2012 Irish Small Biz 50 Nominees, M-0
Name: Enda Madden
Age: 32
Place of birth: Carrigallen, County Leitrim
Business: Healthcare Software
First established: 2011
Employees: 6
Website: www.cara-health.com
Where you live: Chicago
First job: Farmer
What it taught me: Don’t leave the gate open.
Family: Single
Best advice anyone ever gave you: When you’re on your deathbed you’ll never regret you didn’t spend more hours in work.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Develop your relationships with potential investors before you need investment and listen. The less you talk and spent listening to valuable feedback and suggestions the better.
The most important thing for a business success is: Passion and building a great team.
Emerging care management practices are at the forefront of strategies to reduce costs and improve the quality of healthcare. Cara Health has developed a proven patient-centered technology solution that provides a key building block for care management. Our algorithms are highly effective at identifying trends which lead to avoidable hospitalizations amongst the frail and elderly with multiple chronic conditions. This population accounts for the majority of spending in healthcare. We have achieved a 51 percent reduction in hospital admissions and a 98% patient satisfaction rating across 3 provider sites. The Cara Health system is a SaaS-based solution using smart listening technology to predict early deterioration in frail and elderly patients’ health. Our web front end guides care management staff through outbound telephone conversations. During the call the system identifies pre-acute trends from conversational features. The system generates real-time alerts prompting care management staff to make appropriate interventions to avert avoidable hospitalizations and emergency room visits. Care managers in Medical Home or ACO environments can review current risk stratification data for specific members and decide on the frequency of interaction with the member as appropriate. They can also use the system’s cumulative self-learning capability for population management and resource deployment. Cara Health is a unique solution delivering value to everyone in the care management equation – payers, providers, patients and their caregivers
Name: Chris Maher
Age: 45
Place of birth: New York, NY
Business: House Party Inc.
First established: 2005
Employees: 60
Website: www.about.houseparty.com
Where you live: Darian, CT
First job: I mowed lawns
What it taught me: Hard work and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Family: Happily married for over 10 years and live in southern Connecticut with my beautiful wife and two daughters.
Best advice anyone ever gave you: Work hard and good things happen
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Work hard and never stop trying to get better.
The most important thing for a business success is: The people
Chris Maher is the CEO of House Party. He joined the company in September of 2011, eager to lead HP into the next phase of its continuing growth and success. A widely respected executive, Chris brings 15 years experience in management, operations and sales. Most recently, Chris served as CEO of eBureau, a venture-backed company specializing in predictive analytics and online ad targeting. Prior to that, he was President of Hitwise, an internet measurement firm, where he oversaw the company’s global operations and financial performance. Chris was a key member of the company’s executive team that led a $260M sale to Experian in June of 2007. Before that, Chris was Vice President of Sales at Jupiter Media Metrix, a leading internet and technology research firm that went public in October of 1999. Chris received a BA from Dartmouth College and an MA from Boston College. He resides in Connecticut with his wife, Stephanie, and their two daughters.
Name: Máire Murphy
Age: 48
Place of birth: Belfast
Business: CapaBunga and Rua. Wine and Wine Accessory Production
First established: 2009
Employees: 2
Website: www.capabunga.com www.ruared.com
Where you live: Sonoma County, Northern California (my personal heaven)
First job: Waitress at a Save The Children Fund Dinner at 14
What it taught me: That everyone should have to be a waiter at some time in their lives; you have to eat a lot of humble pie and people aren’t always pleasant when they’ve had a few too many. It definitely taught me humility and an ability to deal with difficult people.
Family: Husband and daughter
Best advice anyone ever gave you: When setting up our first business in 2001 our Accountant told us that because we were working together and were married my husband and I should have very defined roles. We should know what each other does but not overlap thereby reducing chances of conflict.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Understand that if you’re working for yourself you will have to show dedication and determination like you’ve never known before. If you’re starting your first job as an employee realize that you have to put in your time to learn your craft. The old apprentice role still applies.
