About Athy Chamber
Athy, a historic market town,in the southwest of County of Kildare is located on the National Secondary Route (N 78) linking Dublin with Kilkenny and Waterford, and is served by mainline rail services linking Dublin / Waterford / Kilkenny line with access to the remainder of the country via Kildare train station. Athy can be further accessed by the River Barrow and Grand Canal which run through the town.
The Grand Canal and River Barrow brought early benefits from trade and the twentieth century saw sustained industrial growth initially from the milling and malting industries and later diversifying into building products, engineering, textiles and other products. Firms and products have closed and / or rationalized leading to job losses but the town continues to contain many manufacturing commercial and professional services and to serve as a market centre for its hinterland.
The population of Athy has risen from 6049 persons in 2002, and recent increases in commercial and residential developments mean the town’s population has expanded to a current figure in excess of 10,000 persons. This increasing population presents many opportunities and highlights the need for the residents and business community to combine their resources for the benefit of all.
Athy Chamber of Commerce, a member of the overall Chambers of Commerce organization in Ireland, Chambers Ireland, and is now known as Athy Chamber, and is an organisation of business people working together, committed to promoting the economic prosperity of business and industry in Athy and the South Kildare area. Its vision, intention and determination is to unlock the potential of Athy and its hinterland, to unlock the strengths of the business community and encourage them to play our strengths. We seek to promote Athy and its hinterlands as an attractive vibrant location to work, live and visit.
CHAMBERS IRELAND
As an affiliated member of Chambers Ireland, Athy Chamber seeks to derive benefit from its membership and to develop through that association. As a member we are required to comply with the Membership Charter of Chambers Ireland. The Charter governs the relationship between Chambers Ireland (C.C.I) and Athy Chamber and seeks to maximise the potential of the Irish Chamber network, linking Athy Chamber with Chambers Ireland.
The charter covers the following areas.
- Compliance
- Engagement
- Lobbying and PR
- Value Added Services
- Membership Growth
- Branding
Below is a list of current work in progress which should inform you of some of the products and services we provide :
- Chamber Translation Services (CTS)
- E-Cert Express – Electronic Certificates of Origin,
- Chamber HR
- ChamberSafe
- Location Service
- Certification - ChamberMark
- CRO
- Wave
CHAMBER STRUCTURE
The Committee of the Chamber acts for the Chamber and derives its authority from the Limited Company, the South Kildare Chamber of Commerce Company Limited.
The Committee of Athy Chamber is subdivided into 5 standing committees with other committees appointed when required. The standing committees are : Infrastructure, Retail, Tourism, Finance, and General Chamber Development. Each standing committee seeks to drive the Chamber by protecting and caring for the business community, and seeks in job protection and job creation in this town.
The President for 2009 / 2010 is Paul A. Cunningham and the Vice President is Kathleen Cash.
