Category: The Gleaner

Young readers for CCRP Living Legacy Awards

Brandon Howlett

Brandon Howlett, a second-year student majoring in Business Management at the University of the West Indies, is no stranger to reading citations for the CCRP Living Legacy Awards. Having been a young reader last year, he felt great when asked to do it again as it showed that his reading had been well received. With enthusiasm, Brandon is eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to read the citation for Dr Blossom Anglin-Brown, who is being honoured for her outstanding contributions in the field of health, as well as the citation for Dr Lilieth Nelson for her outstanding achievements in entrepreneurship, education, and culture.

Reading the citations for the awards will be three young adults who will bring diversity to the event and bridge the generation gap. The other young readers are Sashoi Nichols-Dobson and Shantay East.

Sashoi Nichols-Dobson

Nichols-Dobson will be reading the citation for Steadman Fuller, who is being recognised for his outstanding achievements in business and philanthropy. For Nichols-Dobson, Fuller’s achievements highlight that as a professional, one can be successful in many areas of life and not be restricted by one’s area of study.

Shantay East

East will be reading the citation for Pixley Irons, who is being recognised for his outstanding services in philanthropy and volunteerism for community development. East noted that she was elated when asked to be a young reader for the prestigious awards and is honoured to be part of something that acknowledges people like Irons, who go beyond the call of duty.

CCRP Jamaica will host its annual Living Legacy Awards on October 12 at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston to highlight five of those individuals 60 years and over who have contributed to the growth and development of the country, going beyond the call of duty and displaying exemplary service and dedication in their fields of endeavour.

The fifth honouree is Dr Margaret Dingle Spence, who is being recognised for her outstanding contributions in the fields of cancer research and palliative care. She will be unable to attend the ceremony and will be presented with her award at a later date.

This year marks the 10th staging of the CCRP Living Legacy Awards.

CCRP said it takes pride in honouring individuals who not only meet the requirements of their duties but who go above and beyond, deserving the utmost recognition. Through these awards, CCRP aims to shine the spotlight on those who truly make a difference and leave a lasting impact on their communities.

The event is sponsored by BPM Financial Limited, Cari-Med Group, Gallagher Insurance Brokers, Juici Patties, and National Baking Company.

Source: The Jamaica Gleaner – https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20231010/young-readers-ccrp-living-legacy-awards#slideshow-1

Corporate Hands | PEP donates medical equipment, supplies valued at US$6,000 to Black River Hospital

Chief Executive Officer for the Black River Hospital, Diana Brown-Miller (left), accepts a donation of medical supplies and equipment from Parottee Enrichment Project’s (PEP) executive board member, Marilyn Bennett, during a handover ceremony on August 17. The organisation donated approximately US$6,000 worth of equipment and supplies to the facility.

Corporate Hands | 80 students to get Jamalco scholarships for 2023-24 academic year 80 students to get Jamalco scholarships for 2023-24 academic year

From left: Jamalco Managing Director Austin Mooney makes a presentation to scholarship recipient under the company’s Education Assistance Programme, Deanna Rosetta Samuels, during the August 16 presentation ceremony at the Wembley Centre of Excellence in Clarendon. Sharing the moment are Managing Director of HEART/NSTA Trust Dr Tanesha Ingleton and Jamalco Human Resource Manager Christopher Buckmaster.

Corporate Hands | Fire-ravaged Musgrave Market gets $2.5m from NCB Foundation

Anthony Tyrell, father of two and vendor for over 15 years, shares a friendly smile with Kayon Morrison, branch manager for NCB Port Antonio, as she purchases local produce outside the fire-ravaged Musgrave Market. Tyrell is one of over 200 vendors displaced by the recent fire. NCB Foundation contributed $2.5 million towards the rehabilitation efforts of the market.

Corporate Hands | Digicel Foundation donates school supplies to special-needs students

Pearnel Charles Jr (third right, front row), Minister of Labour and Social Security; Jeneard Williamson (third left, front row), Digicel education and special-needs project officer; and Antonica Gunter-Gayle (right, back row), Early Stimulation Programme director, are joined by students of Stimulation Plus Child Development Centre and their parents. The occasion was a handover ceremony for school supplies donated by Digicel Foundation on Monday.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20230824/corporate-hands-digicel-foundation-donates-school-supplies-special-needs

Rainforest adds more solar capacity

Seafood trader Rainforest is doubling solar energy capacity at its plant in Montego Bay, from 0.5 megawatt to one megawatt, at a cost of $75 million.

When the project is finalised in two to three months, Rainforest will possess the capacity to generate over 1.5 megawatts of solar power in Jamaica at its main complex in Montego Bay and its plant in Kingston.

The new photovoltaic (PV) or solar panels are being installed on a five-storey building that houses the company’s free-standing freezer at Montego Freeport.

“When we first introduced PV systems in Kingston four years ago, it cost us about US$1.65 per watt of power installed. By the time we did MoBay two years after, that came down to about US$1.38 per watt. Now it is less than a dollar, so it’s becoming far more attractive to go solar,” said Rainforest CEO Brian Jardim.

