2011 Irish Small Biz 50 Honorees, Q-Z
Name: Rachel Gaffney
Biography: Rachel Gaffney’s success comes from a unique combination of personality and perfection mixed well with a pinch of Blarney. The founder of Rachel Gaffney’s Real Ireland, she is truly Irish herself. Gaffney’s brand began with traditional Irish butter shortbreads. Growing up in Cork, her mother’s special shortbread cookies were central to celebrations. When Gaffney moved to America in 1996, she made them for parties of her own. Soon friends began to ask her to make them for gatherings, and Irish shortbread cookies became her signature. She began to sell the cookies in markets and gift shops around Dallas and later to major specialty grocers including Central Market and Lunds & Byerly’s.
Rachel Gaffney’s Traditional Irish Butter Shortbreads were just the beginning, but Gaffney’s penchant for the highest quality is a thread that runs through her business. “When I moved to the United States, I noticed that peoples’ perception of the Ireland I knew, the Real Ireland, was, to say the least, a little distorted. I began Rachel Gaffney’s Real Ireland with the mission to educate and entertain people,” Gaffney says.
Today Gaffney has a line of products that showcase the best of her Real Ireland including a line of kitchen textiles – aprons, dish towels, hot pads and more – produced by the legendary Charles Gallen Irish Linen. Gaffney teaches interactive cooking classes across the country, and has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show. She is a member of Stewart’s “Dreamers into Doers,” the community that celebrates talented and creative women who turn their dreams into careers they love. Gaffney shares her love of Ireland in her blog, http://www.rachelgaffney.blogspot.com/, and on radio and television, including regular appearances on Good Morning Texas and Showcase Minnesota”. Celebrating her heritage is key to Rachel Gaffney’s drive to succeed, not only with shortbreads and textiles, but also an expanding line of Irish offerings. “The Irish love to tell stories, and I guess you could say I’m both proud and passionate about telling the story of Ireland,” she says. “I love to share the history behind the products and really connect people to the island I love.”
Name: Robert F. Connolly
Biography: BC Compliance Group, LLC is an expense recovery and reduction firm specializing internally in contract compliance, commercial lease audit, sales & use tax and unclaimed property audits. In addition, through our strategic partner firms, we are able to offer our clients other cost recovery and reduction services in the areas of freight (all modes), procurement, property tax, R&D tax credit studies, state unemployment insurance, telecommunication and utilities. Throughout our audit process we partner with our clients as an extension of their organization and, because in most cases we work offsite, we are able to minimize disruption to their day-to-day business operations. In addition, because our fees are based upon a Benefit Share Model, BCC actually create its own budget based upon the financial benefits our client’s receive.
Rob himself has, over the past 19 plus years, specialized in the field of contract compliance, problem resolution, state and local taxation and unclaimed property. He has serviced clients in a wide variety of industries, both for-profit and not-for-profit, including Technology, Manufacturing, Transportation, Retail, Financial and Health Care. He and the professionals that he has aligned himself with have been highly successful, both domestically and internationally, in working with clients to help them realize millions of dollars in recoveries and savings while also guiding them to continue realizing these savings into the future. Prior to starting BCC, he founded and served as the Managing Director of Contract Compliance and Taxation for an international earnings enhancement firm. Rob’s prior experience includes serving as a Tax Manager for various regional and Big 5 accounting firms, as well as working within industry for a Dutch multi-national manufacturing conglomerate. He has a diverse background, providing expertise to clients in areas such as audit/problem negotiation and resolution, reverse audits (sales & use taxes), voluntary disclosures, credit studies, unclaimed property (i.e., escheat and abandoned property), tax planning and special projects. In addition, he is highly skilled in professional staff instruction and conducting educational training seminars. He is an accomplished author on tax and contract audit related matters. He is the co-author of the New Jersey Tax Handbook published by the New Jersey Law Journal / American Lawyer Media and sponsored by the NJ Society of CPA’s and the NJ Chamber of Commerce. In September of 2007 he was appointed to the Monmouth County Workforce Development Board (WIB). Rob works with the WIB and the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders to plan for and establish policy that will allow the Monmouth County Workforce Development System to continue to develop and sustain a unified, labor market driven workforce that will serve job seekers and employers in a cost efficient, results oriented manner. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Little League Baseball, Inc. in Marlboro, NJ and is also the League’s Safety Officer. He is a graduate of the PACE University, Lubin School of Business, where he received a Master of Science in Taxation. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from William Paterson University. He resides with his wife and two (2) kids in Morganville, NJ.
