New president of Cootehill Chamber appointed

Local business woman, Lisa Pepper has been appointed to the role of president of the Cootehill Chamber of Commerce at its recent AGM.

Lisa is a well-known retailer in Cootehill, who owns and manages Off the Rack, a popular and successful boutique located on Bridge Street and the website.

She takes over as President of Cootehill Chamber from Mary Lennon, accountant, Monaghan Mushrooms and formerly Abbott Nutrition, who held the position during the unprecedented, and turbulent Covid times experienced over the past 12 months.

Speaking after her election, Lisa said: “I am honoured to take on this role, no doubt it will be challenging, especially in this climate, but I’ll give it my best shot.

“The past 12 months have been the most challenging in living memory, for both business and private life. Most of us are still shell-shocked by the turn that life has taken and can hardly believe that we once took so much for granted. We are facing an uncertain future and trying to find new ways to navigate a path through all this.”

Lisa knows she has a challenge ahead of her but is looking forward to it.

“Recovery in 2021 will not mean a return to business as it was, rather it will mean once again finding our feet and dealing with a new reality and ensuring that we work together to help each other to move forward. We can expect a modest rebound when non-essential business re-opens,” she anticipated.

“As a Chamber, I believe it is up to us to lead the way in facing these challenges. I also believe that the common goal that keeps the Chamber going is based on our ability, both as a group and as individual business people, to learn from ourselves and others and to change. We’re facing a new world and we should not only embrace it, but also become pioneers,” added Lisa.

The new President enthused that there are lots of positives for Cootehill. “We recently launched a cross community ecommerce website www.cootehill.ie and I urge every business and organisation to come on board and see how we can work together to promote the town as a whole. We need collaboration across all sectors; commerce, industry, community and sporting bodies to promote all our town has to offer to locals and visitors alike. We will also have the local town vouchers available on it to purchase," she said.

Lisa also referenced other positive developments in the pipeline - €100k for the Walking and Cycling Strategy from the 2021 Active Travel Allocation and €200k in funding for the Greenway, a planned Aldi store for the town, a new NCT testing centre and the completion of the new Holy Family School.

Lisa thanked outgoing President Mary Lennon for her tireless commitment to the role of president over the past year. “As we close one chapter and start a new one, I’d like to acknowledge Mary Lennon’s commitment to the role over a difficult year and wish her well.”