The Private Eye

Table of Contents

Editorial

We are very pleased to roll out this first issue of The Private Eye, our monthly eZine that will keep you up to date on the happenings of The PSOJ. The Private Eye will focus on the projects that are undertaken by The PSOJ as well as the impact that these projects are having.

We recognize that our members are central to the work of The PSOJ and each month we will highlight the work of at least one such member. This month we focus on Fidelity Motors Ltd, the only authorized Nissan dealer in Jamaica and NCB’s Nation Builder Awards. The PSOJ salutes Fidelity Motors on 10 years of service and encourages the organization to continue striving for excellence. As we look at Fidelity Motors this month, we urge you to pay special attention to the philanthropic work that the company has been doing in the South Side community and surrounding areas. We congratualate NCB for recognizing Small and Medium Enterprise Customers with their Nation Builder Awards.

Read more on these members inside.

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Message from The President

We will also provide regular updates through our We Are Working for You (WAWFY) feature which will now become a part of this publication.

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We look forward to your comments and suggestions about how we can improve this eZine. If you are able to print copies to share with your customers/clients by placing on a notice board, or in the reception/waiting area of your offices we would certainly appreciate it. We also encourage you to share electronically with others in your mailing lists (locally and abroad) and place on your websites and social media pages.

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We invite our members to give advertising support to this venture and to send us information on projects that you are undertaking that you would like us to highlight.

Peta-Gay Hodges Marketing Officer, Membership Services PSOJ

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Message from The CEO Meet Jamaica at London 2012 Public/Private Partnership

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Member Focus Fidelity Motors: 10 Years of Nissan

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Joseph Matalon on the Importance of Social Intervention

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Lascelles Page Y.U.T.E on the Rise

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PSOJ Project Focus

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Member Focus NCB Launches Nation Builder Awards

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We Are Working For You

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Past Happenings

Message From

The President of so-called garrison communities as major facilitators of criminal gang activity, which was in turn responsible for a large percentage of major crimes including murders and shootings. The subsequent events of May 2010 ending with the Tivoli incursion, brought these issues into sharp focus and made it clear to many PSOJ members that unless we can, collectively as Jamaicans, find a way of providing real economic opportunity to these vulnerable young people, our economy, and by extension our businesses, will continue to be vulnerable to the activities of criminal elements within the society. Add to this the public and private costs of our extraordinarily high levels of crime and violence, and it became clear to us, as a private sector, that we had to be a part of the solution.

Many of you have already pledged your support in cash and kind to Y.U.T.E. and we look forward to hearing from those of you that will “STEP UP” by volunteering to be mentors as you help us to guide and support this targeted group of “at risk “ young Jamaicans. We are also in need of two-day entry level internships at companies for a four month period.

Don’t miss your opportunity to become a part of the solution!

Joseph M. Matalon, CD President The Private Sector Organisation of Jamiaca

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elcome to the inaugural issue of the Private Eye - The PSOJ’s effort to keep you informed about the numerous activities taking place as we work for you.

This month’s issue focuses very heavily on Y.U.T.E. - “Youth Upliftment Through Employment”. This is an initiative that was spearheaded by The PSOJ involving a coalition of private sector interests that zeroes in on some of the root causes of violence and youth unemployment through an aggressive two-year programmatic approach to addressing the issues of unattached youth.

Early in 2010 The PSOJ’s Standing Committee on National Security put out a major Policy Paper on National Security. In examining the causes and features of Jamaica’s intractable crime problem, the paper identified youth unemployment (particularly in inner city communities) and the existence

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Message From The CEO

I invite our members - individuals, companies, associations and entities overseas to become more involved in The PSOJ’s various activities. Individuals who are employed within the private sector, private sector companies and private sector member associations, regardless of size are welcome to join and we are only too happy to share with you how this can be done. Our newest membership category “Overseas Associate Member” encompasses individuals, companies, and associations that are located overseas but have business interests in Jamaica. We are now vigorously spreading the word that applications are welcome for this category of membership as well.

We encourage you to join one of our seven working committees as we work together towards the achievement of Jamaica’s Vision 2030 to become “…the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business”.

