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Mallusk Enterprise Park Celebrates The Creation Of 285 New Jobs In Antrim And Newtownabbey

Posted By:
Mallusk Enterprise Park Ltd

18th Jun 2024

Local Enterprise Agency, Mallusk Enterprise Park, has announced impressive full year results for 2023 at its recent Annual General Meeting.

Among the top line figures the Business advice team of the Social Enterprise, alongside a bank of freelance expert mentors, facilitated 15 different entrepreneurial support programmes, to deliver a total of 2,953 hours of Business Start-Up and Business Growth Mentoring guidance and help to local entrepreneurs, small businesses and social enterprises across Antrim and Newtownabbey, leading to the creation of 285 new jobs for the local economy.

The Business Park, which is home to 67 businesses and 562 workers, operates as more than just a landlord. As a social enterprise with charitable status it has been reinvesting profits to help businesses start up and grow for over thirty years.

Innovative additions in 2023 included the launch of B Social Deli, a £50,000 investment in the business park. The new onsite cafe and catering service provides tenant businesses, event organisers, users of the co-working space, meeting attendees and organisations, workers and residents in the local area freshly made breakfast and lunch options, alongside locally sourced barista style coffee, throughout the working week.

This latest investment follows the 2022 launch of the Mallusk Enterprise Hub workspace, to service hybrid working practices such as remote working. The popular hub offers co-working desks, private huddle rooms (small two to three person meeting rooms) and a large meeting, boardroom and training room with state of the art Donview and meeting owl equipment to enable remote attendance at in-person meetings and events.  The AGM also heard that with the 2023 Mallusk Christmas Market and facilitated pop up events in B Social Deli and the Mallusk Enterprise Hub, the Social Enterprise Charity also afforded sales and marketing showcase opportunities to 32 local entrepreneurs and raised over £1,000 for the NI Children’s Hospice.

CEO of Mallusk Enterprise Park and secretary of the Board, Emma Garrett, extended her thanks to Chairperson Iain Patterson, Vice Chairperson Mark Owen Spence, Board members, Steven Pollard and Zara Webber, the Business Advice, Property and Admin support team and the army of expert Mentors, Trainers and Marketing Angels that devote so much of their time working alongside Mallusk Enterprise Park to support the local businesses and social enterprises of Antrim and Newtownabbey.

She said: “The valuable work of Mallusk Enterprise Park is only possible through the dedication and hard work of our voluntary Directors, our committed team and our enviable bank of expert Mentors and Trainers. The positive impact of our local Enterprise Agency on the local economy is testament to the innovative approach that we take, year after year, and in this, our thirty third year, we are proud to be more than just a business park for the benefit of so many local businesses, social enterprises and freelancers.  Our successful entrepreneurs and our budding entrepreneurs are critical to economic prosperity and we look forward to continuing our worthwhile work for many years to come.

Chairman Iain Patterson added: ”Thanks to the unwavering dedication and innovative spirit of our team, Newtownabbey is an exceptional place to work, meet, network, learn, be inspired, develop and grow.”

The Exploring Enterprise, Start-Up and Business Growth support programmes, which offer expert assistance and guidance to those wanting to become self employed or to grow their local businesses were made possible through collaborations with Enterprise NI, Princes Trust, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and Women in Business NI.