McKechnie Cleaning and Cameron Bakery top Cork Business of the Year awards

Calls for further incentives to encourage small landlords to stay in the rental market

The Team from Cameron Bakery - overall SME business winners of the Cork Business Association’s Cork Business of the Year Awards.  Corkbusness.ie Picture Chani Anderson

McKechnie Cleaning Services and Cameron Bakery were the top honourees at this year’s Cork Business Association (CBA) Business of the Year Awards. 

They were amongst 11 award winners across a range of categories recognised at the CBA’s President’s Dinner at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Little Island on Saturday. The awards celebrate the accomplishments of Cork's business community and were attended by nearly 350 members of Cork's business community.

Maggie Cusack from MTU and CBA President Aaron Mansworth pictured with Stevie Grainger who was awarded as the Champion of Cork at the Cork Business Association’s Cork Business of the Year Awards.  Corkbusness.ie Picture Chani Anderson

The awards, chosen by an independent judging panel and more than 15,000 public votes, saw McKechnies named the Best Large Business. A family-owned business with a heritage spanning 150 years, the firm has evolved into a leader in the contract cleaning sector and is a national distributor of numatic products. Cameron Bakery won the Best SME award recognising its commitment to quality and recent expansion to a new location on Patrick Street.

The awards ceremony also honoured:

• OakFire Pizza for Sustainable Business Innovation 
• Marina Market for Best New Business
• Rugs.ie for Best Cork Family Business
• Imperial Hotel as Best Cork Hotel 
• O’Sullivan’s Gastropub as Best Cork Restaurant
• Moody Cafe Vin as Best Cork Café
• Liberty Bar as Best VFI Pub
• Best Cork Retail Business went to Flowers by To Have and To Hold
• Crawford Gallery picked up the Best Tourism Arts Events Award,
• DBFL Consulting Engineering was acknowledged as the Best Professional Business, and Craving Cork won Best Digital award.

The awards are run in partnership with JCD, Centra, Peninsula Ireland, and The Irish Examiner. In his keynote address, the new CBA President Aaron Mansworth of Trigon Hotels said businesses are continuing to be impacted by rising costs, housing, staff shortages, and international challenges.

"The CBA has also been campaigning over the past few years for more people living in the City. This is essential for a busy, thriving city going into the future," he said.

"We need the government to give further incentives to encourage small landlords to stay in the rental market - whether it is broadening the scope for a more practical living in the City Initiative, revisiting the Living over the Shop Scheme, or other solutions."

At the same awards, Stevie Grainger received the Champion of Cork Award for his contributions to the music scene in Cork and his dedication to empowering young individuals in the community.

CBA President Aaron Mansworth and Lawrence Owens present a special acknowledgement to former Director and Board Chair Claire Nash in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the CBA over many decades at the CBA President’s Dinner and Cork Business of the Year Awards.  Corkbusness.ie Picture Chani Anderson

Special acknowledgement was also made to former Director and Board Chair Claire Nash in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the CBA over many decades.

"Our city is undergoing a period of considerable change," Mr Mansworth said. "An unprecedented amount of national exchequer money has been invested in the city, which is a very attractive proposition for retailers and businesses alike. We are seeing new hotels and retailers opening and undergoing significant refurbishment, and we are aware of many others visiting Cork to consider its potential as a new market base, all of which shows growing confidence."