Monaghan Mushrooms' founder receives Lifetime Achievement Award

There was a standing ovation for Ronnie Wilson, founder of Monaghan Mushrooms, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Monaghan Business Awards on Friday night in the Nuremore Hotel.

Delivering a glowing citation, Cathaoirleach P.J. O’Hanlon described Mr Wilson as “a visionary entrepreneur whose journey, determination and leadership have made an extraordinary impact on the world of business in Co Monaghan".

Accepting the award, Mr Wilson said: “Being born and raised in Monaghan makes the award particularly special. Firstly, I'd like to thank my wife and my family who patiently remind me that the world doesn't have to evolve around Monaghan Mushrooms! Secondly, the employees of Monaghan Mushrooms, some have been with me from the very beginning. Success in business is not achieved without good people.”

Monaghan Mushrooms was founded with the help of Jimmy Leonard, a loan from ACC Bank and support from the IDA, now Enterprise Ireland. In the early 1980s, Ronnie’s business partner was Noel Howland, a horticultural advisor. “We managed to persuade a number of local farmers to grow mushrooms in plastic hooped houses. Some of these grower families still grow mushrooms for us today, but they're much bigger farms,” the entrepreneur reflected.

Acknowledging that much had changed locally, nationally, and internationally since the beginning, he noted that Monaghan Mushrooms' survival was due to the team's ability to respond to changing markets and react to difficult circumstances. The company met the needs of customers by continually investing in people, technology and innovation.

Mr Wilson alluded briefly to his company’s involvement with the BioConnect Innovation Centre just outside Monaghan Town: “We want it to attract science graduates back to Monaghan, to undertake research, to understand the role of biotechnology can play in the future of food, and to provide research and development services to local existing agribusinesses.”

He hoped that the facility would provide well-paid, interesting jobs; see new businesses creating employment and attract investment from overseas: “BioConnect is currently building a team and we're looking for industrial-trained fermentation and biotechnology experts. This is coincidental, we've already recruited Charlie Connelly from Carrickroe, whose grandfather was the first mushroom grower from Monaghan Mushrooms almost 50 years ago.”

Ronnie’s keynote address was short and sweet, concluding with: “Thank you very much for the award, and let's hope we keep making Monaghan great.”