I hope you enjoy reading the premier issue of The Private Eye and we welcome your comments. advertisment

Sandra A.C Glasgow CEO The Private Sector Organisation of Jamiaca

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s methods of communication evolve, we too must move with the times. The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica is committed to keeping our members informed in the most concise and effective manner and so we are pleased to present the first issue of our brand new publication “The Private Eye”. Our primary responsibility in The PSOJ is to our members and this publication seeks to highlight the work of the Organisation on behalf of our members while also featuring their products, services and programmes.

A significant portion of this issue is dedicated to the Y.U.T.E. programme with a special focus on Lascelles Page, a young man from Arnett Gardens, who, through Y.UT.E. has become a part of The PSOJ family and my mentee. As we journey with the young people whose lives we seek to touch through this programme, we will share the successes of this and other exciting projects on which we have embarked.

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MEET JAMAICA AT LONDON 2012 PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP Diaspora. She said: “We have great friends in the city of Birmingham and our thanks go to Mike for cementing this role, along with the Jamaica National Building Society for their sponsorship.”

UPCOMING EVENT

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ith just over a year to go before the staging of the games of the XXX Olympiad, plans are in high gear for MEET JAMAICA at LONDON 2012 and the bond between Jamaica and Birmingham becomes increasingly stronger with this initiative, which had its official launch in the UK’s second city in March 2011.

Seven percent of Londoners are of Jamaican heritage, with a further two percent being of mixed Jamaican and British origin and, as such, the Diaspora features very heavily in the Meet Jamaica 2012 programme. 2012 is also the year of Jamaica’s golden jubilee and Jamaican Olympians will have a starring role in the Games, so the stage is set for Jamaica to use this global platform to showcase the highest quality Jamaican goods and services.

The PSOJ stands squarely behind the Meet Jamaica initiative, a public-private partnership that seeks to promote Jamaica’s brand and capitalise on this opportunity and, in partnership with JAMPRO, has created a programme of investment/trade missions and consumer-oriented events that connect Jamaica to the UK. The programme is intended to, among other things, increase visibility, awareness, trial and sale of quality products from participating PSOJ stakeholders. The events allow the target audience to experience authentic Jamaican products and services and compel them to want more.

Earl Jarrett, general manager of the Jamaica National Group, lead sponsor for Meet Jamaica 2012, said Birmingham’s Council Leader, Mike Whitby, shared a vision for the 2012 Games and had helped to make that dream a reality for both Birmingham and Jamaica. JAMPRO president, Sancia Bennett-Templer, added: “It is so important that the public and private sector work together for the betterment of Jamaica.”

Sandra Glasgow, CEO of PSOJ, said the initiative was thriving, but businesses must stretch themselves beyond their comfort zone to cement links with Jamaica and the wider Caribbean 7

TASTE OF JAMAICA AT TASTE OF LONDON Taste of London is one of the marquee events that Meet Jamaica 2012 has embraced.

This will take place in London’s Regent’s Park from 16th to 19th June 2011, where over 40 restaurants will serve some of their best and most famous dishes to visitors in an unbeatable alfresco gourmet feast.

“Taste of Jamaica” at Taste of London will be the strategic placement of two Jamaican restaurants at the event. It will place Jamaican food squarely at the heart of the world’s greatest restaurant festival.

Once again, Jamaicans will show that we are among the world’s best. advertisment

member focus Fidelity Motors: 10 Years of Nissan

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or the past 10 years, Fidelity Motors Ltd. (FML), one of the newest members of The PSOJ, has served the public with the distinction, integrity and quality of service that are synonymous with the Nissan name that they represent.

The company, which operates out of premises located at 5 -18 Hanover Street in Kingston, is headed by Managing Director, Major Gregory Webster.

Fidelity Motors Ltd. was born 10 years ago from a collaboration between regional heavyweights Grace Kennedy Ltd. and Goddard Enterprises Ltd. of Barbados. A vigorous six-month period of negotiations and extensive travel between Jamaica, Barbados and Japan culminated in agreements and contracts being signed off by all parties and the birth of Fidelity Motors Ltd. Initially opening its doors on May 2001 with a staff complement of 25 employees, FML faced the mammoth task of re-establishing the Nissan brand in Jamaica, where there had not been a Nissan new car dealer for over eight years. During that period, the Nissan vehicles the Jamaican public had come to know came from the massive influx of notoriously troublesome “deportee” Japanese vehicles. As such, public opinion of the Nissan brand dipped considerably low to match the quality of thousands of Nissan vehicles imported from Japan wholesale.

