All the small things
November 30, 2009What a year it was for the hurlers of Dunboyne! Not only did St Peter's win the all-county senior hurling league, but they also came close to landing a first Meath SHC crown in 95 years. Ultimately, they came up short against Kildalkey on county final day, but it was still a brilliant year for Dunboyne, who also unveiled local-based global animal health company Alltech as their new sponsor.
Fielding over 30 teams between hurling and football, Dunboyne are providing the locality with tremendous service. As one of the largest employers in the region, Alltech is doing likewise.
Headquartered in Kentucky, Alltech is an international phenomenon that was founded by Irish scientist Dr Pearse Lyons in 1980 and now boasts over 1,900 employees globally, operating in over one hundred countries. The high-tech European Bioscience Centre in Dunboyne - which is effectively the company's European headquarters - comprises a research centre, Alltech's European marketing HQ, a quality control department, customer support centre, distributions facility and finance and IT department.
Alltech's natural animal health solutions are scientifically proven to enhance health and performance when added to the diet of ruminants, poultry, pigs, horses, aquatic animals and pets.
The company has had a presence in Ireland for 28 years now and the Irish office was Alltech's first international office. South African born John Thornton has been managing director at the Dunboyne facility since May 2009. Commenting on Alltech's decision to come on board as sponsor of the Dunboyne, St Peter's hurlers, he explains: "We sponsored their jerseys for the senior hurling championship and we also try to support them in any other way possible. It's important to get involved in initiatives like this and we feel that sponsoring the local hurling club can help to integrate Alltech into the local community. We make great efforts to integrate into local communities all around the world and obviously the GAA is at the heart of the Irish community so we're delighted to have done this for Dunboyne."
The common link between the club and company is Meath hurler Neil Hackett. Neil captained both Dunboyne and Meath in 2009 and was also named on the Nicky Rackard Cup team of the year. He was subsequently selected as the overall Nicky Rackard Cup Hurler of the Year - a huge accolade by any standards. It just so happens that the Royal County gael is also an employee of Alltech, so it was through him that the sponsorship materialised.
"It's important to get involved in local events and that's why we agreed to do something for Neil and his team. They had a pretty good year and hopefully we'll be working with them again in the future. We really enjoyed working with the lads and I'm sure this is just the beginning of our involvement with them.
"As Neil works with us and is one of our own, it means we now understand better what their requirements are and hopefully we can help them again from time to time. Hurling isn't a game I would have been exposed to very much growing up in South Africa but it's an incredible sport and I have to take my hat off to those guys for doing what they do at such speed. The skill levels are extraordinary."
With the recession in full swing, there's not an awful lot for Irish people to be excited about these days. The GAA offers refuge from the troubles and worries of everyday life and the club in Dunboyne is doing sensational work in serving its strong membership. The Alltech facility in Dunboyne is equally important to local morale, as it shows that this south Meath village can compete with the best of them economically.
"We have a 100-acre site here on the outskirts of Dunboyne village and it's a vital part of our global operation," John Thornton continues. "Our core business is to work with animals to improve their health and performance. Basically, we manufacture yeast and work with different components of yeast cells to improve performance through nutrition. We employ around 1,900 people globally and over 60 of those work here in Dunboyne."
Headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky with Bioscience Centres in the US, Ireland and Thailand, and offices and distributors in 120 countries, Alltech plays a leading role in the animal health and nutrition industry worldwide. The company also has 23 production facilities strategically located throughout the world.
Earlier this year, Alltech was named International Irish Company of the Year in Asia-Pacific at the Business & Finance Asia-Pacific Ireland Business Awards which took place during the third annual Asia-Pacific Business Forum in Bangkok, Thailand. The global animal health company was recognised for outstanding commercial success and sustainable growth over the last decade, as well as high levels of innovation, ethics and corporate social responsibility within the Asia-Pacific region.
The awards were organised by Business & Finance magazine in association with the Asia-Pacific Irish Business Forum and the Ireland China Association and are Asia's only Irish-focused business awards. Former TD and Tánaiste Dick Spring chaired the judging panel which comprised a number of business leaders with links to Ireland and the Asia-Pacific region.
Alltech regularly picks up prestigious awards for its cutting-edge operations all over the world and is deeply embedded into the local communities where it operates. The Dunboyne hurlers are one of many clubs and organisations to have benefited from Alltech's generosity over the years. Tweet