The Kingston plant was outfitted with solar panels in 2014, followed by a second phase at the MoBay complex in 2016.

Altogether, the three phases represent a US$2-million investment, Jardim said, funding for which was secured through the window for renewable energy loans set up by the Development Bank of Jamaica, DBJ, but issued through lending institutions.

“The window provided by the DBJ means very good rates. It actually comes through the commercial banks at an interest rate of six or seven per cent. That makes good financial sense, if you ask me,” Jardim said, who noted that at each stage of the project, the payback period on the investment has shortened.

“The payback period has come down from about six years in the first instance,” he said. “For the second phase, the payback was about five years. Now it is about four years.”

With the current project, all of Rainforest’s main operating and administrative buildings would have been covered with photovoltaic arrays.

The company has also implemented other conservation methods to add to those savings, including more efficient compressors, and switching from freon gas to ammonia for cooling, and utilising LED lighting for the freezers and perimeters of the Rainforest complex.

“There is also a neat little set-up that saves us a lot of money, where we embed tubes at the base of the freezers, run glycol through that and distribute that to other areas where we need temperatures that are less than freezing – that is to say, chill rooms and so on,” Jardim said.

Source: The Gleaner

Digicel Foundation Boosts Gregory Park Youth Group

The Forward Step Foundation is striving to make a difference in the municipality of Portmore, St Catherine.

Founded ten years ago by Gregory Park resident Miguel ‘Steppa’ Williams, the foundation is now benefiting from the support of the Digicel Foundation, which provided a grant of US$1.2 million over two years to expand its work in social enterprise development through the Queen’s Young Leaders Programme.

The funding has already assisted the Forward Step Foundation in building its own headquarters and reducing overhead costs.

The funds provided through Digicel Foundation have also enabled Forward Step to move ahead with its media training programme, and to purchase the necessary equipment for a recording studio and digital editing programme. The Forward Step Foundation, which hosts its own lively YouTube channel, Di Streetz TV, focuses on the arts and culture as keys to development.

Training is already taking place in several other areas, including carpentry and landscaping while workshops on television- presenting and graphic design are planned. An important aspect of the foundation’s work is teaching life skills at training workshops including sessions relating to building self-esteem, confidence and teamwork.

With these funds, the Forward Step Foundation aims to boost its crafts and manufacturing training programmes. The new training will directly impact more than 50 young people age 14 to 30 years old, and involve about 500 other community members.

Source: Jamaica Gleaner

GraceKennedy At 95 – A Shining Example Of Corporate Success

gk-gleaner-1

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

 

 

RJRGLEANER Employee Wins $10M In ‘Q Is The Key To Cash 4 Life’

cash-4-life-winner-mark-brown

When Mark Brown, an employee of The RJRGleaner Communi-cations Group, bought Qs of Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum to assist his sister with adding flavour to her Christmas cakes, little did he know there was a blessing of $10 million in return for him.

Brown is now one of two grand prize winners in the recently concluded J. Wray & Nephew ‘Q is the Key to Cash 4 Life’ competition.

Brown saved every Q he bought to help his sister, and entered the codes via text as instructed for the competition, and on January 29 he was told of his life-changing win.

“I feel elated, excited, nervous, blessed and favoured. This is something I have been praying for – a financial blessing. I think God has actually blessed me today,” said Brown, who was just returning home from church when the team from J.Wray & Nephew Limited announced his victory to him.

“The only thing I can do is give God thanks and praise for it. This is my breakthrough. I have prayed for it and a lot of people have prayed for it to happen for me too, and I am just giving thanks for it,” added Brown, before calling his mother to tell her the good news.

HOW HE WILL SPEND IT

When asked how he plans to spend the money, the first thing he could think of doing were acts of kindness.

“I have some family members who I want to help and my children overseas. I can now put towards their college fund. Last month, I borrowed a major loan to take care of some things, but if I knew this was going to happen I wouldn’t have done that,” said Brown.

Howard Cover, a resident of Portland, is the other grand prize winner of the ‘Q is the Key to Cash 4 Life’ competition. Like Brown, he intends to use his winnings to give to those in need, especially his family members.

“I have three grandchildren whom I want to help with the money. I want to see to it that they get a good education. They are 16, 10 and eight. I am also going to buy some property with the money, invest some otherwise, mostly in farming, which is what I know about,” said Cover.

According to Pietro Gramegna, marketing manager, J. Wray & Nephew Limited, the company is elated that it could have enriched the lives of two deserving Jamaicans.

“We at J. Wray & Nephew Limited are always envisioning ways to enrich the lives of our consumers. With the ‘Q is the Key to Cash 4 Life’ promotion, two flasks of Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum allowed two loyal consumers to become real millionaires,” said Gramegna.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170205/rjrgleaner-employee-wins-10m-q-key-cash-4-life