The Irish Business Association recently honored its 2011 award winners at the association's Third Annual Awards Dinner, Held at the Westwood in Garwood, New Jersey. David Muldowney, Jr., CPA, of Middletown was named Small Business of the Year. The third-generation, family-owned company is a Monmouth County-based accounting firm located in Colts Neck.
Kevin Muldowney, a third-generation certified public accountant, joined the firm in 2002. David Muldowney is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and each year he chairs the IBA's golf outing, the association's primary fundraiser.
Bill Dwyer of Bayonne was honored as IBA Man of the Year. Dwyer is vice president of human resources, risk management and corporate compliance at Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, the largest pediatric rehabilitation hospital in the U.S.
Dwyer, whose Irish roots are in counties Cork and Roscommon, is a founding member of the band the Bantry Boys, a lifetime member and current chairman of the Bayonne Saint Patrick's Day Parade Committee, and a member of the Friendly Sons of Shillelagh Jersey Shore.
Linda Bowden of Ridgewood was named Woman of the Year. Bowden is the Northern New Jersey regional president of PNC Bank and is active in a variety of community programs.
"Each year the Irish Business Association recognizes a broad slice of the New Jersey business community with Irish roots," said IBA president, Al Nunan.
"There are 1.3 million New Jersey residents claiming Irish descent and Irish Americans are found in every corner of commerce and community. This year's honorees reflect both the breadth of the Irish in our state and the widening footprint of the Irish Business Association," Nunan said.
"While the IBA is first and foremost a business group, we draw our character from our heritage. The Irish are very astute and successful business people but we also enjoy our fun," he said.
The IBA, founded in 2008, bills itself as an association of New Jersey business professionals and business owners committed to promoting business relationships and personal interaction within the Irish-American business community in New Jersey, this based on a shared heritage. The association meets the third Tuesday of each month at Molly Maguire's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Clark, NJ.
