Category: Jamaica

Five UWI students get engineering scholarships from Marubeni

Mohamed Majeed (second right), managing director of Caribbean operations for Marubeni Power International, shares words of encouragement with UWI electrical engineering students and Marubeni scholarship recipients Daniel McGregor (left) and Rochelle Stephen during the scholarship presentation ceremony at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus on September 27, 2023. Also present is Damian Obiglio, senior vice-president, Marubeni Power International.

FIVE students pursuing engineering degrees at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus received a funding boost in their journey courtesy of scholarships totalling US$20,000 provided by Marubeni Power International in collaboration with The UWI Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF).

The students, Brianna Smith, Daniel McGregor, Martin McDonald, Dwight Simpson, and top performer Rochelle Stephen, were presented with their scholarship cheques during a brief ceremony at the Principal’s Council Room on September 27.

Addressing the gathering, Managing director of Caribbean operations for Marubeni Power International Mohamed Majeed praised the exceptional quality displayed by the five recipients, highlighting the proven benefits of higher education in enabling individuals to increase their earning power.

Marubeni, he said, was pleased to enable the students to take their rightful place as problem-solvers of the future. “We commend your accomplishments thus far and anticipate the impact you will undoubtedly have as you progress both academically and in your future careers,” he said.

His Excellency Yasuhiro Atsumi, Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica, in his address, said all Japan stood in support of the development efforts of the Jamaican Government and people for continued progress. In praising Marubeni for its generosity in funding the scholarships, the ambassador noted several previous occasions in which the company had given generously to support education, most notably in donating tablet computers to enable virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ambassador Atsumi said he looked forward to many more acts of support for Jamaica’s development both on the part of Marubeni as well as the Government of Japan.

Representing the Ministry of Education, National Mathematics Co-ordinator Dr Tamika Benjamin spoke to the growing importance of engineering and other STEM subjects in the modern development model. In congratulating the recipients, she likewise encouraged them to become problem-solvers on the national level and expressed the hope that their performance would in turn encourage greater participation in STEM education.

Reynold Scott, board director of UWIDEF, also urged the students to continue to do their very best, adding that programmes such the scholarship presentation are at the heart of the fund’s function.

Responding on behalf of the quintet, Rochelle Stephen reiterated the “life-changing” nature of the scholarship, adding that she was unable to fully express the importance of being able to continue on their respective educational journeys. She pledged to heed the call for continued excellence and bring honour to the institution, to their families and the nation.

UWIDEF Project Officer Francine Warren-Kidd, who presided over the ceremony, thanked Marubeni and all the partners involved in bringing the scholarship presentation to fruition. The ceremony, she said, marked not the end of the collaboration, but a new beginning.

Marubeni, in seeking to contribute to the development of Jamaica, has been supporting worthy initiatives in a number of areas, education being primary among them.

Source: The Jamaica Observer https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/five-uwi-students-get-engineering-scholarships-from-marubeni/

Bluefields Bay Villas expands

Finance minister, Dr Nigel Clarke (left); CEO of Bluefields Villas, Debbie Moncure (centre) and Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett cut the ribbon to officially mark the opening of four new suites at the villas. (Photos: Kimberley Peddie).

BLUEFIELDS, Westmoreland — Bluefields Bay Villas has raised the bar in luxury accommodations, adding four new suites to the property, a move the tourism minister says will take marketing to another dimension.

The all-inclusive collection of six villas nestled on Jamaica’s south coast has now grown to 27 suites. The new one-bedroom suites each have a private veranda and access to a shared infinity edge pool that overlooks the ocean.

The target is the higher end of the market.

“We have been pushing an up-market, high-dollar tourism in Jamaica and we’re continuing to do so. We are hoping that this first expansion is just one of the many phases in what we are hoping to do here in Bluefields,” said Managing Director Houston Moncure.

He was speaking with the Jamaica Observer at the official opening of the suites on Sunday. Guests included minister of finance, Dr Nigel Clarke; Minster of tourism, Edmund Bartlett; US ambassador to Jamaica, Nick Perry; Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks; and senior strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright.

Bluefields Bay Villas CEO Debbie Moncure and her husband Braxton said their son Houston was the conceptualiser of the suites.

