Businessman with strong Longford links a finalist in EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards

A Dublin based entrepreneur with very strong Longford connections has been chosen as a finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

Seamus Tighe heads up Ecoplex, a renewable energy company based in Damastown in West Dublin.

The company provides a range of renewable energy solutions for both businesses and individuals.

These include EV charging points and solar panels.

Seamus, who was born in Castleknock, comes from a well known business family.

Seamus’s father, Seamus Snr, is a native of Rooskey. A number of his aunts and uncles live in Longford (two of his aunts, Angie Tighe and Marie Clancy run the Tighes supermarket in Rooskey).

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Seamus Snr. won an All-Ireland U-21 title with Roscommon in 1978 and both Seamus and his brother Vincent played for St. Mel’s College.

“My dad moved to Dublin to study accountancy. I grew up in Castleknock, but spent a lot of time in Rooskey growing up,” he explained.

Seamus followed in his father’s footsteps by studying accountancy. However, he found that this career was not for him and instead he tapped into the strong business streak that runs in his family.

A decade ago, Seamus set up Everest, a company providing healthy ‘on the go’ food products.

“Everest has gone from strength to strength. We have expanded the product range and the products are available in many of the main multiple retailers and also in the UK,” he explained.

“The thinking behind Everest was to provide healthy and nutritious food on the go,” Seamus added.

Everest has six direct employees, which is in sharp contrast to Ecoplex.

“Ecoplex has 132 employees and we have 20 crews on the road. We are hoping to expand this to over 30 crews this year,” Seamus stated.

The staff are a mix of installation crews, sales/admin, customer experience and financial.

Covid provided the opening for this new venture for Seamus. “Throughout Covid, the on the go food market disappeared overnight. Two friends of mine, Richard Sheridan and Niall Davey and myself decided to explore new ideas,” he explained.

“We are now one of the leading companies in our field,” he stated.

As well as providing a range of services to businesses, Ecoplex are also targeting private owners of electric vehicles.

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“Over 90% of charging will be done at home. If people have solar panels, they can generate the energy from them. A charging point for a private individual costs €1,400, but there is a grant of €300 available towards the cost,” Seamus explained.

The Strategic Growth programme that Seamus will participate in is “a very exciting opportunity,” according to the young entrepreneur.

“There is an opportunity on the programme to work with seasoned professionals. It will be an intense programme but it will provide recognition and credibility for my company,” he commented.

While Seamus did not pursue accountancy, his training in the field has certainly helped his business success.

“Studying accountancy gave me a strong understanding of profit margins,” he explained.

Seamus is at the helm of two very diverse companies but it works well for him.

“I have a great team. My sister, Jessica Tighe, has a big role to play in Everest,” he explained.

His connections to Longford are extensive. His uncle Vincent lives in Newtownforbes (he is principal of Annaduff NS).

His aunt Kathleen is married to Matt Hanley, who is well known in Longford rugby circles.

Another aunt, Assumpta, is married to Tally Ho publican John Duignan.

Seamus has himself a strong sporting background. He played rugby and also played GAA for St. Brigid’s club in Dublin.

“I haven’t had as much time for sport recently as I have been very busy,” he explained.

He is likely to be busy for the foreseeable future as his business career grows further.

This year’s shortlist includes entrepreneurs from across the island from a diverse range of industries including pharmaceuticals, energy and consumer goods.

Taken together, the group of finalists generates revenues above €700 million each year, according to EY. The companies employ more than 4,000 people.

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The finalists will compete within their three categories — emerging, established and international — with one overall winner to be announced as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 at a gala awards ceremony in November.

Roger Wallace, EY partner lead for the EoY programme, said the awards received their highest-ever number of nominations this year. “Our finalists hail from a diverse mix of backgrounds and are at the helm of some of the most inspiring and innovative businesses in their industries. They are all true trailblazers — leaders with the courage and capacity to plot and follow their path, pushing conventional boundaries and limits.

“Each of the finalists is exploring new markets and technologies to solve challenges and find solutions that are revolutionising their own industries and creating opportunities for their local communities, the island of Ireland and beyond.”