The FML team’s goal was now to go back to the drawing board and attempt to raise awareness of the all-new Nissan lineup.

After several years of toiling to erase the “deportee” stigma, through island wide promotions, sponsorships and advertising campaigns, the flood gates finally opened. By 2005, the overall Nissan lineup had finally been re-established as a viable alternative to other Japanese brands, with the Nissan Frontier now completely dominating the Jamaican pickup market.

This impressive turnaround did not go unnoticed. In 2006, FML was awarded the Nissan Global Award. The criteria for this outstanding achievement were improvement in new vehicles sales, quality of after sales service and quality of customer service. Of 169 Nissan dealerships worldwide, FML was ranked in the top 15 and was the only awardee from an English speaking nation.

“Receiving the 2005 Nissan Global Award in Tokyo, Japan from Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motors has to be ranked among my proudest moments,” states Major Webster. “Knowing the humble beginnings of Fidelity to get to the point of achieving such excellence made it an even more satisfying accolade.” This prestigious award has spurred the FML team onwards to new heights, especially through 2008 when the recession took effect 9

on Jamaica. The dealership has persevered and proudly boasts to have had no redundancies in the wake of the dramatic reduction in sales, but has instead instituted stricter energy and efficiency policies to great effect. As the nation recovers, so has FML, and in this their 10th year of existence, the resurgence of the Nissan brand has already begun.

This does not mean that FML has been solely focused on vehicle sales. The FML team has also seen the importance of responsible corporate citizenship and, from inception, has been active in charitable ventures throughout Jamaica and specifically in its surrounding community. FML has sponsored many efforts and events put on by the downtown community in general, but the standout charity event has to be the Annual Back-To-School Treat that the FML team puts on for the Southside community Children of Downtown Kingston. This Treat was born out of the efforts of tragically slain Fidelity worker Pauline Galloway, who was from the Southside community. In her honour, her co-workers have kept the annual tradition going for over seven years.

As a result of the Treat, Southside parents are given one less headache every year as FML provides school bags, notebooks and stationery, which are personally distributed at the treat by Major Webster. The children also enjoy a ‘fun day’ atmosphere with music, games, snacks and ice-cream en¬thusiastically served by the FML team.

According to Angelique Reid, Human Resources Officer, 8 of the initial 25 staff members, including herself, have remained with the company, which presently boasts a staff complement of 53. The first employee to be hired, Paul Robinson, Manager of the Parts Department, finds FML to be a good place to work and says he credits the organization with his growth in terms of training, career path and personal development. He says the opportunities for growth supported by the ethos of the Goddard Group, which now fully owns the company, make it an enriching experience.

May 1, 2011 officially marked FML’s 10th Anniversary, which is being celebrated with special events and promotions throughout May and the rest of the year.

5-18 Hanover Street before Fidelity Motors

Now

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Joseph Matalon

On the Importance of Social Intervention

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Joseph M. Matalon, CD President The Private Sector Organisation of Jamiaca

he events of last May’s Tivoli incursion seem to have marked a turning point in Jamaica’s history. Not only has the country’s spiralling crime rate decreased significantly, it also catalysed The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s (PSOJ) decision to become integrally involved in social intervention. The Youth Upliftment Through Employment (Y.U.T.E.) programme came about after The PSOJ’s Standing Committee on National Security put out a major policy paper which identified youth unemployment, particularly in inner-city areas, and the existence of so-called ‘garrison communities’ as major facilitators of criminal gang activity. “[The incursion] made it clear to many PSOJ members that unless we can, collectively as Jamaicans, find a way of providing real economic opportunity to these vulnerable young people, our economy, and by extension our businesses, will continue to be vulnerable to the activities of criminal elements within the society,” PSOJ President Joseph Matalon explained.

So far, PSOJ members have answered the call to action in an “overwhelmingly positive” way, committing approximately J$130 million in cash support, which has been matched by pledges from International Development Partners. Three hundred and seventy one volunteer mentors have also signed up. However, the target is 800, so more has to be done to mobilize companies and staff to get involved, Matalon said. Sponsor-companies have also committed significant job placements with more to come.