“Houston came up with [the] concept and so he went to the architect — otherwise known as me — and we developed the suites,” she said with a chuckle.

Debbie, who was born in New York and holds a BA in Art History from Tufts University and a Masters of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, moved to Washington, DC, immediately upon finishing her graduate studies. She met her husband Braxton in DC and they began coming to Jamaica together in the late 1970s. They were married in Bluefields in 1983. The couple celebrated their 40-year anniversary during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new suites.

Speaking at the ceremony, the tourism minister lauded the Moncures for their contribution to the industry.

“Tourists have come and they have really become a part of Bluefields. When you come to this area people talk about it and I get messages, I get calls — some are wonderful calls Houston, and some are about the development and the joy it brings,” Bartlett said.

“The addition of this innovation is going to mean a lot more to us than you. No other country has the hosting capacity that we have. For all the pain and suffering that tourism offers to this country, we are the only industry that has grown every quarter for the last 35 years,” he boasted.

Bartlett added that growth has spiralled over the years.

“In the last nine quarters the growth has been spectacular, absolutely phenomenal but that growth has happened now because of people like Houston who have come up with ideas and have brought innovations and have enabled more people to come to us. What you are doing is going to enable me to take marketing to another dimension,” the minister said.

Houston stressed that the Villa supports the local community.

“We believe our model of tourism is really good for Jamaica,” he said.

Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke (left); Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett (second left), and senior strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright (third left) tour the newly opened suites at Bluefields Bay Villas. They are joined by villa operators, Braxton (third right), Debbie (second right) and Houston Moncure.
Bluefields Bay Villas CEO Braxton Moncure walks to one of the newly added suites.
A bathtub on the private veranda overlooking the ocean is one of the features of the new suites at Bluefields Bay Villas.

Source: Jamaica Observer https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/bluefields-bay-villas-expands/

A week of hope and suffering

It was a week of hope, starting with Yasus Afari’s Jamaica Poetry Festival which sparkled with the classic poetry of Professor Edward Baugh, the youthful voice of octogenarian Boris Gardiner, and a surprise performance by our renaissance Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett.

Yasus had us chanting phrases such as “poetry can nyam!” – his response to his mother’s criticism of his career choice – and “mek it ‘tan deh” to those who would misappropriate people’s money.

This year’s festival, the 13th, was dedicated to legends Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett Coverely, Harry Belafonte, and Kahlil Gibran. Their biographies set the stage for the event, challenging us to bring excellence to the stage.

Ten-year-old Jazmin “Jazzy J” Headley wowed us with a grown-up This Woman’s On Fire! and a capella Impossible Dream for an encore. We understand we will see her on the Hollywood big screen next year- she deserves it all – this child who raised a grand sum for the Jamaica Society for the Blind the show’s charity.

Professor Baugh had the audience in awe with his memories of Portland, his birth parish, and chuckling along with Carpenter’s Complaint about “that mawga foot boy” who passed him by, despite building his father’s house, to give the making of his late father’s coffin to “that big belly crook who don’t know how him ass from a chisel”. At the end of his performance we were on our feet with sustained applause.

Boris Gardner gave us the story of his world-famous song, Every N****r is a Star. He said it was the theme song for a movie of the same name which failed after two nights at the Carib Theatre. Then a few decades later he got a call from Kendrick Lamar who introduced his album with the song’s chorus, which racked up 5 million in sales. But that was not the whole story. Seven years ago he got a call from a top Hollywood production house that wanted to use a song in a movie, that movie was Moonlight, which won eight Oscars, including Best Picture of the Year at the 2017 Academy Awards. Those are amazing royalties for the king of Jamaican balladeers.

Minister Bartlett took the opportunity to share a publication in which he contributed, discussing Jamaica’s creation of a tourism resilience programme in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I presented it at the UN, ” he said, “and before I was finished the endorsements were coming in from other countries. And at the end, 94 countries were signatories for what Jamaica has given to the world.”

Hats off to all the performers -it was an honour to share the stage with (in order of appearance): master drummer Calvin Mitchell, poet Ossie Gee, singer Sotera, Prof Clinton Hutton, Dr Emerson Henry, and Ras Jaja.

