Joan Martin
CEO of Louth County Council
FDI / Ireland
Great location within a great location
Louth’s location, at the heart of the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor (DBEC), offers huge advantages to inward investors, including access to a large skilled workforce, says Joan Martin, Chief Executive of Louth County Council.
What makes Louth County stand out?
Everyone who comes to Ireland falls in love with the location, but its adaptable and skillful people are key to its success. The same applies to Louth. Nested at the heart of DBEC, Ireland’s economic engine, the county boasts excellent infrastructure, and beautiful views of the sea and mountains. Louth’s catchment area has two and a quarter million people, almost half the nation’s population.
How does Louth benefit from this location?
Louth is on the Dublin-Belfast motorway, with access to two airports and key ports. The DBEC is part of the government’s policy of relieving pressure on Dublin and spreading opportunity. We see it as a long-term project to establish an economic entity with international recognition, with clusters in financial services, pharma, engineering, food, digital, energy, and the environment.
How do you attract foreign investors?
We’re part of Team Ireland. Often when I meet a company with the Industrial Development Agency (IDA), they’re looking at several counties. We aim to give investors the information they need in one meeting and, when they say they want something, we never say “Well, that’s going to be a problem” but “Well, there may be a difficulty, but we can fix it.” We focus on solutions. That’s the extra that we bring to the table: our professionals’ positivity.