The most important thing for a business success is: Determination and belief in what you’re doing. Also constant learning about your chosen subject
After selling our first business in 2006 we started making wine from a terrific vineyard in Napa Valley farmed by a very lauded grape grower. In the process of deciding on the packaging for that wine, Rua (Irish for red) we invented CapaBunga, a reusable cap to reseal the wine after you remove the cork. Once we received our first prototype we quickly realized that we could sell these to other wineries, wine related business and ultimately any store that sells wine related gifts. Suddenly we had a second business on our hands. We also quickly became aware that this product was quite revolutionary and began the long process of patenting the idea. Initially we sold them to our own industry but now we are fully immersed in the wider retail business and attending Trade Shows for Housewares and Gifts – ironic after 2 careers spent solely in the wine business – the reception has been tremendous. Whilst CapaBunga has been exploding, Rua, the wine we originally set out to make has garnered some great reviews including a 91 from the Wine Enthusiast where the critic described our Merlot Cabernet Franc blend as ‘delicious’, a 90 from the Wine Spectator and a Gold Medal from one of the oldest wine competitions in the US – The Dallas Morning News. We only produce a meager 400 cases and have recently started showcasing our wine in a tasting room in Napa, California. We only sell the wine direct. CapaBunga is sold through a lot of retailers nationally and in the UK and Canada but can also be purchased directly from us.
Name: Sha-Chelle Devlin Manning
Malibu IQ, with Sha-Chelle Devlin Manning as Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, was founded by leading entrepreneurs focused on establishing a new model of innovation to solve domain challenges in the electronics, energy, life sciences, networking and communications markets.
Malibu IQ, LLC is an entrepreneurial private investment partnership consisting of Bravo Ventures, General Motors Holdings, Manti Ventures, Pioneer MPW, TomorrowVentures, and Winn Interests, co-located at HRL in Malibu, CA.Malibu IQ uses a new model for innovation-“Ideation”-to accelerate the commercialization of proven HRL inventions originally developed for the defense, aerospace and automotive industries. These proven inventions will be applied to rapidly solve domain challenges in new markets including electronics, energy, life sciences, networking and communications. Ideation, for the first time, brings together vast intellectual property assets and entrepreneurial business practices, alongside a pool of committed private capital to rapidly advance these disruptive technologies into new products, both domestically and globally.
Name: Seamus McAteer
Age: 43
Place of birth: Co. Cavan
Business: Churn Labs LLC
First established: 2010
Employees: 8
Website: http://www.churnlabs.com
Where you live: San Francisco, CA
First job: Analyst at Frost & Sullivan
What it taught me: I worked on a contract basis. It thought me the value of time. When you are not productive you are better off doing something you enjoy than trying to stay busy.
Family: One of 11 children myself — Eight sisters and two brothers.
Best advice anyone ever gave you: Find out what you are good at and do that.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Life is short, do something you love and surround yourself with people you feel are smarter than you.
The most important thing for a business success is: A great team and minimal politics.
Churn Labs is a start-up factory. We are working on leading edge business ideas in the mobile technology and media sectors. I work with great engineers and designers to get their businesses established and funded. Separately I am working on my own business idea, Metaresolver, which will revolutionize how advertising on mobile devices will be acquired.
Name: Brendan McCorkle
Age: 31
Place of birth: Boston, MA
Business: CloudMine
First established: 2011
Employees: 5
Website: www.cloudmine.me
Where you live: Philadelphia, PA
First job: Law School Library IT Support
What it taught me: The importance of Customer Service
Family: Original Irish roots in County Antrim, the McCorkle family came to the United States and settled in Virginia, eventually Texas. Brendan’s parents moved to the Northeast U.S., where Brendan was born and grew up outside Boston. Schooled at the University of Pennsylvania at the graduate level, Brendan now lives in Philadelphia where he started CloudMine.