The Soft Side of Law Enforcement

It was a morning of joy last Thursday when the Jamaica Constabulary Force, in collaboration with the Jamaica Defence Force; Jamaica Fire Brigade; Jamaica Customs Agency; Department of Corrections; and the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency handed over $4 million to Special Olympics Jamaica, collected during the three months of running with the Special Olympics Torch in the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) throughout every parish of Jamaica.

Lead representative of the Caribbean LETR, Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, reminded us that our law enforcement agencies have been dedicated to this project since 1986, raising tens of millions of our Special Olympians.

JCF’s head of the Community Safety and Security Branch, Assistant Commissioner of Police Charmine Shand, and Senior Superintendent Natalie Palmer Mair have given sterling service to the LETR over the years.

The video of the law enforcement officials starting each parish race shoulder to shoulder, then joined by citizens of every walk of life shows the genuine good-heartedness of Jamaicans of our special needs community. Special Olympics of Jamaica (SOJ) Chair Aldrick McNab and Executive Director Coleridge “Roy” Howell thanked the organizations profusely for the boost to SOJ’s funds.

In turn, our Special Olympians have made Jamaica proud in the World Games, the most recent of which was in Berlin, where our United Team won the World Cup and gained 18 medals. On a personal note, it was wonderful to see Jamaica Customs Agency Comissioner CEO Velma Ricketts Walker as we consider ourselves daughters of our mentor Sister Mary Benedict Chung. In true Convent of Mercy “Alpha” of spirit, she vowed that she loved a challenge and was looking forward to contributing even more to next year’s LETR.

Maui Tragedy

The scale of the tragedy of the Maui fires kept growing over the past two weeks, and news reports showed the historic town of Lahaina literally burnt to the ground. The stories of families recused from the ocean, the only place they could flee, were harrowing. We understand that some Jamaicans live on that island, and though they lost property, they are safe with family members in another area of the island that was spared.

The death toll at press time was 114, but Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representatives have estimated that over 1,000 people are unaccounted for. There has been criticism of the emergency management agency for not having sounded warning sirens earlier and also of the power company for not shutting down power lines. However, others believe that the speed of the fire, driven by hurricane winds, would have been inescapable.

Relief efforts have been compassionate, with citizens being given hotel accommodation for seven months and promises of assistance to rebuild their homes and businesses. Such tragedies are sobering reminders to small island slates like Jamaica that disaster preparedness requires knowledgeable professionals and well-informed citizens to maximise our safety.

Gregory Park Suffering

Natural disasters are heart-rending, but disasters wreaked by criminals against their fellow Jamaicans are infuriating. Now over 80 people are homeless because gang members firebombed their homes in the early hours nine days ago. Young children and the elderly have been injured in these fires, while one young man has lost his precious life.

I ask again, as this column keeps asking: What is the role of the Office of Disaster Preparedness (ODPEM) in such cases? These same designated shelters should be opened and a central operation established involving willing organizations, such as Food For the Poor and the Jamaica Red Cross, so that citizens can be housed and fed while permanent housing solutions are pursued.

Member of Parliament Alando Terrelonge has been working assiduously to bring relief, but it cannot be left on one person’s shoulders when there is so much to be done.

All Eyes on Budapest

Let’s cheer on Team Jamaica as they give of their best in Budapest! Medals there will be as our top athletes arrive with season’s best records. May they remain in good health throughout the World Games. Gratitude to our coaches, sports medicine experts, and organisers. Go Jamaica!

Jean Lowrie-Chin is executive chair of PROComm and CCRP.

Source: https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/a-week-of-hope-and-suffering/ Observer column published on Monday August 21, 2023.

Japan Parliamentary Delegation Visit the South Jamaica Power Centre

Japan Parliamentary Delegation Visits the SJPC Plant: Takuya Kokawa (1st left), Associate, Marubeni Power International points out features of the South Jamaica Power Centre (SJPC) plant in Old Harbour, St Catherine to Hiroshige Seko (centre), Secretary-General for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the Japan House of Councillors and Former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Members of the Japan House of Councillors, Iwao Horii (2nd left), Yasutada Ohno ( partially hidden), and Yasuyuki Sakai (5th left). Also present were H.E. Yasuhiro Atsumi (left), Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica, Noel Watson (2nd right), Plant Manager, SJPC, Damian Obiglio (1st right), Senior Vice-President, Marubeni Power International and Leisa Batiste-Whyte (4th left), SJPC General Manager. The SJPC plant, which uses Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), has been operating at a world-class standard since commencing commercial operations in December 2019. It is 68 per cent more efficient and produces 59 per cent less emissions than the previous plant.

