We believe that the Business All-Star accreditation is going to be a true quality mark for indigenous Irish businesses, Said David Briody of Briody Beds, who unveiled a range of All-Star branded mattresses at the launch.

A chance conversation through the All-Stars network between Briody Beds and fellow award winner homecare provider Comfort Keepers has led to plans to develop a range of dual-use beds that preserve all the comforts of home with all the features and functions of a hospital bed.

As a business, we are very concerned with setting standards, but those standards need to be constantly measured, said David Briody.

We have been looking for something like this – an accreditation process which is tough, externally verified and allows us to constantly measure our performance.

Many businesses are already using the All-Ireland Business All-Star brand as a badge of quality, according to Elaine Carroll of the Foundation.

Our accreditation is not easy to obtain, and, because we approach companies as customers, many businesses use it as an external health check, said Ms. Carroll.

When we provide a detailed level of feedback to companies they find that it is the small things that have the biggest impacts on vendors, suppliers, and customers.

͞The accreditation process takes a minimum of six weeks from start to finish and applicant companies must be trading for a minimum of three years.