Name: Rory McCreesh
Biography: Rory McCreesh is the owner of Duce Construction Corporation, which specializes in building and renovating high-end residential homes and apartments in Manhattan, Long Island, Connecticut and Westchester County. Many projects have been featured in top architectural and home magazines, to name a few; Architectural Digest, Trends, and Metropolitan Home. McCreesh was born and raised in Forkhill, County Armagh. Rory has donated his time and workforce to help the Kips Bay Children’s Charity. Duce has developed strong relationships with several major architectural and design firms in New York City, many of which were featured in an article in the New York Magazine’s October 14, 2002, issue entitled The City’s 100 Best Architects & Decorators. A concerned participant in New York’s Irish Community, Rory has been a member of the Armagh Association for several years, and has always sponsored and attended various events. In 2003 McCreesh was named the Guest of Honor for the Armagh Association as well as being named man of the year in 2009 by the New York Irish Center.
Married to Janet for 20 years, Rory McCreesh is the proud father to Katie, Rory Og, Maximus and Derek. They reside in New York.
www.ducecc.com/
Name: Ryan Graham
Biography: Ryan’s father was a South Philadelphia street kid and the middle of eight children whose father died when he was 11 years old. The best thing that happened to him was meeting and marrying Ryan’s mother. Her father gave his new son-in-law his start in the insurance industry, which allowed him to create Fairview Insurance in 1970. As a kid growing up, Ryan’s grandfather would take him to the office in Verona where he would run around and play. As he got older, his life’s dream was to become a police officer and never in his wildest dreams did he think he would end up in the profession he now loves. His father taught him everything about what it means to be an insurance professional.
Fairview is a full service insurance agency, which specializes in employee benefits.
Name: Dr Scott E. Miller
Biography: Founded in 1968 by Louie E. Miller, R.Ph., Medical Arts Pharmacy has been to the forefront of providing quality healthcare in east Alabama. This tradition continues to this day with a dedicated team of pharmacists and certified pharmacy technicians who work closely with healthcare providers ensuring the best patient care possible.
Name: Sean Brady
Biography: Canning Electric has been serving the Bay Area since 1995 and is known for quality workmanship and exceeding customer expectations. The business has built its reputation on providing clients with experience, integrity and exceptional service. It is an innovative and progressive contractor, having earned a reputation for being creative, advanced technologically and extremely responsive to clients needs – matched only by the years of practical experience and industry exposure. In addition to its C-10 Electric license, it also holds a B License-General Contracting and is certified by the Human Rights Commission & the State of California’s Small Business Participation Program.
Name: Sean McNeill
Biography: From 2001 Sean McNeill has been the owner and broker of McNeill Real Estate, Inc. New York Residential, Commercial Real Estate Brokers and Property Managers. A full service boutique company, the business provides a private and confidential service to customers and clients. The business helps customers – many of whom are Irish – to start or expand their real estate portfolio in New York. Sean is very proud of his Irish heritage and a proud member of the IBO. He regularly goes back and forth to Ireland to visit family and friends. A member of the Real Estate Board of New York and of the Irish Business Organization of New York, prior to coming to the US Sean had worked as a manager with ACC Bank, and also owned a bar in Dublin.
Name: Steve Lennox
Biography: One of Dublin’s most well-respected law firms; a labor union representing more than 6500 members throughout the States of New Jersey and New York; a top-class hospital undergoing a recent change in ownership; and one of New Jersey’s strongest local Democratic Organizations are just a few of the clients Lenox Consulting works for on a daily basis.
Launched as a full-time company in January 2010, Lenox Consulting is headed up by Steve Lenox, a seasoned professional with more than ten years experience developing and executing communications strategies for a range of high profile employers. Always with an eye towards personal service and rapid response on behalf of its clients, Lenox Consulting has expanded from a one-person operation to a network of gifted professionals all prepared to put their networks and talents to work at a moment’s notice.
Recognizing that in this age of modern technology a client’s message can be deployed, misinterpreted, revised and redeployed almost simultaneously and while understanding that there truly is no substitute for personal interaction, Lenox Consulting deftly combines the principles and capabilities of social media and rapid response with the ability to open doors for face-to-face contact.
Name: Terence Mulligan
Biography: Fleadh Foundation started in 1998 with an ambitious plan. The idea was to create more awareness for Irish films and music in NYC all year round. With some help along the way with founding patrons like Con Edison and a few honorary board members like Liam Neeson and Jim Sheridan who supported the project from the outset. Since 1998 the Foundation has helped launch the careers of hundreds of filmmakers and musicians. It now also runs a comedy festival and is expanding to an Irish Gay and Lesbian film festival.
Name: Thomas D. Goslin
Biography: American Dispatch is in its 30th year as a temperature controlled trucking company serving seven Mid-Atlantic States. In 1999 the Pittsburgh Business Times voted the company one of the 100 fastest growing companies in Western Pennsylvania.