There are numerous social intervention programmes geared toward youth in Jamaica, but what sets Y.U.T.E. apart is its focus on employment. Participants are placed in one of three categories – Y.U.T.E. Employment, Y.U.T.E. Entrepreneurship or Y.U.T.E. U-Turn. The Employment stream gives participants the opportunity to get valuable work experience through full-time jobs and internships; Entrepreneurship participants are given opportunities to start or develop their own businesses and U-Turn

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Mentee and mentor pair sign off on the contract

participants are assisted in turning their lives around through life skills lessons and skills training opportunities. “While many programmes have offered the kind of skills training that is available to Y.U.T.E. participants, the Job Opportunity Bank, to which private sector firms make ‘deposits’ by committing to provide job opportunities to graduates of the programme, I think really sets Y.U.T.E. apart and will serve to avoid the frustration of young people who pursue training and then find that there is no opportunity available to them,” Matalon noted.

Since its inception last December, Y.U.T.E. has served approximately 700 participants in the following areas:

1.100 members of the Entrepreneurship stream have participated in orientation sessions and will shortly be engaged in a series of business development workshops.

2. 445 members of the Employment stream are engaged in skills training from basic literacy/numeracy to advanced vocational disciplines and 90 participants have been employed through Job Opportunity Bank placement.

3. 55 young people from the U-Turn stream are currently attending the first residential Challenge Camp.

Lascelles page

Y.U.T.E. On The Rise

“The students there [JC] were more driven to learn, not like Norman Manley where there was a lot of bad influence. My classmates also encouraged me to do more co-curricular activities, so I played hockey, tennis and did track. I just always tried to do my best and my best was good enough to get the subjects to enter UTECH.”

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e often hear just one side of the story about Jamaica’s inner-city youth, and it’s not the good side.

Tales of oppressive poverty and horrific crime and violence permeate media reports every day, so much so that many people are tempted to think nothing good ever comes out of these depressed areas. But they are so wrong. Despite the odds they face, young people from these oft-maligned communities are full of great potential. Bright, talented and ambitious, many of them don’t get the chance to show us what they can do and fall prey to negative influences. However, a large number do overcome the challenges and manage to excel. One such success story is Lascelles Page, who sidestepped the potholes to become a beacon of hope for the rest of his family, especially his three siblings.

“I’m the only one in my family to have CXCs. They all expected me to turn out to something good. My mother was the driving force in my life. She is very strict, so I decided not to do certain things. I don’t even drink or smoke either,” Page said.

A resident of Arnett Gardens in Trench Town, the 24-year-old saw many negative influences in his neighbourhood. “It wasn’t

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so bad in the beginning, as a little boy, but it started to get harder growing up. Around 12, you start to realize the bad influences around you. Persons start to influence you about guns and those things, but I chose not to get involved. I was scared of revenge on my family members, too,” he recalled.

Page instead focused on his studies at St. Peter Claver Primary School and was later placed at Norman Manley High School.

However, he transferred to Jamaica College one month into second form because the violence in the community surrounding the school got out of control. “I couldn’t deal with it. Gunmen were running into the school yard. It was not safe,” Page said.

He found the environment at JC more conducive to learning and excelled, finding himself in the top stream classes. “The students there were more driven to learn, not like Norman Manley where there was a lot of bad influence. My classmates also encouraged me to do more co-curricular activities, so I played hockey, tennis and did track. I just always tried to do my best and my best was good enough to get the subjects to enter UTECH (the University of Technology).”

Lascelles page

Y.U.T.E. On The Rise

ployment, Y.U.T.E. Entrepreneurship or Y.U.T.E. U-Turn. The Employment stream gives participants the opportunity to get valuable work experience through full-time jobs and internships; Entrepreneurship participants are given opportunities to start or develop their own businesses and U-Turn participants are assisted in turning their lives around through life skills lessons and skills training opportunities.

Page was placed in the Employment stream and has been working as an Administrative Assistant in the Human Resources department at The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), where he is being mentored by his boss, CEO Sandra Glasgow.

“I’m loving this job a whole lot. Working helps out a lot, because I could barely manage to help out my family,” he said, adding that the tuition fees to complete his studies at UTECH have been promised at the end of his two-year stint.

Page earned seven of eight subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level and three of four subjects at the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced level.

He initially wanted to study architecture, but there were no Alevel Technical Drawing courses, so he turned to computers. He began studying Computer Science at UTECH and has plans to become either a programmer or network engineer. “I like networking more and seeing what is happening with technology in Jamaica, there are more opportunities there. That’s where the money is,” he laughed.

