Ireland's Prime Minister Reinforces Country's Trade Ties With U.S. in Coast-to-Coast Meetings and Events to Mark St. Patrick's Day

DUBLIN, IRELAND and WASHINGTON, DC and MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA and SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - Mar 18, 2013) - This week, at events in cities from coast-to-coast, Irish Government officials, including Prime Minister (An Taoiseach) Enda Kenny, will reinforce and promote Ireland's ties with its largest trading partner, the U.S. The ties continue to strengthen. As their businesses expand in the U.S., Ireland-based companies are broadening their footprint and boosting headcount. Today, Ireland is the 14^th largest investor in the U.S., with 300 Irish companies across all 50 states collectively employing more than 82,000 Americans. The investment flows both ways. U.S. companies continued to select Ireland as their European hub last year, while many existing corporate tenants expanded their Irish operations. In total, more than 600 U.S. companies have a presence on the island.

Washington, D.C., Silicon Valley and Seattle will anchor the Prime Minister's agenda. Coordinating several events on the itinerary is Enterprise Ireland, the government agency responsible for the development and internationalization of Irish enterprises.

Washington, D.C.
In Washington, D.C., the Prime Minister will feature at an Enterprise Ireland-hosted business luncheon. At the event, select Irish companies will announce partnerships and other initiatives driving their success in the U.S. market. They include:

• airmid Healthgroup joins leading professional steam cleaning company, Stanley Steemer to announce phase two of a collaborative study with landmark implications for asthma and allergy sufferers. airmid is an Ireland-based physician-founded research facility that provides development services to consumer product manufacturers. Phase one of the study found that the Stanley Steemer deep cleaning process removed up to 97 percent of surface allergens and 67 percent of airborne cat allergens. Results were presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). Phase two is now beginning.
• Glanola will open an office in Newburyport, MA, its first U.S location. The Dublin-based company has developed and patented the first fully automated, robust and industry-approved beer line cleaning solution. Unlike conventional manual methods which are costly, wasteful and often hazardous, Glanola's automated solution is consistent and reliable, and reduces waste. Already this year, the company has received product orders that will lead to more than $1 million from breweries, distributors and pub chain owners in North America. The Newburyport office puts the company in close proximity to customers in the U.S. and Canada.
• Global Shares will locate its first U.S. operations center in Metro Park, New Jersey. The Cork-based company is a leading independent provider of equity plan administration, as well as stock option administration and related services. With demand for its solutions growing, Global Shares' U.S. business is on a trajectory. The new office provides a local hub to better serve the company's expanding roster of clients. Hiring has already begun.

Silicon Valley, California
In Silicon Valley the Prime Minister will launch The EI Access Silicon Valley Program -- a major Government initiative to help Irish entrepreneurs gain fast, deep and lasting traction for their businesses in the U.S. market. The program will begin with a boot-camp in Dublin delivered by seasoned Silicon Valley professionals. This will be followed by distance mentoring and an intensive two-week program of meetings in Silicon Valley. The objectives are to quickly validate value propositions, access potential customers and identify sources of growth capital. To execute on the program, EI has partnered with internationally experienced U.S. Market Access Centre, part of the San Jose State University Research Foundation.

In Palo Alto, Prime Minister Kenny will deliver welcome remarks at a day-long conference jointly staged by Enterprise Ireland and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. The event, focused on medtech, gathers industry experts, executives and entrepreneurs to discuss the advantages of starting a medtech business in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland CEO Frank Ryan will join one of the panels.

Also in Palo Alto, Prime Minister Kenny will preside at a business lunch where select Irish companies will announce U.S. partnerships. Among them is Ireland-based MONEX Financial Services which signed a contract with Switch Commerce to deliver DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion) service to Switch Commerce's extensive Independent ATM Deployer (IAD) network supporting ATMs throughout the U.S. Switch Commerce is one of the fastest-growing EFT companies in the nation, with products spanning ATM transaction processing, merchant service and POS applications, mobile payment expertise, and more. The company's evolutionary concepts keep it at the forefront of the payment processing industry. With its clear industry leadership and innovative portfolio of solutions, Switch Commerce helps its clients remain current in a rapidly changing environment of technology and regulatory compliance. The addition of MONEX DCC to Switch Commerce's array of services will allow International card holders to withdraw funds at U.S. ATMs while conveniently being charged in the home currency of their card, demystifying the actual amount they are spending overseas. DCC has become an increasingly popular service worldwide at ATM machines and is particularly favored by the business traveler as the FX value is determined at the time of transaction, allowing for faster expense claim submissions.

Seattle, Washington
Prime Minister Kenny concludes his trip in Seattle where he will participate in an EI-sponsored breakfast event with the Seattle Irish Network. Later he will visit the Pacific Science Center at the invitation of Ireland-based SureWash which has developed an interactive training system that reduces the costs and time associated with hand-hygiene training and compliance, while reducing infection rates in hospital environments. At the center, the Prime Minister will acknowledge the inclusion of SureWash's interactive hand-hygiene training system in a new health and wellness exhibition. The appearance of SureWash in the exhibition was supported by a group of clinical experts validating their technology and opening up potential new channels to medical centers in Seattle. The exhibition is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as hospitals, corporations and private donors in the Greater Seattle area.

For information on Enterprise Ireland, please visit www.enterprise-ireland.com