Best advice anyone ever gave you: Surround yourself with people who are experts at the things you are lacking skills in.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Continually challenge yourself to focus on the one thing that will prove your business the MOST in the next week or month. It is easy to try to do too much.
The most important thing for a business success is: Staying close to the customer. Build things that people want, not just to build them.
CloudMine offers a hosted backend-as-a-service platform for developers to build rich and interactive apps with full backend features without writing a single line of server code. The platform is currently live in public beta at http://cloudmine.me Virtually all serious mobile applications require a significant amount of backend work (hosting, server maintenance, provisioning, scaling, custom non-application server code). CloudMine eliminates the development and IT infrastructure overhead usually associated with application development, allowing developers to focus on making their (mobile) applications shine and to get products to market faster, cheaper, and with fewer headaches while still having the benefit of full backend support.
Name: Conor MacCormack
Age: 41
Place of birth: Ardee, Co. Louth
Business: Mcor Technologies Ltd. 3D Printer Manufacturer
First established: 2004
Employees: 20
Website: www.mcortechnologies.com
Where you live: Ardee, Co Louth.
First job: Pauwels Trafo
What it taught me: How to design transformers on a drawing board using ink!
Family: Wife and 2 daughters
Best advice anyone ever gave you: Be yourself
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Ad Astra Per Aspera
The most important thing for a business success is: Passion and an understanding wife!
Dr. Conor MacCormack is co-founder and CEO of Mcor Technologies Ltd. Mcor have developed a revolutionary 3D printer, the Matrix 300, the only 3D printer in the world that uses A4 paper to make 3D objects – turning your ideas into rapid reality! This key technology breakthrough significantly reduces the costs involved in 3D printing, making it more accessible and democratizing the innovation process. The Matrix world’s lowest cost 3D printer to own and it has been termed the world’s most sustainable 3D printer by industry experts. The Matrix was launched in October 2008 – in the week of the launch the Mcor website received over 2 million hits and since then Mcor has received enquiries from around the world including companies such as, Nickelodeon, Boeing, IBM, Cambridge, Stanford, John Deere, Frog Design and Siemens to name just a few. In September 2011 Mcor launched ‘Free D’, a new business model that is set to revolutionize the 3D printing industry. In order to create easier access to the technology Mcor will now provide their 3D printer free of charge. Users will then choose from three different print service plans which will enable them to print unlimited parts for the duration of their plan. The print payment plan will also have maintenance built in so there will be no additional costs to the user. So for as little as £9,950 you could be printing to your heart’s content! Mcor was recipient of the 2008 Intertrade Ireland Seedcorn Emerging International Award, winners of the ‘Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards in March 2009, runners up at the World Technology Awards in the IT Corporate Hardware section in July 2009 and runners up at the ITLG Innovation Awards in April 2011. Prior to co-founding Mcor Conor was a former site manager for a 5th Framework European project with Airbus working on the A380 and principle investigator with SPS Technologies in the U.S. in the aerospace sector. Conor has worked as a consultant with companies such as Boston Scientific, ABS Pumps, Aisle Master, Mantis Cranes, Tanco Autowrap, Keenan Systems and Dromone Engineering. Conor has a PhD in mechanical engineering from Trinity College Dublin and a Mechanical Engineering degree from Bolton Street Institute of Technology.
