North Eastern Regional Office

Located at the Ecos Hub in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, our North Eastern Regional Office works with businesses, entrepreneurs and stakeholders across the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council area.

We provide advice and support to potential entrepreneurs and start-ups who are seeking to develop an innovative and export focused business.

We also work with businesses seeking to sell outside Northern Ireland for the first time, with a focus on Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

In the last five years, we have offered support of £16m to 213 businesses based in the Borough. Our support, combined with the investments by local and international businesses, has the potential to realise investment of £89m in the region, and create 394 new jobs.

What we do

We work with businesses from a range of sectors, most notably:

Advanced manufacturing and engineering
Agri-Food
Creative technology
Life and health sciences
Tourism

North Eastern Regional Manager

Des Gartland has over 20 years’ experience working with Invest NI and became North Eastern Regional Manager in 2008, supporting growth, innovation, and investment. His expertise spans multiple sectors, including technology, manufacturing, and services. He has built strong relationships with local public and private stakeholders to support and drive economic development in the region.