Japan Parliamentary Delegation Visits the SJPC Plant: Hiroshige Seko (4th left), Secretary-General for the LDP in the House of Councillors, Former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry along with Members of the Japan House of Councillors, Yasuyuki Sakai (right), Yasutada Ohno (2nd right) and Iwao Horii (3rd right) on a tour of the South Jamaica Power Centre (SJPC) plant in Old Harbour, St Catherine on August 7, 2023. Accompanying them were H.E. Yashiro Atsumi (left), Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica, Leisa Batiste-Whyte, SJPC General Manager (2nd left), Damian Obiglio (3rd left) Senior Vice-President Operations, Marubeni Power International, Noel Watson, (5th left), Plant Manager, SJPC and Takuya Kokawa (6th left), Associate, Marubeni Power International.

Inside the SJPC Control Room: Member of the Japan House of Councillors Yasuyuki Sakai (centre), discusses a feature of the South Jamaica Power Centre (SJPC) Control room with Hiroshige Seko (left), Secretary-General for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the Japan House of Councillors and Former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Noel Watson, (right) Plant Manager, SJPC. They were on a recent tour of the SJPC in Old Harbour, St. Catherine with Members of the Japan House of Councillors, Yasutada Ohno and Iwao Horii and H.E. Yasuhiro Atsumi, Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica. Also present were Damian Obiglio (2nd left), Senior Vice-President, Marubeni Power International, Takuya Kokawa (partially hidden), Associate, Marubeni Power International and Leisa Batiste-Whyte, SJPC General Manager.

Japan Parliamentary Delegation Visits the SJPC Plant: Damian Obiglio, Senior Vice-President, Marubeni Power International, greets Hiroshige Seko, Secretary-General for the LDP in the House of Councillors, Former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry along with Members of the Japan House of Councillors, Yasuyuki Sakai (right), Yasutada Ohno (2nd right) and Iwao Horii (3rd right)  prior to the tour of the South Jamaica Power Centre (SJPC) plant tour on August 7, 2023. Accompanying them was H.E. Yashiro Atsumi, Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica.

Japan Parliamentary Delegation Visits the SJPC Plant: Noel Watson (2nd right), Plant Manager, SJPC discusses key features of the South Jamaica Power Centre (SJPC) plant in Old Harbour, St Catherine to Hiroshige Seko (centre), Secretary-General for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the Japan House of Councillors and Former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Members of the Japan House of Councillors, Iwao Horii (2nd left), Yasutada Ohno ( partially hidden), and Yasuyuki Sakai (5th left). Also present were H.E. Yasuhiro Atsumi (left), Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica, Noel Watson (2nd right), Plant Manager, SJPC, Damian Obiglio (1st right), Senior Vice-President, Marubeni Power International, Takuya Kokawa (1st left), Associate, Marubeni Power International and Leisa Batiste-Whyte (4th left), SJPC General Manager. 
The SJPC plant, which uses Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), has been operating at a world-class standard since commencing commercial operations in December 2019. It is 68 per cent more efficient and produces 59 per cent less emissions than the previous plant.

CCRP demands safer environment for elders after retiree dies in Gregory Park attack

Jean Lowrie-Chin, founder and executive chair of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP), warmly addresses the audience at the March 2019 launch of the CCRP western Jamaica chapter in Montego Bay, St James. (Photo: Facebook @CCRPOnline)

Elderly advocacy organisation, the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP), is condemning the cruel fire-bombing of a community in Gregory Park, St Catherine which has claimed the life of 72-year-old Naomi Gocul.

The CCRP, in a statement on Tuesday (August 22), indicated that Gocul, also affectionately known as ‘Miss Sweeney’ was seriously injured in the brutal attack which left another resident dead and several others hospitalised. 

She succumbed to her injuries, leaving the wider community grieving and distressed. Neighbours remembered her kindness while Member of Parliament for East Central St Catherine Alando Terrelonge recalled that she was a devout Christian.