Name: Claire McGovern
Age: 39
Place of birth: Dublin
Business: McGovern Design House
First established: 2002
Employees: 2
Website: www.mcgoverndesignhouse.com
Where you live: Brooklyn
First job: Temple Bar Gallery & Studios
What it taught me: The value of customer service
Family: Parents: Sean McGovern, Architect. Cecilia McGovern, Poet
Best advice anyone ever gave you: Get a focused post graduate degree
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Pursue your dreams, but only if you can ensure their financial viability and success. Never launch a business without consulting a public relations expert
The most important thing for a business success is: Perseverance
Interior designer Claire McGovern has brought her unique brand of environmentally aware Gesamtkunstwerk or “Total Design” to bear on projects from San Francisco to New York” Image Interiors, April 2010 McGovern Design House is a consulting studio offering a full range of services including interior design, architectural design and an art advisory program. Our mission is to create luxurious and timeless environments that exude perfect balance. Using a blend of sophistication, wit and original design detail, we specialize in interiors of aesthetic innovation that are elegant yet functional, often paying homage to classical symbols and motifs. Unlike typical design firms, we also bring an informed artistic knowledge and expertise to each project and advocate sustainable practices without compromising budget restrictions or the integrity of the design. Designer and Art Advisor Claire McGovern was introduced to architecture and interiors at an early age and has over twenty years of professional experience. She draws upon a keen European and Californian design sensibility. McGovern relocated from Dublin, Ireland to San Francisco in 1997. Following an initial career path as interior designer and art advisor, she launched a critically acclaimed art and design gallery in San Francisco in 2002. Opening an office in New York City in 2007, the company now services an international clientele.
Name: Leo P. McGuire
Age: 52
Place of birth: Paterson, NJ
Business: FML Technologies Ltd
Website: www.fml-tech.com
First established: 2012
Employees: 3-20 depending on projects
Where you live: Oakland, NJ
First job: Stock boy
What it taught me: Beginning at 8 years old, I began a life of working and improvement. Constantly seeking to enhance my education and ability to innovate and expand my network while providing for my family.
Family: Wife-Trish (Co. Cork), daughters Erin and Aileen Great, Great, Great Grandfather, George McGuire came over 1846 on an early famine ship through Liverpool from Mayo.
Best advice anyone ever gave you: Never Give Up, Never Ever Give Up
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Follow your passion, be optimistic, and every setback is a learning experience to help you move forward.
The most important thing for a business success is: To never be complacent, success comes through hard work, diligence and dedication but you must take time out for yourself and family.
FML Technologies has released their Pinnacle Platform, a bespoke interactive web-based training device designed to provide end users with a safe and secure learning environment in which they can familiarise themselves with the features, fitting and care of their equipment or other recurring training. Because Pinnacle allows users to train in their own time and at their own speed, they can train individually. There is no need to remove large numbers of individuals from work to attend training courses. Therefore, Pinnacle offers a significant saving in terms of man-hours and costs. Liability is reduced and all training is tracked and logged, providing easy reporting and accountability. Pinnacle allows you to Motivate-Accelerate-Monitor-Feedback-Reinforce your staff to reduce liability and increase comprehension of material. Businesses, and emergency responders alike will find Pinnacle the answer to their training needs in the most cost efficient and effective way.
Name: Russell McHugh
Age: 43
Place of birth: Mostrim, Co. Longford
Business: AVMC Inc. Wireless Consulting
First established: 2010
Employees: One
Website: www.avmc-inc.com
Where you live: San Diego
First job: Sales Engineer
What it taught me: Good sales people must understand their products really well to be truly effective at selling them
Family: Single
Best advice anyone ever gave you: Never over react to any situation – Mark McCormack, Founder IMG
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Always think positive, you will get the result you desire if the timing is right
The most important thing for a business success is: Having the right product at the right time.
AVMC is a consulting firm representing European suppliers in Southern California and dealing with all areas of wireless, mobile TV applications, healthcare apps for wireless devices, connected healthcare, unified communication, strategic business development for start-ups, venture funding in U.S. and assistance with IPR strategy.
Name: Sean P. Moynihan
Age: 41
Place of birth: Worcester, MA
Business: The Moynihan Group, LLC
First established: 2007
Employees: 1
Website: www.themoynihangroup.com
Where you live: Hingham, MA
First job: Newspaper delivery boy for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette
What it taught me: A job well done results in good tips!
Family: Wife Lynn, daughter Maeve (6) and son Declan (2)
Best advice anyone ever gave you: My mother taught me at a young age to treat others to way you would like to be treated
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Be true to who you are, rely on what you have learned, and do not allow others to discourage you.
