst bigger employers who were experiencing large volumes of applications for jobs and often from over-qualified applicants anxious for employment. Just over 20% of respondents were less optimistic about future trends indicating a decrease in the jobs market.

Overall, businesses gave the impression of a slowly recovering market with 46% describing the jobs environment as “getting better”. Only 3% saw the situation worsening. Suggestions as to what might boost the market included more government investment, easier bank lending and programmes to enable people to diversify their skill sets.

Pictured (L-R) Halo Director, Alan Watts and William Smith, Managing Director of Sembarc, at the recent ‘Angels – Beacons of Hope’ exhibition at Victoria Square.

Halo – Northern Ireland’s Business Angel network – has announced the launch of the first ever Business Angel EIS Fund worth a quarter of a million pounds.

Based at the Northern Ireland Science Park – Halo is the first business angel network associated with a highly tax efficient fund of this kind. The fund – which is managed by London-based Fund Manager Javelin Ventures – will provide much needed capital for local entrepreneurs in a bid to help grow NI’s business community. The money in the fund has been provided by Halo angels and allows them to spread their investment across a number of NI companies while also adding to the ‘firepower’ when Halo angels invest directly in these firms.

Halo Director, Alan Watts, said: “Angel investment is an important investment class helping to channel funds into the vital but high risk area of start-up companies. Halo aims to grow the investment community here and support innovation in the region – schemes like this encourage more angels to become involved and importantly make it ‘easier’ for new angels to take their first plunge.”

Campbell College pupils, winners of the Stock Market Challenge supported by Santander & NYSE (from the left) Jason Li, Omar Cartwright, Simon Coleman, Max Johnston and Peter Nesbitt.

Campbell College has taken top honours at this year’s Stock Market Challenge held at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown on11th March.
The competition, now in its second year, has been sponsored by the Department of Education, Department for Employment & Learning and Invest Northern Ireland in partnership with Young Enterprise Northern Ireland. It not only teaches young people about how financial markets work but encourages them to develop communication, problem-solving, decision making, teambuilding, and negotiation skills.