“CCRP demands justice for Miss Gocul and the victims of this heinous act. For a woman of such faith and generosity to face such horrific suffering is a sad commentary on the level to which some of our citizens have sunk,” the entity remarked.

“Our elders are constantly in fear, some facing extreme loneliness, especially those who live in violence-prone communities. 

“Our elders deserve to live in peace, after many years of service to their communities, families, and organisations, but instead they are facing gang violence and marginalisation, amongst many other daily struggles,” the CCRP added.

The Jean Lowrie-Chin founded CCRP says it saddened by tragedy and called on supporting stakeholders to create a safer environment for Jamaica’s vulnerable elders. 

Source: Our Today https://our.today/ccrp-demands-safer-environment-for-elders-as-retiree-dies-after-gregory-park-attack/#:~:text=%E2%80%9COur%20elders%20deserve%20to%20live,struggles%2C%E2%80%9D%20the%20CCRP%20added.

A call for Private Sector Support for Persons with Disabilities in Sports and Culture

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Jennifer McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, PSOJ; presenting at The UWI Mona Regional Disabilities Studies Conference on March 12, 2018.

 

The UWI Centre for Disability Studies (UWICDS) held its Regional Disability Studies Conference on Wednesday March
7, 2018. The theme for this conference is “Enhancing the Disability Agenda through
Sports and Culture in the Caribbean.” The CEO of the PSOJ, Ms. Jennifer
McDonald, made a presentation at the Centre for Disability Studies regional
conference: “The importance of public-private partnership in the advocacy,
implementation and advancement of the lives of persons with disabilities in sports
and culture.”

McDonald informed the audience that addressing matters related to Disabilities is
one of PSOJ’s 4 core focus for 2018, which falls under Vulnerable Groups and
Gender Affairs. Other areas for advocacy includes: Innovation and Technology;
Climate Change; Crime and Public Safety.

“Jamaica possesses a strong platform with demonstrated excellence in Sports and
Culture locally, regionally and internationally” said Ms. McDonald. She reiterated
that “Our annual Boys and Girls Championships and the Jamaican festival
movement which have honed the skills of our athletes and artiste over the years.”
The actualisation of programmes and initiatives built through partnerships are
precedence of how public-private partnerships can work to improve these areas for
the advancement of Persons with Disabilities.

During her presentation McDonald quoted Sydney Thorpe, keyboard player of the
renowned Fab 5 – “People were fascinated because they had never seen a visually
challenged person playing three keyboards at a time, much less sitting on a revolving
stool, spinning and playing the keyboards … I didn’t have anything to prove to
anybody because I was in a band that was a top band,” he said.

Ms. McDonald, stated that, “the advancement of PWDs in sports and culture can
facilitate professional integration through the development of income generating
activities. These activities will also: promote increased participation of PWDs in
community life; increase the level of education of PWD through training; Educateand inform the wider public about PWDs and increase their chances of access to
basic social services.”

She further stated that, “members of the private sector can assist with the
advancement of PWDs in the areas of Sports and Culture by: having members of
their staff volunteer to work with institutions or organisations that provide services
to PWDs; making strategic decisions to support a particular sport, art form or
individual already engaging in either areas of discipline; making donations to
existing programmes or projects that will advance the exposure and improve on the
skills of PWDs in these areas.”

The UWI Centre for Disabilities Studies biennial conference is geared at bringing
together, the academic community, the public and private sector, civil society and
members from the community of persons with disabilities; in an academic
environment to articulate topics of critical importance to one of our most vulnerable
groups.

Bolt fans receive Our Spirit VIP access to JN’s Racers Grand Prix

As the megastar of track and field Usain Bolt prepares for his final race on Jamaican soil, three women are anticipating with bated breath their first opportunity to meet and witness the Olympic champion running live after winning Our Spirit VIP access to today’s JN Racer’s Grand Prix from Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum.

The recipients were able to mingle with all the athletes in Jamaica for the races last night at the Welcome Reception and watch the races live from the Grandstand at the National Stadium today.

Cynthia Champagnie, Michelle Thompson and Natoya McFarlane, who are all self-professed Bolt fans, were all excited when they learnt that they would be attending the world-class spectacle today.

“I am too excited because I can barely wait for Saturday. It’s truly an exciting feeling to know I will be able to see the legendary Bolt run live for the first time,” an anxious Champagnie explained.