The most important thing for a business success is: Patience and perseverance buoyed by a focused vision.
www.themoynihangroup.com
The Moynihan Group, LLC is a Boston based firm specializing in professional legal, government relations, and business development services to public, private, and non-profit entities. Our firm also works with Irish companies and organizations seeking to establish or expand operations in the United States and with American companies seeking to establish or expand operations into Ireland. Buoyed by over a decade of fostering strong relationships, the firm is well suited to assist organizations in need of relationship facilitation to effectuate their professional objectives. The Moynihan Group builds and executes strategies for companies and organizations. Our core services are legislative counsel, regulatory advocacy, procurement, and business development. We offer the opportunity for companies and organizations to facilitate much needed relationships in Massachusetts within the business, government, and academic arenas. We also assist companies with legal and compliance requirements as they establish an American presence. The Moynihan Group offers clients access to key government decision makers through a comprehensive, client specific strategic plan. Prior to establishing The Moynihan Group in 2007, founder and Principal Sean P. Moynihan served in several positions within the Massachusetts House of Representatives. As Counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee, he analyzed and made recommendations regarding myriad public policy matters including energy and the environment, life sciences/biotech, and education. In both this position and as Counsel to the House Majority Leader he developed an acute appreciation for the significant interaction between government and business. Moynihan is a licensed attorney and real estate broker in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is a 1992 cum laude graduate of Providence College and a 2001 cum laude graduate of Suffolk University Law School’s evening division program. In 2009 Moynihan was named one of the Top 40 Under 40 by the Irish Echo newspaper and was 1 of 5 Outstanding Young Leader awardees. He serves as Vice President for Global Partnerships of the Boston Irish Business Association (BIBA), Vice Chairman of Irish Network Boston (IN Boston), and as a connector with Boston World Partnerships (BWP). Mr. Moynihan is a past member and Chairman of the Northborough Democratic Town Committee and volunteer for the Massachusetts Democratic Party. He has managed and worked on numerous municipal, state, and congressional campaigns.
Name: Ronan & Connlaoth Mulholland 
Age: 29 & 26
Place of birth: Ballycastle, N.Ireland
Business: Mulholland Electric
First established: June 2009
Employees: 4
Website: www.mulhollandelectric.com
Where you live: San Francisco, Ca
First job: Grocery Store worker
What it taught me: People skills
Family: Mother: Esther. Father: Paul. Sister: Sarah.
Best advice anyone ever gave you: You can achieve what you want if you put your mind to it. Persistence and consistency are the key.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Set realistic goals and have a business plan of where you want your business to go.
The most important thing for a business success is: Making sure your customers are happy.
Brothers Ronan & Connlaoth Mulholland founded Mulholland Electric in June 2009 right as the U.S. economy was hitting rock bottom. They took their first job on the other side of the country in Watertown, New York, upgrading electrical in a 46-unit apartment building. It was a sizable project for a company just starting out, but that job gave them enough capital to begin their business venture in San Francisco. Today, Mulholland Electric installs electrical and lighting systems for numerous contractors and homeowners all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Mulholland Electric’s customers keep coming back because the brothers take pride in their work and customer satisfaction is their number one priority.
Name: Michael Murphy
Place of birth: Savannah, GA
Business: IMPACT NJ LLC
First established: 2004
Employees: 12
Website: www.impactnj.com
Where you live: Brielle, NJ
First job: Flipping burgers and frying taters.
What it taught me: There is no task that is so menial that you can’t learn from it.
Family: Two wonderful daughters.
Best advice anyone ever gave you: From Daniel Degnan, S.J.; “Be yourself”. From my father Gov. Richard J. Hughes; “Make your presence felt”.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Work harder than your boss and make yourself invaluable.
The most important thing for a business success is: Be your own boss, even if you work for others. The most demanding person in the workplace is you…to yourself.
