Latest news with #DavidKelleher
CTV News
11-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
B.C. man drives around with exotic bird perched in classic car
Adam finds out what happens when a toddler who loves birds meets a macaw who loves car rides. Adam finds out what happens when a toddler who loves birds meets a macaw who loves car rides. PARKSVILLE, B.C. — When Evalyn Fitzsimmons walked out on her balcony to look through her binoculars to look for her young daughter's favourite things, she expected to find the usual birds. 'Quinn looks up at them,' Evalyn smiles at her toddler. 'And when the ravens do that throaty sound, she's like blah-blah-bloop-bloop.' When Quinn's not answering the call of the wild birds perched on the tree across the street, she's asking to visit the injured ones being rehabilitated at the animal sanctuary. So, you can imagine how the toddler felt when she noticed, riding in a classic car on the street below them, an unusual bird. 'Is that a macaw?' Quinn's dad David Kelleher yells down from the balcony. 'Yeah,' Jim Turner answers as the blue and gold macaw perches on the car's windshield. After David asks if Quinn can come down and meet the motoring macaw, Jim stops the car and introduces us to Admiral Nelson. 'He's a good companion,' Jim says as Admiral Nelson alternated between sitting on his arm and climbing up his shoulder to snuggle up near his neck. 'He's a very good companion.' Jim says Admiral Nelson first bonded with him when the bird was a baby, and for the past 25 years the macaw has followed his man everywhere. 'He's been in schools, he's been in hospitals, he's been in old folks' homes,' Jim says. 'Even when I'm in the shower he's on my shoulder.' And whenever Jim gets the car ready, Admiral Nelson jumps up on his perch in the passenger seat. The bird seems to relish the rides and the people they meet along the way. 'The worst thing for him was COVID. He had to stay home for a year and a half,' Jim says. 'That's when he started pulling feathers, which is what parrots do when they're unhappy.' But as soon as they returned to visiting others, Jim says Admiral Nelson's plucking decreased, feathers increased, and mood took flight. 'He's a flock animal,' Jim says. 'And people are his flock.' And today, Admiral Nelson is expanding his flock by raising one of his legs to include Quinn and her family. 'Kids started waving at him,' Jim says as Admiral Nelson lifts his leg again. 'So that's why he's waving now.' Quinn responds by raising her arm in return, before sharing more than a few smiles. 'Anytime I can put a smile on people's faces, it's a good day,' Jim tells them. So, the next time Quinn and her mom are searching for birds up in the trees, they'll also look down from their balcony on the road, in the hope of waving at their new feathered friend driving by.
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Dublin-based accounting platform Outmin raises €4m
Dublin-headquartered accounting software company Outmin has raised €4 million in a funding round that will help it to strengthen its engineering team and deepen its AI capabilities. The company has also appointed former PwC Ireland managing partner Feargal O'Rourke as chairman of its board. Founded by David Kelleher and Ross Hunt, Outmin provides outsourced accounting and bookkeeping services, using artificial intelligence to provide clients with real-time financial data. The current funding round, which was led by Praetura Ventures, will allow the company to build on that and broaden its international reach, particularly in England. READ MORE 'This funding marks an exciting new phase for Outmin,' said Ross Hunt, chief executive and founder of Outmin. 'It will enable us to continue our growth in Ireland and expand our presence in the UK, especially in the North West which is a hotbed of activity. It's about delivering a real system that changes how firms operate.' The appointment of Mr O'Rourke, who is currently chairman of IDA Ireland, to the board will bring decades of experience in the accounting industry to the company. 'Outmin is building something accounting firms truly need,' said O'Rourke. 'It's not a short-term fix, it's a foundational shift. The team understands where the gaps are in the current model, and they're delivering a system that helps firms scale and focus their people on higher-value work.' More than 350 businesses currently use Outmin's AI Bookkeeper platform, which automates workflows such as document collection, invoice processing, reconciliation, and reporting. 'Every accounting firm is facing pressure to do more with less,' said David Kelleher, co-founder and chief revenue officer at Outmin. 'The future belongs to firms that invest in better systems, not just people. We're already partnered with forward-thinking firms like Nexio, who are providing valuable insights to help us optimise our product and create something that gives accounting practices a real competitive advantage.'
