Irish Network A Link In Growing Chain

by Steve Lenox | Jun 5, 2014 | Blog, In The News

Over the past several years, from the highest reaches of the Irish government right through to those that we might refer to as the ‘rank and file’ of the Diaspora, great effort has been placed on finding bright spots in an otherwise gloomy view of Ireland’s economic standing and future growth potential.

Many of us know the stats and the one-liners, and recite them as comfortably as we do the ABCs. Ireland ‘punches above its weight’ and ‘Ireland is open for business’ are now common phrases.  What PowerPoint presentation is complete without reminding us that Ireland is home to nine of the world’s top ten medical technology companies, ten top ‘born on the internet’ companies, and so forth and so on?

One thing we know for sure is that Ireland continues on the road to recovery. A strategic combination of economic belt tightening, successful messaging, and good old fashioned ‘can do’ seems to have pushed Ireland well ahead of other nations that stood shoulder to shoulder at the precipice of economic disaster. Huge credit for this turnaround also belongs to the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, whose teams continued to do more with less, never lost sight of their objectives and never missed a day of giving 110% towards attracting record levels of inward investment and opening up new markets for indigenous Irish companies.

Perhaps most importantly though, this road to recovery has been largely paved by efforts to engage the Diaspora in a more significant way, seeking their input, inviting them to be a part of Ireland’s resurgence, and encouraging them to connect with their ‘home’ in a more meaningful way.

Since being formally established in 2010, Irish Network USA has been proud to be part of these efforts, and has made giving our members an opportunity to exercise their emotional ties to Ireland in a tangible way, a cornerstone of our mission.

By providing a national framework and support, Irish Network USA and its chapters are able to offer high quality networking opportunities for Irish, Irish-Americans and ‘friends’ of Ireland; increase business opportunities and economic development between the United States and Ireland; connect newly arrived Irish immigrants with their communities in member cities and states, promote Irish Arts and Culture through film, literature, theatre, dance and language, support the promotion of Irish sports such as hurling and Gaelic Football, and complement the efforts of pre-existing Irish organizations and associations in INUSA Member cities.

Prior to the launch of Irish Network USA, these efforts existed within individual ‘IN’ chapters, but now flourish at a national level, with chapters learning and building from each other’s success.

Irish Network USA, through our chapters, has been proud to offer a platform to reach the Diaspora in efforts to continue to strengthen business and cultural links between the United States and the entire island of Ireland. Our efforts to connect our members to Ireland as a whole are most evident in recent partnerships we have developed with government entities such as the Northern Ireland Bureau and Tourism Ireland.

In the years since our formal launch countless artists, companies, academic institutions, non profits and others have worked through the Network’s 19 chapters to develop strong bases of support here in the US.

New York City raised, but very much trained in her art through summers at her Grandmother’s side in Donegal, Tara O’Grady, a singer whose unique sound and stage mastery inspired an impromptu duet with none other than A-list actor Bruce Willis; Dublin filmaker Alex Fegan, Director of “Irish Pub”; Antrim based Randox, a global leader in healthcare diagnostics; and Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, produced at the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland are just a few examples of those that  have successfully utilized the Irish Network to further their ambitions while helping tie chapters and members back to Ireland in an intimate way.

And once again in 2014, Irish Network USA, through our chapters in New York City and New Jersey, are proud to be partners in the New York-New Belfast Conference. One of the premier events on the Irish American calendar this conference provides participants from both sides of the Atlantic with unique opportunities to rub shoulders with acclaimed artists, key policymakers, and corporate leaders whose efforts to build bridges between New York and Belfast have paid great dividends in continuing to build unbreakable bonds between two world class cities.

In short, all of these efforts described above, relate to an uptick in efforts among the Irish to use effective networking as a means to build meaningful relationships that lead to increased business opportunities and a greater understanding of how we can all work together to help each other advance our interests. Whether we choose to subscribe to ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’, ‘in unity there is strength’ or any other philosophy, it seems clear that out of this economic downturn the Irish have learned, perhaps more than anything else, that our successes and failures are intrinsically tied together, and that by harnessing the strength of our individual networks for a greater cause much can be achieved.

Our good friend Mairtin O’Muilleoir is perhaps the best example of how the art of networking can be used to tear down walls that have kept us from reaching the heights we aspire to, and even with a year of wearing the prestigious Mayoral Chain for the City of Belfast, has shown us how working together, for each other, can make the difference between simply moving ahead and rocketing to levels previously thought unattainable.

For Irish Network USA this networking happens in a variety of forums- film screenings, happy hours, fundraising galas, etc. The common thread though, and the real key to networking success, is our commitment to making sure our members are meeting face to face. Emails, tweets, and the occasional phone call are all modern conveniences that keep us connected when the miles separate us, and we of course take advantage of our robust social media and web presence to keep members connected, but it is evident that there is no substitute for making direct connections.