Formerly the Prosecutor of Morris County and a candidate for Governor of New Jersey, Michael Murphy has been involved in politics since the first gubernatorial campaign of his stepfather, two-term NJ Governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard J. Hughes. An early adviser to President Barack Obama’s Democratic primary bid in New Jersey, Politicker has repeatedly identified Mr. Murphy on its annual Power List as one of New Jersey’s “100 most politically influential personalities,” and New Jersey Monthly has listed him in its “Power Issue” of the Garden State’s most influential people. In 2007, he served as Treasurer of the successful reelection campaign of his brother, Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes. During his run for Governor in the 1997 Democratic primary, Mr. Murphy’s candidacy defined and addressed issues of importance to voters throughout the state. He succeeded in winning 5 counties and placing second in 12. Mr. Murphy’s ability to communicate and articulate his analysis of issues was demonstrated during the televised debates. As a result, he has been called upon to appear as a guest commentator on Hardball with Chris Matthews and on CNBC, MSNBC, My 9, FOX, truTV, NJN, News 12 NJ, and other cable and radio outlets. As Morris County’s top law enforcement official, Mr. Murphy quickly established a reputation as a tough, honest, and effective leader. In 1992, he successfully prosecuted Arthur and Irene Seale for the nationally publicized kidnapping and murder of Exxon executive Sidney Reso. At the request of then-U.S. Attorney Michael Chertoff, Prosecutor Murphy was deputized as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Reso case. In 1994, he fought to secure the conviction of Mohammed Abequa, a Morris County resident who murdered his wife, kidnapped his children, and fled to his native Jordan to escape justice.
Working closely with the U.S. Department of State and the Jordanian government, Mr. Murphy traveled to Jordan to assist in Abequa’s trial and subsequent conviction. Mr. Murphy also began the Morris County Bias Crimes Unit and structured the county’s first Human Relations Commission. For his leadership on these issues, he received a “Good Guy Award” from the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey and the prestigious national Hannah G. Solomon award from the National Council of Jewish Women in recognition of his “outstanding faith and humanity in the community.” In addition, he served as President of the New Jersey Prosecutors Association and chaired the association’s Legislative Committee. He has testified before numerous state and federal legislative committees on a broad variety of issues. Mr. Murphy holds a bachelor’s from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall Law School. He is also a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. In his 35 years as a practicing attorney, Mr. Murphy has served as a municipal attorney, municipal prosecutor, county prosecutor, public defender, and in private practice, specializing in such areas as land use, corporate litigation, and products liability. He is admitted to practice law in the State of New Jersey (1975), the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (1975), the U.S. Court of Military Appeals (1982), and the U.S. Supreme Court (1983). Mr. Murphy is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and remains a proud member of the National District Attorneys Association and Mercer County Bar Association. In addition, he is a Past Chairman of the Public Policy Center of New Jersey and serves as the President of the Richard J. Hughes Foundation. Mr. Murphy was appointed in 2005 by then-Governor Codey, and reappointed in 2009 by then-Governor Corzine, to the Garden State Preservation Trust. Mr. Murphy is currently a Visiting Associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
Name: Brian Murray
Age: 47
Place of birth: Ballina, Co. Mayo
Business: Construction/ Wood Floors
Website: highriseflooring@yahoo.com
Where you live: Yonkers, New York
First job: Downhill Hotel, Ballina
What it taught me: Working as a young man in the Downhill Hotel taught me a sense of responsibility . I was taught to take pride in every aspect of my work, no matter how menial or insignificant I thought it was.
Family: I am the proud father of two beautiful daughters, Olivia and Christine, and a wonderful son, Brendan.
Best advice anyone ever gave you: My first boss always told me to think outside the box. There is always a solution to every problem even though it sometimes means compromise.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: The exact advice I was given, and also to never let anyone tell you it can’t be done!
The most important thing for a business success is: It is important to maintain the business and personal relationships that you had at the start. You can only hope that these relationships can grow with you and be part of your success.