The avid track and field fans all have varying first memories of the triple world record holder but all profess to knowing early in his career that Bolt would become legendary.

“I will never forget watching him run at World Junior Champs in Jamaica. The name alone, ‘Usain Bolt’ made you know he was going to become a superstar, he lit Jamaica on fire!” recalled Natoya McFarlane.

While Thompson’s earliest memory of Bolt was at the 2004 Olympics, his best race for her is not his world record runs but his triumph over arch rival Justin Gatlin in the 100m and 200m at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

“Gatlin was running all these fast times, behaving like he could beat the ‘boss’, and Bolt showed who was the boss by whipping him twice — that is my favourite Bolt memory because he showed champions never give up,” she declared.

The three women, each with a guest, were given a chance to attend the Athlete’s Reception for the track event last night, and to view live the biggest track and field moment on Jamaica’s soil for 2017.

For marketing manager of J Wray & Nephew Limited, Pietro Gramegna, gifting these track and field devotees with the chance to witness Bolt run live for the first time was an opportunity his company could not give up: “In true Jamaican spirit, we support and celebrate our athletes whether they are performing locally or internationally, and we are pleased to grant the opportunity for three Jamaicans, who have never been lucky enough to see the legendary Usain Bolt run live, to witness his last performance in Jamaica.”

 

Honesty, Integrity, Trust – For 95 Years And Beyond

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The following is an edited version of remarks delivered by Don Wehby, group CEO of GraceKennedy Limited, at the company’s 95th anniversary church service held at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston on Sunday:

Not too long ago, as a youngster in khakis, I visited this church every first Friday for worship. In those days, it was mandatory. As I look back on my life, I’m thankful that it was. Those hours of prayer shaped my early spiritual identity and prepared me for a path which I could never have imagined would have led me to standing here before you as CEO of GraceKennedy. It just shows how important it is to dream big, work hard, and give God thanks.

I have also seen – both in my personal and business life – that it is God who makes all things possible, and He can take people, institutions and countries further than they or others could ever imagine. So today, we have come to this house to reflect and give thanks, fully aware that 95 years would not have been possible solely on human strength.

I salute each founder, director, and employee of GraceKennedy from the beginning to now, for the strength, commitment, passion and faith to have laboured in love to make this company what it is today. We honour our founders Dr John Grace, Fred Kennedy and James Moss-Solomon Sr and former CEOs Carlton Alexander, Rafael Diaz and Douglas Orane. And there are many other unsung heroes. I acknowledge members of the founding families who are with us today. We thank God for using them as vessels to build a company that shows love to our people and to our country.

IN PRAISE OF TEAM MEMBERS

We talk about this all the time and it is still worth mentioning: In 1925, we offered employees the right to purchase shares in the company at par. Also, in 1951, GraceKennedy became the first Jamaican company to establish free health, and superannuation schemes, and life insurance for staff. Today, we continue to look for every opportunity to ensure that our staff are well taken care of and can provide for their families.

I would like to salute our retirees. Many of them are here today or would have wanted to be. We hold them dear because of all they have given and how they continue to hold us in their hearts. They give us strength to continue every day. And they are very special to me.

We have a great executive team, which is committed to living the core values and continuing the tradition of leadership and service. We are thankful for their passion and commitment to GK.

JUST THE BEGINNING

Ninety-five years for some businesses is more than a lifetime. But for us, in some ways, it is just the beginning. The best is yet to come. From our humble early days, we have grown from strength to strength, and today, we are fixed on the goal of being a global world-class consumer group. GraceKennedy’s journey to the world is in full flight, with offices in Jamaica, the Caribbean, North America, UK and Europe, and Africa.

As we continue to grow and give the world a taste of who we are, we are more committed than ever to serving our Jamaican market with quality products and to keep GraceKennedy’s brands as household names. We are also encouraged to contribute to the growth of Jamaica and the communities in which we do business wherever we are in the world.

I believe wholeheartedly that even from birth, we have been a company ahead of its time, constantly looking beyond and thinking ahead. We know that greater things lie ahead. History has proven that when a solid foundation is put down, you can build with peace of mind. We have set our foundation, and we are building! And as I tell my team, I know there will be challenges, but if we fall down nine times, we are to get up 10!

