McAvoy off-site building solutions

Orla Corr, Director of McAvoy Group, short listed for the prestigious Ernst & Young 2008 Entrepreneur of the year.

Twenty-four companies were shortlisted for the 2008 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® award. Over 115 entries were received and nominees were subsequently interviewed by Ernst & Young, followed by rigorous assessment by a 12-strong panel of judges, chaired by telecoms entrepreneur, and previous recipient of the award, Mr. Denis O'Brien.

Eight companies were chosen in each of the three categories - international, industry and emerging, and cover a cross section of business interests with healthcare and business IT solutions among the top industries represented. An immediate benefit to each of the finalists is an instant access channel to over 200 of Ireland's leading entrepreneurs through strong networking opportunities the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® Programme provides.

The 2008 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® programme continues to educate around the strategic value of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and this year's emphasis will be on creating a sustainable environment. The CEO retreat returned to Haiti in June, where finalists, along with previous year's finalists worked with some of the world's poorest communities. Their knowledge and expertise helped to develop the sustainable businesses, set up by last year's finalists, and, in addition, help create practical solutions to Haiti's environmental disadvantages - deforestation, soil erosion and water pollution.

The 24 finalists in the 2008 programme were further profiled in the Irish Times and each finalist also featured in a three-part series on RTE in October. The winner was announced at a televised Awards Ceremony on 23rd October, held at City West Hotel, Dublin.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® Award is part of a global recognition programme, to identify, acclaim and support entrepreneurs. The programme is currently run in over 40 countries, across six continents and in 2008 more than 10,000 entrepreneurs worldwide will be nominated. The Irish programme, now in its 11th year, has been identified as one of the strongest worldwide.

Liam Casey, founder and chief executive of PCH International was named as the 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year®. Liam will represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur of the Year® Awards in Monte Carlo next month, where award winners representing over 40 countries will compete for the worldwide title.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® is run in association with The Irish Times, RTE, Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland, Invest Northern Ireland, Trinity Business Visit the Ernst & Young 2008 Entrepreneur of the year website.