About Us

About Us

About Us

Down Business Centre was established in 1986 as the local enterprise for the Down District Council area which, in 2015, became part of the wider Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The company is a not-for-profit organisation and works for the benefit of the local community by supporting new and existing small business and by playing an active part in business development at local, regional and national levels.

The Company has a formal Memorandum of Understanding with Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency and the two organisations work closely together, seeking to complement each other’s work across all sectors.

Our role is principally three-fold; we provide business accommodation at competitive rates for light industrial, commercial and service sector businesses both new and established; we encourage and support local people on their journey into self-employment and we help businesses grow through training, one-to-one mentoring, programmes and masterclasses. In addition we offer a suite of training and meeting rooms for hire.

We hold charitable status which means that surplus profits made through our property rental and funded programmes are re-invested back into the local community through the provision of free advice and support to individuals considering self-employment and to existing local businesses.

In promoting economic growth in the wider Newry, Mourne and Down area we partner with a range of organisations. Our key partners include –

Newry Mourne and Down District Council
Newry Co-Operative and Enterprise Agency
Invest Northern Ireland
Enterprise Northern Ireland
InterTradeIreland
Neighbourhood Renewal
South East Area European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
Full Circle Management Consultants
Youth Enterprise NI

Our Executive Team

Janice McDonald

Centre Manager

Janice has been at the helm of the organisation since 2007. Having grown up within a family business – an award winning bakery in Newcastle – she knows from first-hand experience the hard work and determination needed to make a business successful. A Business Management graduate, Janice worked for a number of businesses before joining DBC in 1990.

An experienced business adviser, mentor and trainer, Janice is a passionate advocate for local business and works hard to maintain strong working relationships across local and central Government as well as with key decision makers in the public, private and community sectors. Janice is immensely proud of the impact that DBC has made in the economy of our local area.

e-Mail Janice at: Janice@downbc.co.uk

Claire Gamble

Senior Business Adviser

Claire, an experienced Business Adviser who joined Down Business Centre in Nov 2023. She uses her extensive expertise to steer both aspiring entrepreneurs and established businesses toward sustainable growth. Her unwavering passion for nurturing entrepreneurial spirit and implementing strategic business development has played a pivotal role in the success of numerous ventures.

Dedicated to delivering customized and innovative solutions, Claire empowers budding entrepreneurs to surmount obstacles and attain their business objectives.

Her dynamic approach, complemented by firsthand experience in entrepreneurship during challenging periods, positions her to provide practical advice and support that deeply resonates with her mentees. Endowed with a profound understanding of market dynamics and a relentless drive for success, Claire remains a guiding force for entrepreneurs, navigating them through the ever-evolving business landscape with her wealth of self-employment knowledge and practical wisdom.

e-Mail Claire at: Claire@downbc.co.uk

Karen Branagan

Property Manager

Karen is DBC’s accommodation expert and manages the smooth running of the Business Centre and is the principal point of contact for tenants and for businesses seeking accommodation. Karen has worked for DBC since 1998 and has a wealth of knowledge about our tenant businesses.

e-Mail Karen at: karen@downbc.co.uk

Ciaran Branagan

Caretaker

Ciaran is responsible for ensuring that the fabric of the Business Centre is maintained to a high standard and he provides a very practical, day-to-day maintenance role. Ciaran can turn his hand to most building and site issues and supports tenants across the units and office suites. Ciaran has worked at DBC since XXXX

e-Mail Ciaran at: reception@downbc.co.uk

Our Executive Team

Janice McDonald

Centre Manager

e-Mail Janice at: Janice@downbc.co.uk

Claire Gamble

Senior Business Adviser

Dedicated to delivering customized and innovative solutions, Claire empowers budding entrepreneurs to surmount obstacles and attain their business objectives.

