This story is part of the #MissingEntrepreneurs 2023 campaign, which includes an OECD-EU report analysing the challenges that underrepresented groups face as entrepreneurs. We will shine a light on the stories of each of these groups that include women, young people, seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants and unemployed people.
With an accountancy qualification and a background in banking, I always knew that I wanted to start my own business. When my husband Shay and I spotted an entrepreneurial opportunity, we decided to back ourselves and go for it. We both left our full-time jobs and established “Ire Wel Pallets (IWP)” in May 1990.
We leased a premises for our first ten years in business. Having proven a demand for the products, we bought a ten-acre site and developed the first purpose-built pallet manufacturing facility in Ireland. The company has grown steadily since, has a 350,000 sq. ft. ventilated facility and currently employs fifty.
I never felt at a disadvantage doing business in a male dominated sector. However, ten years ago, I did find participation in a female only initiative, Going for Growth, a real gamechanger. Going for Growth encourages female entrepreneurs to be ambitious and supports them to realise their growth aspirations.
The programme allowed me to engage with like-minded people, in a confidential and safe environment. As a result of my participation, I now have a more structured approach to the business, concentrating more on the strategy and direction I want to bring the company in. I have remained an active member of the Going for Growth Community since and have benefitted greatly from that ongoing participation.
In recent years, €6 million has been invested into IWP, and we plan further investment. Recently installed solar panels are just one example of our strategy to minimise the IWP’s carbon footprint.
IWP is now Ireland’s leading pallet and packaging manufacturer, supplying pallets, boxes, and crates to specification for customers. I am now focused on developing export markets and intend IWP to be the most successful pallet manufacturing company in Europe.
I believe in giving back. I am a voluntary Lead Entrepreneur on the highly successful ACORNS, which is a peer support initiative, focused on developing early-stage female entrepreneurs in rural Ireland. It is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Find out more about The Missing Entrepreneurs 2023 here.
Mary B Walsh is the founder and Managing Director of Ire Wel Pallets Ltd. Established in May 1990, IWP is a sustainable pallet and packaging solutions provider, supplying pallets, boxes and crates to its exporting customers in the Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, Food, Drinks, Electronics and Engineering industries, amongst others. Based near Gorey, Co. Wexford, IWP operates from the first purpose-built pallet manufacturing facility in Ireland, incorporating a state-of-art ventilated storage facility for kiln dried timber and pallets in addition to the production facilities on-site. Investments of €4.5m between 2015 and 2019 have introduced new technology on site that has given the company more control over its production, quality and stock. The company is exploring export markets, including the UK, and is continuing expansion plans for the business.