As the gavel comes down to open the third annual New York-New Belfast Conference we once again are proud to welcome our friends from near and far, and recommit ourselves to not only using this time to build our own set of contacts and advance our interests, but also to help those that sit on our right and our left during the proceedings build theirs, with the knowledge that together we can achieve anything.

By Steve Lenox • Co-President • Irish Network USA • May 2014

This piece also appeared in the New York-New Belfast Supplement of the Irish Echo.

Irish Innovation Driving Global Diagnostics Revolution.

by Deirdre Woodbyrne | May 29, 2014 | Blog, In The News

Irish Network USA is proud to have the support of a great company like Randox and look forward to working with them as a platform for their continued growth in the United States. Randox has some great positions available in the US which might be of interest to our members. Click here to find out more.

By Dr. Peter Fitzgerald • Founder & Managing Director of Randox Laboratories • May 2014

As an all-Ireland, world-class biotechnology company, Randox have a great deal to offer to US healthcare. With extensive facilities in Co Antrim and Co Donegal, Randox has expanded over three decades into one of the world’s leading developers and suppliers of diagnostic products and services for healthcare.  Our commitment to the US market is evidenced by our 2010 acquisition of a new North American Headquarters in the West Virginia panhandle, close to Washington DC.

Randox is rated within the top 20 diagnostic companies in the world, and last year 350 million patients, or 5% of the world’s population, were diagnosed using our technology. Employing almost 1300 people including over 300 research scientists and engineers, we trade in 145 countries across the world. Working at the cutting edge of science and discovery means innovation is at the heart of Randox, and each year we return around 20 percent of turnover to our research and development activities.

It was this desire to improve diagnostics that saw over a decade of research, and around $330m invested in developing Randox’s patented BioChip Array Technology. This multiplex technology (undertaking multiple tests simultaneously) is transforming how the world performs diagnostics.

But what drives this innovation? Ultimately it is the desire to improve health and save lives.

Our expertise at developing tests for particular biomarkers, help those involved in frontline healthcare identify conditions and diseases faster and with more accuracy. For example 382 million people currently live with diabetes across the world, and increasingly sedentary lifestyles means this figure is predicted to rise by 55% by 2035. Our recently launched Adiponectin test assesses an individual’s risk of developing diabetes, and allows resources and treatment to be focused on those most at risk. Our Heart type Fatty Acid Binding Protein (h-FABP) test greatly improves the management of those at cardiovascular risk, allowing early, preventative action to be taken. Lives are saved as a result.

One of our key business divisions is focussed on laboratory Quality Control, helping to ensure that laboratory results are reliable. The quality of Randox products meant we recently secured a supplier agreement with Novation – the largest health care supply chain, analytics and contracting company in the US, with 100,000 members.

Randox is also one of the leading suppliers of clinical chemistry analysers in the world and we are proud that the accuracy of our RX branded technology means they are trusted by America’s leading research scientists at Ivy League institutions, including both Harvard and Yale universities.

And our expertise in diagnostics means we have been able to diversify beyond healthcare, into the veterinary, research, forensic, and food safety sectors.

For example, in recent years a Russian, Chinese and EU ban on US meat products has caused significant difficulties for US exports, with the US Ambassador to Moscow estimating US losses of between $5-6m per annum from Russia alone. As the only USDA approved supplier of screening technology for the beta-agonist growth promoter Ractopamine, Randox Food Diagnostics technology helps US exporters demonstrate residue-free products and re-access key markets.

Our expertise also means we are at the vanguard of one of the world’s key health challenges, testing for drugs known as ‘legal highs’. By way of example, Randox are the first company in the world to develop a commercially available test for the synthetic cannabinoid ‘Spice’ and this allowed our Toxicology Division to assist the US Army with a widespread study on the use of legal highs by armed service personnel.

These examples of Randox innovation and expertise mean we are growing at pace within the US market. Our revenue increased by 25% last year, and we have grown our number of US-based staff by a similar margin to fuel and sustain this rise.

As an all-Ireland company with firm roots in the US, Randox is proud to be part of the Irish Network USA. Over 40 million people in the U.S. claim Irish ancestry so it is unsurprising to find many have risen to the top of the American biotechnology sector.

This week, I am delighted to join Belfast Lord Mayor Cllr Mairtin O’Muilleor to participate in the prestigious New York – New Belfast event, celebrating the business and cultural links between these two world famous cities. Similarly we appreciate that both the work ethic, and the value Irish-American’s place on education, provides a strong skills pool as Randox seeks to develop in key regions. Randox has excellent career opportunities available right across the United States, from the Atlantic coast to California, from Illinois to Texas.

At Randox our vision is ‘Revolutionising healthcare through improving diagnostics’. We look forward, and with Irish-American talent, to strengthening our presence in the US – improving healthcare and saving lives.