Guest Write Barry Phillips CEO

I'm so lucky to feel so proud of my staff. Here’s one employee who stood outside Tesco last Friday collecting money for a good cause. That takes bottle. Well done Vanessa say I.
As a company we’re up to two really important but quite different things this week. We’re all “de-clunking”. In otherwords, we’re going through files and folders, drawers and cupboards to see what we can throw away. No doubt we'll feel we have an office twice the size once done. We’re also working on our application to the Irish News for the Champion of Champion award. We’ve won an award over the last few years six times including “Best Place to Work” twice so the pressure's on. We’ve got something a bit wacky in mind. But then we do wacky. And rather well I might add.

On Tuesday our conference executive Scott will be meeting Rosie Smyth from Ulster Supported Employment Ltd. USEL was established in 1962 with the aim of providing supported paid employment for people with disabilities within its Belfast manufacturing base.
Our MD (sporting a fine new hairdo incidentally) is in meetings all day today. Tuesday evening she's attending the B4B event "Generating income and good customer relationships" at the Wellington Park Hotel, Belfast. Thursday and she’s attending the CforC course on Facilitation Skills at Holiday Inn Express Antrim. She’s in the office rest of week, internal meetings etc with no doubt something spectacular planned for the weekend.
Our conference manager ROI Heather is off to England covering the TUPE seminar in London on Wednesday. Bon voyage Heather.
Our conference manager NI Kerry is hosting the second day of the Internal Mediation course on Tuesday in the Legal-Island Training Centre and is attending an 'Art in the Garden' networking event at the Culloden that same evening. Apparently she knows these gardens well having visited these and many others in the summer when playing her tuba in the local silverband for 6 years. On Thursday she will be presenting Ballycraigy Primary School with their sponsored hockey kits and will be helping out at a small local tournament in preparation for next weeks Antrim Sixes Tournament. Come on "Anrim"!
Ainsley our marketing and sales manager has a busy week too. Tomorrow evening he’s attending a B4B event with Jayne at the Wellington Park Hotel. On Wednesday he’s volunteering at Ballycraigy Primary School coaching football. On Thursday he’s running the innovation club. In between times like the rest of us he’s busy de-clunking.

Me, myself and I are busy this week with a combination of internal staff meeting and networking meetings. On Monday I have the usual one-to-ones with senior staff. On Tuesday I'm meeting Clive Byrne from NAPD and Michael Lantry from Certification Europe after that. I’m seeing Hannah Carney from Hannah Carney Associates for lunch and finally Marion Courtney late afternoon. Later that same day I’m attending “Generating Income and Good Customer Relationships” with other Legal-Island staff at the Wellie Park in Belfast. On Friday of this week I’m attending a Sales seminar at the Hilton and afterwards meeting Jim McBain of ASCL and George Wilson of the Centre for Competiveness and finally the company account Mike Nangle for lunch.

Onwards Islanders!