Speech by the Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, T.D., at the laying of a foundation stone for Phase One of Flancare Business Park, Athlone on Thursday, 19 April, 2007 at 6pm
In June 2001, I had the pleasure of opening a new phase of Flancare’s development in Carrigeen Industrial Estate in Clonmel. It is great to see the ongoing success of this business and I am delighted to be here at your Headquarters, to lay the foundation stone for the commencement of work on phase one of Flancare Business Park.
The development of this Business Park represents a huge vote of confidence by Flancare in the town of Athlone and I would like to congratulate Michael Flanagan and Aidan Grehan on this initiative.
A Business Park in any town or city promotes the growth of a vibrant commercial centre which in turn leads to increased investment and employment. This is certainly very welcome news for the already thriving town of Athlone.
Flancare Business Park will be built over two phases and upon completion in 2009, will see the creation of almost 100 jobs. The first phase will consist of a 38,000 square foot state of the art warehousing facility to be occupied by the developers, Flancare. This will bring your warehousing facilities in Athlone to 240,000 square feet and see your staff levels rise to 70 at peak times.
Following this, phase two will consist of eight warehousing and commercial purpose built units. Already, I believe, there have been a number of positive enquiries about units in the Business Park. This is very exciting news for Flancare and an early indication of the strong demand for such a business park in the town.
Of course, much credit is due to Michael Flanagan for his foresight and vision in starting this company in the late 1970′s. Having been involved in the entertainment industry for many years, you saw a niche in the market for an efficient and reliable courier business, initially specialising in pharmaceutical deliveries, and so Flancare was born. I know it was not long, Michael, until you were joined in the business by your good friend, Aidan Grehan.
As business grew steadily, your first warehouse was built in 1982, followed by a second in 1985. Flancare enjoyed further expansion in the early 1990′s when you opened your Clonmel depot, followed by the building of further warehouses on the Naas Road and also here in Athlone.
I know that while both Michael and Aidan attribute much of their business success to making good business decisions at critical times, they are also mindful of their very committed and loyal workforce. And I would like to pay tribute to all the Flancare staff here today.
As Flancare has recognised, Athlone’s central position in this country,this makes it an ideal location for doing business. By designating the town as a linked Gateway in the Midlands region, this Government has prioritised Athlone for development under the National Spatial Strategy and as part of the new National Development Plan.
And the town of Athlone has much to gain from this new Plan which will see a national investment of €184 billion in physical infrastructure, education, science, technology and innovation.
Under the NDP, and as part of Transport 21, the ongoing investment in the N6 will be of great benefit to Athlone. In particular, the timely completion of the N6 Kinnegad to Kilbeggan Road project will ensure the development of employment and industry in the Midlands. It is good news that the first section of Phase 1 of the project was opened last December, a full year ahead of schedule. The completion of this project will be a major step forward in improving the roads network in the Midlands and West. All very welcome news indeed for a distribution company like yourselves!
And so, finally, I wish all the staff and management of Flancare continued success as you embark on this important building project which is a major contribution to the development of Athlone town.
Management of Flancare with An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
