Why you should be coming to Waterford

by

Alastair Liddell

Alastair Liddell recently moved to Waterford.  Not only did he relocate his family but also his business.  In this digital age it goes to show that you can work from anywhere and enjoy a lifestyle that smaller cities have to offer, proving that more and more people are looking more thoughtfully and realistically at their work/life balance.  Alastair’s company JumpTech is a leading IT and Technology Specialist Recruitment Agency with focus being on the UK, Irish, European and Middle East markets. 
Reflecting on his move to Waterford Alastair put pen to paper and wrote his thoughts on why Waterford is not only a great place to live and a great place to do business but he also encourages all of us to promote Waterford with the ethos #WaterfordsWinning
From  WIYP’s point of view we here in Waterford are thankfully slowly  starting to think outside the box as there are many companies, including tech companies, out there that are punching well above their weight and in doing so are creating not only more jobs but some great credibility throughout the world.  Alastair’s insights and words of encouragement are a great insight on how others see Waterford and how we can do our bit to promote, encourage, help and champion what we have to offer.
You can contact Alastair through the following
Website: www.jumptech.ie
Email: alastair@jumptech.ie
Phone: 051347100
Based in Boxworks, JumpTech cover Tech, BioTech and Pharma Recruitment – Only specialist agency for these sectors in the whole South East region.
 

Why you should be coming to Waterford

I am a husband and also a father of a beautiful 18 month old girl. I am also the Managing Director of one of the only Tech and IT Specialist Recruitment Agencies in the South East. Having chosen Waterford as our base for work and family and more specifically the fantastic new Boxworks on Patrick St (Co-Work Space) for our offices, I have enjoyed many conversations on the current and future state of Waterford City.
On arriving in Ireland 2 months ago it was quite clear that many see Dublin as the only place to be and outside of that then Cork. In England we suffer from the same thing in London being the ‘only’ place you can truly do business. This for me is about as accurate and as useful as a chocolate teapot. We live in an age where currencies can be encrypted, shared throughout the world in seconds, live stream images from Mars – yet we cannot begin to think that business can be done 2 hours away from the capital city.

So how do we encourage people to make the move to the beautiful south east coast?
Well it isn’t just about jobs (yes someone in recruitment can think of other things than just jobs) It is about housing, culture, schooling, ambition, pride and for me most importantly unity. Everyone wants to be part of something strong, something that you can get behind – heck I was even shouting at the television in the All Ireland final and that was my first Hurling match! Waterford has the potential to blow other cities out the water with fast inner city development, stunning coastline and a winning mentality.

A 300m Euro investment into any city in the world is a noticeable thing, 300m into Waterford will transform the city in many wonderful ways. The proposed development will have 30,000sqft of Retail space, 15,000sqft of Hotel rooms, 30,000sqft of Apartments and 10,000sqft of Office space. Now this for that specific area is fantastic and will breathe new life into the city. However, it is important to remember that it is the whole city that can benefit from the development. A 17pc increase over the last 12 months in house prices would see that continue on a strong upward curve. With a further 10-15pc increase construction in the area can begin again pricing more rental properties and therefore helping the prices to come back to a competitive level. All of this in comparison with Dublin and Cork for anyone looking to buy a home or start a family or business is very attractive.

Jobs of course will be a massive factor in the coming years for Waterford and in the Tech sector many wonderful established companies and Startups are creating jobs every single week and I have no doubt this will only continue. For me it is incredibly important for companies to understand that the tide has changed a little and talented, ambitious tech workers demand more than just a ‘competitive salary’. They want to feel part of something, they perhaps want to feel that their opinions are heard and outlooks shared. In any sector; Software Development, Data Architecture, Web Development or Cryptocurrencies anyone would be lucky to work for any of the Tech firms based in Waterford. To help talent from further afield make the decision to come to the city we must all do our part in promoting and strengthening of Waterford’s brand.

Waterford is very lucky to have a strong and highly active Chamber of Commerce and the Crystal Valley Tech group that are trying to expand the reach of the city. I think it is the responsibility of all business owners in Waterford to come together, to push the city publically in the right direction and to show the rest of the country why this city is very much the place you need to be making your next move to.
So I call upon anyone from the city, business owner or employee, when you next achieve something professionally or personally use this #WaterfordsWinning and help to shape the image of Waterford beyond the counties borders. For my small part, I see a city on its way to great things and could not be happier to be here.