Company Focus: Armagh I

If you live or work in Armagh and the surrounding area then chances are a lot of the breaking news stories you consume on social media and on the wider web have been generated by Armagh I.  This very valuable online platform was established by Micheal McKenna and the business has now made its home in the Dean Swift Building.  We asked Micheal how his business came about and what his motivation was to take up residence here at Dean Swift.

Tell me a bit about your business.

Armagh I was initially established in 2012 and has grown steadily since then. However, over the last 24 months we have experienced significant growth in the team and now have four staff members with a number of contributors across the platform.

Armagh I was established initially as I identified a need for a greater online platform for news across Co. Armagh.  There wasn’t much specific content available for this geographical area outside the online platforms of the traditional newspapers and even that was very limited.  We soon realised that the demand for such content was just as great as we had anticipated and that we had tapped into something big.  In fact our readership has now grown to 300,000 users a month in late 2019.

We are constantly thinking of new ways to grow our business and our audience and offer greater value to our readers, so watch this space!

How long have you been a tenant of Dean Swift?

We have been with Dean Swift almost two years but really made it our home towards the end of 2019. As with many of the businesses here, we are now a bustling little hub of activity with hopes of expansion in the future.  The building here gives us the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Why did you make the move into a shared workspace environment?

We wanted to be around like-minded companies for a start – to feel part of a community – and we have certainly achieved that here. We have already worked closely with a few of the businesses in the Dean Swift building and hopefully that will be a feature moving forward too.

For a business of our nature, a shared workspace is an ideal environment.  We are constantly looking for news stories and important information to share with the local Armagh community, so being in an isolated standalone office space is not ideal for us.  There is a hive of activity here and it’s a great environment for us to do what we do best.

Why did the Dean Swift building appeal to you?

It’s a great location in a busy business hub on the edge of the city and has all the facilities we need – right down to the shower!  The building is bright and modern and great care has been taking when renovating the space to make sure it appeals to a wide range of tenants.  I’m really impressed with what has been done here and it’s somewhere I’m proud to bring people.

Why did the location appeal?

The location works for us as we are an Armagh company serving news right across the county and beyond. Being in Armagh keeps us central to all that goes on around us.  We have all the benefits of being in the city itself with the added bonus of lots of space and parking facilities, so it is the best of both worlds as far as we are concerned.

What has your experience been since signing up with Dean Swift?

I can honestly say it has been brilliant.  The offices are perfect for exactly what we need and the facilities, from the kitchen and bathrooms to the meeting rooms are just ideal for what we need.

How long was the process between first enquiring about space and subsequently moving in?

We had a very quick turnaround from our initial enquiries to actually taking up the space.  I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the whole thing ran.  The people behind this fantastic building couldn’t be more helpful and continue to be so supportive.  Any request, no matter how big or small, is sorted within hours – sometimes even minutes – with Marius the caretaker on-site!

How would you describe the premises?

The building itself is spacious, but with a real homely feel.  You feel part of a much-bigger team, even if you are a completely different company.  It’s probably quite a difficult feel to achieve but I think the team here have gotten it spot on.

What is the greatest positive about Dean Swift in your experience?

For me it’s the fact that we have a home now; a tangible home that fits our requirements perfectly.  That’s a really important milestone for a company to achieve and particularly when there are other staff involved.  As a business owner, you want to create a sense of identity for people, and the Dean Swift has helped us achieve that.

To be surrounded by businesses with the same goals as ours is a huge positive too and we feel there is huge potential for all of us here to continue to grow and develop together.

Pictured from L-R: Danielle Whitehouse, Rikki Thompson and Conor Neeson.