First established: 1989
Employees: Too many to mention but a very special Thank You to my office manager Bernadette Fullerton, who specializes in thinking outside the box.
The most important thing for a successful business:
High Rise Flooring is a family owned and operated business. We specialize in all aspects of installing, refinishing, and repairing hardwood and engineered wood flooring. Our primary demographic is New York City but we also serve, Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland Counties. Our company does residential and commercial work. High Rise Flooring has been fortunate enough to work on many of new construction high rises taking place throughout the city. We are very involved in many projects in the surrounding neighborhood of the World Trade Center and feel fortunate to witness the rebirth and growth of this area.
Name: Gregory O’Connell
Age: 70
Place of birth: Brooklyn, NY
Business: The O’Connell Organization
Website: REDHOOKWATERFRONT.COM
Where you live: Brooklyn, NY
First job: NYC Police Detective
What it taught me: Treat everyone equally
Family: Wife, Elizabeth, sons Michael, Gregory and Thomas.
Best advice anyone ever gave you: (My father) Treat the poor unfortunate on the street and the judge on the bench the same.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Work hard with a passion for what you are doing.
The most important thing for a business success is: Commitment
Greg O’Connell, the son of a teacher and a NYC police officer, graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in education. He returned to NYC to live, teach and work as a NYC police detective in Brooklyn and Harlem. He bought and renovated residential buildings in Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens and watched the Red Hook area, cut off by another Robert Moses parkway, fall into decay and ruin. Inspired by Jane Jacob’s seminal work and book on the Death and Life of Great American Cities, Greg started investing in Red Hook waterfront properties and rebuilding commercial sites and apartments. His efforts have paid off and Red Hook is now a thriving urban community. Besides his work in real estate Greg has been an active member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. He has been honored and received awards by numerous organizations, including The Municipal Art Society. Most recently he returned to upstate NY’s beautiful Genesee Valley and purchased 20 rundown and mostly abandoned buildings on Main Street in a small town called Mount Morris. Another success story is unfolding as Greg’s work is impacting people, businesses, families and communities in Upstate NY. Greg has never sold any of his property for a quick buck, but strives to be a community builder rather than a real estate developer. One person can make an amazing difference.
Name: Barry O’Donovan
Age: 51
Place of birth: Dublin
Business: Kilkenny House-Restaurant & Pub
First established: September 2008
Employees: 23 employees
Website: www.thekilkennyhouse.com
Where you live: Cranford, New Jersey
First job: Busboy in Joyce’s, Midtown Manhattan
What it taught me: If they can do it, I can do it!
Family: Wife Peggy, sons Kevin and Tim, siblings: 3 brothers and 2 sisters (Declan, Ann, Gerard, Kevin and Claire)
Best advice anyone ever gave you: Work hard, believe in yourself and everything is possible.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Don’t take shortcuts – be Honest and fair.
The most important thing for a business success is: Good customer service, quality and consistent product, understand and be about your business and yet but not least be friendly!