Honesty, integrity, trust, humility and commitment are cherished core values which are our compass as we move forward with hope and optimism for the future. These are the same values that I learnt from my parents in this church over 30 years.

May God bless each of you, and our country, Jamaica. I pray for peace and love in this great country.

Source: Jamaica Gleaner | Honesty, integrity, trust – for 95 years and beyond

GraceKennedy At 95 – A Shining Example Of Corporate Success

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This year marks 95 years since the GraceKennedy Group was founded. Starting life as Grace, Kennedy and Company Limited in Kingston, Jamaica, in February 1922, the company has survived many challenges over the period to become a name which Jamaicans – at home and abroad – can truly be proud of.

Founded by Dr John J. Grace and Fred William Kennedy, who both worked for Grace Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of W.R. Grace & Company of New York, GraceKennedy in its early days was involved in the sugar industry, and the importation of products, chief among which were salt fish and fertiliser.

This was at a time when other companies and the government of the day were looking to the mother country – England – for economic solutions. The company broke with tradition and pursued business opportunities in new exciting frontiers such as in the United States of America and Canada.

Establishing the philosophy ‘Take what is good for Jamaica and make it good for GraceKennedy’, throughout the years, the company has sought to make itself a partner in Jamaica’s development – with government, its shareholders, employees and with the wider community.

 

NATIONAL PRIDE

The company’s emergence coincided with the global recovery from the devastating World War I a few years earlier. Bouyed by a combination of entrepreneurial spirit and national pride, GraceKennedy pursued interests in importing, exporting and insurance, and steadily established its distribution network throughout rural Jamaica.

During this time also, the company developed a tradition of rewarding hard work and loyalty of the ‘small man’ – becoming perhaps the first company to offer shares to its employees in 1924. The adoption of accounting practices of the highest international standards has served GraceKennedy well.

Throughout the many decades of its existence, GraceKennedy has been involved in most aspects of Jamaica’s economy, such as the manufacture and distribution of a range of foods and soap products, salt, and motorcycles; shipping; contract farming; banking; insurance; investments; and money services, among other enterprises. By earning from multiple sources, the company has been able to survive and do well even during difficult times..

 

Committed To Jamaica

In 2012, GraceKennedy, through its more than 60 subsidiaries in more than 60 countries worldwide, recorded before-tax revenues of more than $60 billion. It is considered one of the blue-chip companies on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, and the most successful local business entity in Jamaican history.

With all its success, GraceKennedy has not abandoned its roots in downtown Kingston and continues to maintain its headquarters there. As a demonstration of its commitment to Kingston, it is in the process of expanding its presence with the development of new corporate offices scheduled to be completed in late 2018. GraceKennedy thrives from the opportunities presented from its proximity downtown to transportation – by sea, air and land; as well as legal, accounting and telecommunications services. Also, by operating downtown, GraceKennedy, is among the companies which have signalled long-term commitment to the city’s renewal.

GraceKennedy has established two charitable foundations through which it channels lasting contributions to nation building. The Grace and Staff Community Development Foundation, a partnership between the company’s management and staff, was established in 1979 in response to the poor social and economic conditions existing in the inner-city communities surrounding the company’s headquarters. Chief among the Grace and Staff Foundation’s activities is the GraceKennedy Education Run held annually in July.

 

EXCELLENT LEADERSHIP

The GraceKennedy Foundation focuses mostly on education for the long-term benefit of Jamaica, offering a range of scholarships and grants at the secondary and tertiary levels.

Central to GraceKennedy’s success has been the visionary leadership brought by Luis Fred Kennedy, the legendary Carlton Alexander, A. Rafael Diaz, Douglas Orane and the present Chief Executive Officer, Don Wehby. The combination of principled leadership, loyal staff and data-driven decision-making have developed a diversified business that today includes banking and financial services, remittances, insurance, manufacturing, retail and distribution.

The company has adjusted its focus from being a Jamaican food company to being an international food and financial services conglomerate serving Jamaicans across the globe, as well as people from other countries who share in the delight of the high-quality products and world-class services for which the company is known. GraceKennedy’s presence is not only felt in the Caribbean, Europe and North America, but is growing rapidly in Africa, the ancestral home of most Jamaicans.