One can easily understand Page’s concern about satisfactory remuneration as he has had to take several leaves of absence from his studies due to financial constraints. It was during one of these breaks that he became involved with the Youth Upliftment Through Employment (Y.U.T.E.) programme. Page was at a community youth club meeting when he was given an application form by Zann Locke of RISE Life Management, who was in charge of the group. “I didn’t want to sign up because, from my experience, things like this never worked,” he said. “I let it stay until the day of the deadline and it was sent in three days later.

Then they were calling, but I wasn’t interested. The people were pushy, they wouldn’t give up. They were just trying to grab every unattached youth in the community.”

Despite his initial reluctance, Page has no regrets about joining the Y.U.T.E. team. He was chosen as one of 10 orientation coordinators, working with some 1,500 other applicants. “I was the most exposed person in database management, so I was the supervisor of the other nine [persons],” he said. He also assisted with the interviewing and streaming processes, where participants are placed in one of three categories – Y.U.T.E. Em15

Page plans to remain active with Y.U.T.E. even after he completes the programme. “It has done so much for me. It’s all in the passion of the people at The PSOJ. This is not fake,” he said.

“There are many youths in inner-city communities who will need this opportunity too, and I want to give back to them.”

Lascelles Page in dialogue with Roxaine Smith of The PSOJ.

Lascelles Page at work at The PSOJ.

PSOJ Project focus

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n meeting its mandate to promote and facilitate social and economic development, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica is involved in a plethora of developmental initiatives. One such initiative is a youth development project called Obra, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Obra Caribbean Partnership is a youth employability project which aims to create a sustainable partnership among public, private and civil society organizations to promote entrepreneurship and address the employability of unattached youth. Building on the multi-sectoral partnership model of Obra, The PSOJ has mobilized the support of private sector interests around other youth development initiatives, such as Y.U.T.E. After U.S. President Barack Obama spoke at the 2009 Summit of the Americas in Trinidad & Tobago calling for better and stronger partnerships to create more opportunities for youth in the Latin America and Caribbean region, the U.S.-based International Youth Foundation (IYF), the main executing agency for Obra, selected The PSOJ in 2010 to serve as the secretariat for the Caribbean.

Through Obra, innovation grants have been awarded to three partner NGOs to implement projects which provide young people with practical employability and life skills that will help them to succeed in the work place. These projects, which received matching funds from the wider Y.U.T.E. initiative, are currently ongoing. The projects are: Area Youth Foundation’s (AYF) Life Skills and Entrepreneurship Training for Urban Youth in Kingston; RISE’s Youth Employability & Entrepreneurship Training Project in Kingston; and Children First’s Jamaica Youth Wellness Centre in Spanish Town.

AYF, which specializes in the use of the creative arts to impart life skills, will equip 100 at-risk youth with technical and financial assistance to become micro-entrepreneurs in the ornamental aquaculture industry.

RISE, working in collaboration with Junior Achievement, Sandals Foundation and other youth-serving agencies will work with 150 at-risk youth to improve their employability and entrepreneurial skills. The Children First project provides 100 young people with key job skills through vocational classes in areas such as data operations, customer service, photography and videography. The project implementing partners will work with Y.U.T.E. to secure internships and employment opportunities for the participants.

Instructor Junior Beckford conducts a lesson during his videography class, which is part of the Children First Youth Wellness Centre in Spanish Town. It is one of five areas of vocational training offered to the at-risk youth participants, along with data operations, cosmetology, housekeeping and customer service.

Instructor Selvin Roper walks among students in his data operations class at the Children First Youth Wellness Centre in Spanish Town. It is one of five areas of vocational training offered to the at-risk youth participants, along with data operations, cosmetology, housekeeping and customer service.

Click the icon to visit Obra’s Facebook page.

Click the link below to see Obra freatured on TVJ’s Prime Time News. http://www.televisionjamaica.com/vd-9367-RAYOFHOPEFEATURESOBRAINITIATIVE.aspx 17

Presenter Gihon Mitchell speaks to RISE’s Vocational and Employability Skills Training class about the difference between a job and a career. Thirty at-risk youth from Kingston, recently completed the programme. Only a week after the ceremony, 14 of the 30 graduates were able to receive a job or internship and others received interviews and were waiting for responses.