First established:
Barry O’Donovan’s firm handshake, eye contact and heartfelt greeting embodies everything the previous generations stood for and lived by. Described as a modern day businessman with solid roots in traditional beliefs he hails from Kilkenny City in the southeast of Ireland and being the 5th child out of six, he learned tenacity, persuasion and creativity from a young age especially with three older brothers. At 18, he arrived in New York for a summer and less than 12 months later landed again at JFK which started a 33 year relationship with the restaurant business. Joyce’s in Manhattan launched his career where he worked his way up the ladder from waiter to manager. The late 1980s saw Barry take up residence and make his mark in Brooklyn working between TJ Bentleys and Peggy O’Neills. October 1996 was a turning point for Barry – he became owner of his first pub – ” Judge and Jury” and on March 17, 2003 he accepted ownership of his next venture Henry Grattan’s During this decade, Barry also embarked on understanding the relationship between business and community and swiftly became part of the 68 Precinct Community board and collaborated on many successful initiatives and endeavors. Cranford, New Jersey is where his family – wife Peggy and sons Kevin and Tim moved to in 2002 and as he faced changing demographics and a customer base that was progressing towards suburban life Barry realized it was time for change again. As the world looked at the October 2008 Market dropping and spiraling into further recession, Cranford was looking at Barry O’Donovan who just opened Kilkenny House the previous month. Kilkenny House reached into Cranford life and became a firm fixture in the community and Barry received the Silver PBA award by the police department as an outstanding citizen. Last year with the 3rd year anniversary celebration planning underway and the end of the summer season wrapping up, Barry was forced to face the stark realization that Hurricane Irene had devastated the town and his business on August 28. Despite a submerged 11 foot basement and water penetrating his ground level, Barry did not waste time on a wake for material loss. After ensuring what he could do for others and seeing their loss poured out on the streets of Cranford, he knew he had to give them back their “local” where they could gather and have their own wake. A mere six weeks after Irene’s inscribed her name forever in Cranford history, Kilkenny House opened it’s doors once again. His heritage, genetic make up and self belief forced him to beat the odds. Barry re-established his business by treating it as a family, by being progressive, dependable, honest and consistent. He creates the perfect synergy with the Cranford community and it is no wonder that all that know him and enter Kilkenny House feel at home with his greeting “Welcome to my Living Room”.
Name: Niall O’Kelly
Age: 31
Place of birth: Limerick
Business: okellydesign
First established: June 2009
Employees: 1-5
Website: okellydesign.com
Where you live: Park Slope, Brooklyn
First job: Waiter in Bewley’s Café, Limerick, Summer and weekends at 16 years old.
What it taught me: It taught me an early lesson in good customer service, working a full day, and working with good products and maintaining the brand promise (though I didn’t think of it like that at the time).
Family: Parents, Miriam and Michael, and two sisters, Meabh and Aoife. Meabh is working as a teacher in Jeonu, South Korea. Aoife works as a multimedia coordinator at RTE in Dublin.
Best advice anyone ever gave you: “Don’t be afraid to ask someone for their business; if you don’t ask them then there’s no reason why they would just give it to you” – Sheila Lynott Hourican. A very New York attitude, but it applies to winning contracts everywhere.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Work hard, find projects that you can be passionate about, and be nice to people.
The most important thing for a business success is: Do what you said you’d do, and do it better than someone else would have.
Established in June 2009, okellydesign is the multi-award-winning branding and interactive practice of Niall O’Kelly and his team. We work with all types of companies and industries, particularly those who are established but at a point where they need to rebrand to better match their current audience and offering, and to reposition themselves for better future growth. Niall’s background is in branding and print design. Following a 4-year BA in DIT he worked for XMI Design, then one of Ireland’s leading branding and print design studios. Whilst there he worked on such clients as Ireland West Airport, Knock, Nestlé, Bank of Ireland, GlaxosmithKline, the EU, Treasury Holdings and Edward Holdings. Niall then moved to New York, working initially for Empire Design on movie posters and campaigns, before settling in with MSDS, a leading branding, print and interactive design agency in SoHo. Whilst there, Niall worked up to become their Senior Designer, leading projects for Acumen Fund, the JDC, TIAA-CREF, SAFE and MetroSouth Hospital. Nialls practice has grown exponentially over the last year, and we count among our clients leading academic institutions such as ISPP and NYU, non-profit organizations such as SEIU 1199 and the LA Center for Disaster Preparedness Project, consumer oriented companies such as Li-Lac Chocolates, and Lily O’Briens, games companies such as MindSports Football (a Facebook game) and JammerUp (a boardgame) and professional services companies like Integrated Print & Graphics and Avani Parikh Architecture. We strive for a complete understanding of our clients audiences and messaging, and to communicate each to the other in the clearest and most interesting way possible. You can see a full range of our work on the website.