Without doubt, GraceKennedy will continue to impact positively on the lives of Jamaicans as it closes in on an illustrious century.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170214/gracekennedy-95-shining-example-corporate-success

 

 

GraceKennedy — an amazing company in an extraordinary time

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When Jamaicans reach for a wide array of the now familiar products bearing the Grace brand on supermarket and grocery shelves at home and abroad, they know that they are assured of 95 years of quality born of the passion and the exquisite taste of a demanding island people and an amazing company.

That has been a feat of no mean order.

Dr John Grace and Fred William Kennedy, on Valentine’s Day 1922 took on the ambitious task of packaging Jamaica’s favourite and most tasty food products and sharing them at their best quality, not only with countrymen at home, but also with those in the wider Caribbean and in the diaspora.

For the founding fathers, the company was birthed with a heart of love for the products, the consumers and employees, and a commitment to deliver at the highest standard and good value regardless of circumstances.

Now, just shy of a century later, the passion of those modest beginnings has grown and reverberated throughout the Group in the 16 countries where GraceKennedy has operating plants, and its wider reach to more than 60 countries around the world.

Known first for its food products that are synonymous with quality and nutrition, the Grace brand is a solid and confident declaration of the best of Jamaica that meets the taste test every time and exudes the warmth of the people who inspire its existence.

Today the company has expanded its product line to become a cutting-edge leader in financial services, providing safe, secure, convenient world-class financial services that make it possible for Jamaicans to do business easily.

GraceKennedy is often a pioneer in technological services and has introduced several innovations through First Global Bank, GK General Insurance, Allied Insurance Brokers, FX Trader, Bill Express, and through its partnership with Western Union as its exclusive representative in Jamaica and 10 other Caribbean countries.

For Jamaicans who rely on relatives in the diaspora for regular and critical financial support, their “pots can be put on fire” with the firm assurance that through its remittance service, GraceKennedy will deliver.

In the Caribbean islands, the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom, Grace is a real-life demonstration of the potential of a Caribbean island company that has attained solid international presence and respect. This is supported by strong local roots.

For small farmers in the deep rural communities, Grace is the certain hope that a reliable market is available for the choice fruits of their back-breaking labour. When GraceKennedy began producing canned items in 1959, starting with their Vienna sausages, citrus and vegetable farmers were next in line to benefit as the company quickly followed on with the packaging of ketchup, tin fruit juices, vegetables and bottled juices.

But it was the GraceKennedy agro-processing plant at Hounslow, St Elizabeth, that broadened the scope for hundreds of small pepper farmers who now have a guaranteed market for their produce. With a certain and stable market, farmers are better able to plan and to support their families from their endeavours.

But the most basic and far-reaching surety is in the high quality of the food supplied under the Grace brand. There is no second-guessing the fact that the standard of Jamaican food is the Grace standard.

GraceKennedy’s foray into banking and insurance does not depart from the quality performance of the group over its near 100 years in business.

The company sees it as its business to develop new initiatives that help its brands and advance and enhance the lives of its customers and employees.

Initiatives like the expansion of the banking facilities and the recent US$8-million investment in the expansion of the Hi Lo Food Stores not only create employment, but also give easy access to all.

For the GraceKennedy Group, caring begins at home and the company ensures that its employees are fully on-board with its commercial push, while also encouraging their fullest participation in its strong charity outreach programmes. In 1925, employees were invited to purchase shares at par. With a stake in the business, employees became owners of the promise and potential of the Grace brand.

It was therefore not by accident that this powerful approach gave birth to the Grace & Staff Community Development Foundation in 1979 and the GraceKennedy Foundation in 1982. These foundations have contributed mentoring, tutoring and also millions in support of persons in need, especially students.

Funds from the GraceKennedy Foundation have been distributed through the Carlton Alexander Bursary, while the Grace and Staff Foundation operates six homework centres, including a STEM Centre at Parade Gardens, downtown Kingston, among other programmes.

Those who live in Jamaica, are Jamaican or admirers of the Jamaican culture from afar, would have felt the unmistakable impact of its ‘Grace’. The achievements of GraceKennedy speak to Jamaica’s highest aspirations and their deepest yearning for the good life.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/GraceKennedy—an-amazing-company-in-an-extraordinary-time_89345