Media monitoring company PublicRelay is to open a second office in Ireland and will add 20 more staff to its tally over the next two years.

The Virginia company established an office in Dublin in October 2018 and has decided that expansion will centre on the new Digital Hub in Cavan town. The company is now looking to hire an initial team of associates and a manager for the new centre.

Business minister and local TD Heather Humphreys commented: “I met with chief executive Eric Koefoot and Ruth Wiederecht, Vice President of Operations, on my recent trade mission to New York and told them about the rich pool of talent in the local area.

“I would like to congratulate them on this milestone and wish them every success with their new office. I know that they will be pleased with their decision. Without a doubt the announcement will come as a boost to Cavan town and the surrounding area. It will also provide more local jobs for people who want to work where they live.”

PublicRelay’s Cavan office is being part-funded by taxpayers through IDA Ireland grants. The agency’s CEO, Martin Shanahan, stated: “This investment by PublicRelay is in line with IDA Ireland’s strategy of winning impactful investments in regional locations and on working with companies to develop second sites in regional locations. It will showcase the region for other high growth tech companies and will be an excellent reference client in the region.”

In Association with

PublicRelay provides a media analytics solution for communications and marketing professionals working in consumer brands, associations, universities and government agencies. The media analysis is used to plan and measure influencer engagement, reputation management, competitive landscape and messaging impact.

Chief executive Eric Koefoot (pictured) said: “Known for its innovation, superior data quality and actionable insights, PublicRelay helps communicators not only understand what they have done but what to do next.

"The educated, friendly workforce and proximity to our Dublin office make Cavan an ideal location to expand our presence in Ireland. We look forward to investing further in the country and building on our strong partnership with IDA Ireland.”

EJ Factory

Another US company, EJ, has opened a factory in Birr, Co Offaly, to make what it calls ‘access solutions’ for the infrastructure systems of municipalities, utility companies, airport and port authorities, and private industries.

Doors, hatches, covers and more, both in traditional materials and composites such as fabricated steel and aluminium are among the family firm’s products. Vice president Padraig Freeman said: “Investing in our Irish facility allows us to serve local and European market needs from Birr. It demonstrates not only our commitment to Ireland but to our wider European customers. 

“We are now exporting high performance composite access solutions to several European markets. IDA’s support enabled us strengthen our offering and diversify our production facility.”