e-Mail Claire at: Claire@downbc.co.uk

Karen Branagan

Property Manager

e-Mail Karen at: karen@downbc.co.uk

Ciaran Branagan

Caretaker

e-Mail Ciaran at: reception@downbc.co.uk

Our Board

Michael Morrissey

Chair

Michael is a Chartered Accountant and a Partner in Morrissey Chartered Accountants, Downpatrick providing a full range of accountancy, tax and consultancy services to small and medium sized businesses. Prior to Morrissey Chartered Accountants, Michael worked for 20 years with Crossgar Foodservice as a director and shareholder responsible for the management and strategic direction of the business, which was sold to a US corporation in 2012. Michael graduated from Ulster University with a BA (Hons) Accountancy Degree before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with PWC. Outside of work Michael is a board member of Mainstay charity in Downpatrick and Down Business Centre.

e-Mail Michael at: chair@downbc.com

Mary Lou Press

Vice Chair

Mary-Lou is a Partner in the Downpatrick based Estate Agency practice of Alexander, Reid and Fraser and has over 18 years of experience in property sales, lettings, commercial valuation and estate management. Mary-Lou is the Northern Ireland Regional Executive for NAEA Propertymark, a member of ARLA Propertymark, Secretary for the Northern Ireland Rural Valuers Association (NIRVA) and a member of the Central Association of Agriculture Valuers (CAAV).

Linda Beers

Linda is a Business Management Graduate who founded her business - Inform Communications - at the age of 24 years. Over the years Linda has gained a wealth of client experience having worked for many of Northern Ireland’s leading Public, Private and Voluntary Sector organisations managing complex PR, Media Management, Marketing Communications, Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement projects including highly contentious issues and crisis situations. Linda devised and ran the Food and Drink Show NI which brought celebrity chefs James Martin, Paul Hollywood and John Torode, amongst others, to Belfast.

Alison Matthews

Alison Matthews is the founder of VirtuAli Admin Solutions helping business owners streamline admin processes, so they have less admin pain and more time to concentrate on doing the things they are good at. Drawing on over 25 years’ experience in administrative roles worldwide Alison was ahead of the curve and became a ‘virtual’ PA in 2015. She is also on the Committee of the Belfast PA network -a networking group for business support professionals to share best practice and raise the profile of the business support role. Alison moved to the Strangford area in January 2020.

Joe McCoubrey

Joe was one of the founding directors of Down Business Centre in 1983. He started his career as a journalist and was Editor of the Down Recorder for 17 years before switching to take over as Chief Executive of the Business Centre during which time he also managed the Northern Ireland Start a Business Programme for 5 years. He retired in 2014 to return to his first passion as a writer and to date has published 8 full-length action thrillers. He is an accredited advisor and mentor for a number of business start-up and business development programmes and continues to work on these on a part-time consultancy basis.

Mark Murin

Mark is an experienced businessman with interests in the hospitality, storage equipment and property sectors. A native of Ballynahinch, he served for 5 years as a Councillor on Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and was appointed Chairman of the Council for 2018-19. During his year as Chairman Mark initiated the Chairman’s Charity Walk which saw him walk 66 miles across the Council area over a 3 day period in aid of local charities. Mark is a keen promoter of entrepreneurship and committed to encouraging and helping young people, in particular, set up their own businesses.

Brendan Lowry

Brendan currently works as Innovation Partner at Digital Catapult, accelerating the adoption of Digital Technologies throughout Northern Ireland and the wider UK. Focusing on specialist technologies such as Nanotechnology, Photonics, Immersive Technology, Artificial Technology, Machine Learning, Blockchain and 5G. Brendan works with Start-ups, SME’s, Corporates and Academia.

Brendan also sits on the board of directors for various businesses and enterprises in which he supports, strategy, digital transformation, project management and innovation.

Brendan was previously the Co-Founder & COO of Stable Innovations; creating a performance platform for the equine industry to determine fitness and health of horses. Was at scale-up stage, with visions to be a market leader in our field, with strategic goals and objectives to get there.

Brendan’s background is in manufacturing and has held senior roles in manufacturing and New Product Introduction (NPI), with a diverse knowledge base in Project Management, Plastic Forming, Machine Shop, CAD/CAM, Lean, Assembly, Production, Robotics and Electronics. Have worked in Aerospace, Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Electronics industry.