By Business & Finance 
Ian Hyland, Ireland INC; Anna Scally, KPMG; U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Reece Smyth and David Walsh, Netwatch at the Irish launch of the Ireland INC Index at U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Reece Smyth’s residence. (Photo: Karl Burke)
The Ireland INC Index will engage with and track hundreds of Irish corporations operating and investing across the United States.
Today in Washington, D.C. at the Embassy of Ireland in USA, the official US launch of the Ireland INC Index will take place, showcasing and celebrating the top Irish companies investing and operating in the US.
The index, with key partnerships in association with KPMG, TransferMate Global Payments and Cpl, is an ever-expanding report on the importance of Irish trade in the United States.
The Irish launch
Wednesday, 6th June saw the Irish launch of the index at Chargé d’Affaires Reece Smyth’s residence on the Mespil Road in Dublin.
Here the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires spoke of the special link between the two nations and the millions of people identifying as Irish in America.
Ian Hyland, President of Ireland INC, remarked:
The footprint of these companies in the United States illustrates that while the seismic impact of the United States’ investment in Ireland is well documented, the true symbiosis of the economic relationship between our two countries can at times be a little overlooked, and we hope through the index we can find some balance in that regard.
Anna Scally of KPMG mentioned the phenomenal growth of Irish companies with “at least 100 having ‘boots on the ground’”. She continued:
We all know that Ireland’s investment, or investment by Irish companies in the US, has really grown phenomenally in the last number of years.
Examples of the Irish footprint in the US
From humble beginnings, the likes of Carlow-based Netwatch are proving to be stalwart Irish representatives overseas, with the firm establishing a global merger to form the Netwatch Group this year.
David Walsh, Netwatch. Photo: Karl Burke.
David Walsh, Co-founder/CEO of Netwatch, gave advice at the Irish Ireland INC Index launch on what Irish businesses should do to prepare for life in the US:
Being Irish is a huge advantage in the United States of America – it open doors, it gets us into Corporate America, but in reality, it doesn’t close deals. We need to have a very, very strong value proposition, we need to be clear about our sweet spot, what we’re trying to do before we land, because as open as they are to the Irish, unless we have a really strong proposition, they won’t deal with us.
TransferMate Global Payments is a key partner of the Ireland INC Index. The company offers simple and cost-effective solutions to international banks and businesses when they send and receive foreign currency payments.
Terry Clune, Co-founder/CEO, TransferMate Global Payments
Among its achievements, the company was awarded the Business & Finance Company of the Month Award for Novermber 2017 and has made some key strategic partners, including landing a €30 million investment from AIB at the end of last year in helping the organisation grow its international standing further.
With recruitment being of such vital importance when the Irish operate in the US, Cpl plays a key role in this field, not just in hiring top talent domestically, but in its own operations in the US.
Cpl is the official search partner of Ireland INC and has a US office in Boston, Massachusetts. The recruitment company works with US and Irish companies across their global network of 41 offices in 11 countries.
The Ireland INC Index will continue to expand and grow and really highlight the significant footprint of Irish businesses in the United States.
You can download the first edition of the Ireland INC Index here.