Member Focus NCB Launches 4th Nation Builder Awards

(From left) 2010 Nation Builder Award winner Jason Henzell, CEO of Jake’s Holdings, Audrey Tugwell-Henry, Senior General Manager of Retail Banking, NCB, Bernadette Barrow, Assistant General Manager for SMEs,NCB and Patrick Hylton, Group Managing Director, NCB.

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ational Commercial Bank (NCB) recently launched its fourth Nation Builder Awards, aimed at recognizing and celebrating the achievements of its small and medium enterprise customers.

The Awards highlight outstanding entrepreneurial performance and sound operational practices as well as the enterprises’ contribution to community development.

The Nation Builder Awards are open to both NCB and nonNCB customers in the categories Start-Up, Innovation and Women in Business. However, nominees in the Nation Builder category must be NCB customers. Nominees will be assessed on community involvement and impact, creativity and innovative thinking, strategic direction and commercial viability. This year’s Awards also feature two new categories: the Impact Award, to be presented to a non-profit organization or individual who has undertaken an initiative that has positively impacted the lives of others, and the Vision Award, which will encourage budding entrepreneurs by providing seed capital of J$250,000 to the final year University of the West Indies (UWI) Management Studies student with the best business plan.

The judging panel of management consultant, Dr. Henley Morgan and Executive Director of the Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC), Harold Davis, has also been expanded to include Hon. Marigold Harding, Custos of St. Andrew and Dr. Carolyn Hayle, Executive Director of the HEART Trust/NTA. Speaking at the launch, Group Managing Director, Patrick Hylton, noted that the greatness of a nation is measured not only 19

Dennis Cohen, Deputy Group Managing Director of NCB, speaking on the importance of the Nation Builder Awards partners who have “added value to the programme.”

in natural resources, military might or foreign exchange reserves but the mettle and substance of its people, which has seen Jamaica excel in areas such as sport, entertainment, culture and academics. “At NCB, we recognize that our small and medium enterprises are among the most creative in the world and together, they employ a significant number of Jamaicans at varying levels of skill. Their impact on our nation is widespread,” he said.

Attesting to this, Jason Henzell, the 2010 Nation Builder Awardee for his work in developing community tourism in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, described the Awards as a “fantastic initiative” and also took the time to outline a number of upcoming projects.

The Nation Builder Awards benefits from the contribution of its partners PricewaterhouseCoopers, HEART Trust/NTA, the JBDC, Fujitsu, the Gleaner Company, the Lions Club of New Kingston, the UWI, The Women Business Owners’ Association and The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ). Along with NCB, these partners will provide the winners with trophies, cash prizes, technical training and assistance, capacity building, business mentorship, scholarships and marketing support.

Businesses may apply in single or multiple categories. Applications are open from June 1 to July 29, 2011 and may be submitted at any NCB branch islandwide.

We Are Working For You

New Members joining in 2011 • • •

Mervyn Eyre – Individual Holistic Risk Solutions Ltd. Environmental Solutions Ltd.

Upcoming PSOJ Events • PSOJ/JMMB Annual Economic Forum PSOJ/JMMB Annual Economic Forum is on Tuesday June 28, 2011, 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Wyndham Kingston Hotel. As a reminder, this year’s theme is “Dialogue for Growth”. We look forward to having you participate in this important Forum on Tuesday June 28, 2011 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wyndham Kingston Hotel where we will not only discuss criti­cal issues but also determine the way forward.

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FamBiz Conference, October 14-16, 2011

• Taste of Jamaica at Taste of London, Regents Park London, June 13-19 (a Meet Jamiaca Event)

PSOJ News • PSOJ is on Facebook Please join us on our new and improved Facebook page and click to like button to get regular updates.

Click on the icon to join us on Facebook • Nominees for The PSOJ Hall of Fame We are still inviting you to submit nominations for outstanding business persons whom you think should be considered for this year’s induction into the PSOJ’s Private Sector Hall Of Fame.

The induction will take place during a Banquet which is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 27, 2011 at the Wyndham Kingston Hotel. Please contact us for further information at petagayh@psoj.org

• PSOJ convening Energy Committee PSOJ has been administering the Proinvest facility for Capacity Building of Caribbean Private Sector Environmental and Energy Management Capabilities Project funded by the European Commission. This facility comes to an end in September 2011 and in response to the importance of sustainable energy practices and policies to a viable private sector, the Officers of the PSOJ have approved the formation of an Energy Committee. Kindly contact us at petagayh@psoj.org if you are interested in serving on this committee.

other News • Lloyd Eubank-Green & Associates Seminars to help you take control of your life and live by design and not by default.

June 23: Team Building for Busy Managers June 30: Executive Negotiation Skills July 14&15: The Exodus Forum July 28: Supervisory Management For futher information, call : 925 0945 20

•

June is JEA National Exporters Month

Past Happenings

(From left) CEO of the PSOJ, Mrs. Sandra Glasgow, President of the PSOJ, Mr. Joseph Matalon and Dr. Karen Hilliard, USAID’s Mission Director (From left) Managing Director, Intcomex Jamaica Ltd, Mr. Mathew DeLeon; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Robert Rainford, President of the PSOJ, Mr. Joseph Matalon; Deputy Registrar, Commercial Court, Mrs. Jemelia Davis; Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Sen. Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne.

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en Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, valued at USD$8,500, were recently presented to the Ministry of Justice at its head office on Oxford Road by PSOJ President, Mr. Joseph Matalon and Mathew Deleon of Intcomex Jamaica - the largest technology distributor in Latin American and the Caribbean. The presentation was made to Justice Minister and Attorney General, Sen. Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne.

Upon accepting the donation, Minister Lightbourne stated: “The Government of Jamaica and by extension the Ministry has financial challenges, and so we welcome this generous donation from The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and Intcomex Jamaica. We at the Ministry are grateful for the donation, as these laptop computers will enhance the ability of the staff of Supreme Court to carry out their duties.”

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SAID recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), committing US$800,000 to the YUTE (Youth Upliftment Through Employment) programme. The funds will be disbursed over a two-year period and US$400,000 has already been committed through USAID’s PRIDE Jamaica project. The MOU was signed by PSOJ President Joseph M. Matalon and USAID’s Mission Director Dr. Karen Hilliard. The signing took place at the offices of the PSOJ and was witnessed by members of the PSOJ’s Executive Committee as well as officials from USAID and PRIDE Jamaica.

Mr. Matalon reminded the gathering that YUTE had its genesis following last May’s Tivoli incursion and remarked that the programme was the “silver lining” behind that “dark cloud”. He described YUTE as a good model for public/private sector partnerships as its success depended on the commitment and input of the Government, public and private sector entities, NGOs and international organisations. Dr. Hilliard thanked the PSOJ and its members for this response to the tragic May 2010 events and remarked that the YUTE programme was, to date, the largest USAID-supported global development alliance in Jamaica.

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eet Jamaica at London 2012 is now officially underway as Phase One of the project saw Jamaica’s participation in the International Food & Drink Expo (IFE) – the UK’s largest food and drink trade event; the staging of the UK Investment Forum hosted by JAMPRO and the official UK Meet Jamaica launch in Birmingham.

The public/private partnership behind Meet Jamaica 2012 was further strengthened with the addition of Virgin Atlantic and the Jamaica Public Service Company, both of which have stepped up to support the initiative. Virgin Atlantic will be the official air carrier for Meet Jamaica. Earl Jarrett, General Manager of the Jamaica National Group, lead sponsor of the programme, thanked Virgin Atlantic for agreeing to be the official air carrier for Meet Jamaica. The airline will offer special rates to persons and firms participating in the event.

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(seated from left to right )PSOJ CEO Sandra Glasgow and Teresa Lake – Regional Sales Manager, Northern Caribbean of Virgin Atlantic sign the agreement for Virgin Atlantic to be the official air carrier for Meet Jamaica. Looking on (standing from left to right )are Steven Sykes of Continental Baking Company one of the Meet Jamaica Participants , Earl Jarrett, General Manager of Jamaica National Building Society, lead sponsor of Meet Jamaica and Sancia Templer, President of JAMPRO

The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) The Carlton Alexander Building 39 Hope Road, Kingston 10, Jamaica, W.I. Tel: (876) 927 6238 Fax (876) 927 5137 Email: info@psoj.org www.psoj.org

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Suite # 25 Technology Innovation Center University of Technology 237 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6

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