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Jamaica will bounce back from recession - Orane
Published: Monday | December 20, 2010 10 Comments and 0 Reactions
Douglas Orane, chairman and chief executive of GraceKennedy Limited. - File
Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer Chairman and CEO of the GraceKennedy Group, Douglas Orane, is confident that Jamaica will rebound from the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]global [COLOR=blue !important]financial [/COLOR][COLOR=blue !important]crisis[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] a much stronger nation.
There are signs already of Jamaicans having recognised the need for concerted action to spur [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]economic [COLOR=blue !important]recovery[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], he told The Gleaner on Saturday.
"I see this crisis as actually bringing us back to the old-time family values of helping each other in order to overcome adversity and to move on to success, and I see our people responding in that way to it, which is very encouraging," he said.
"I also see the younger generation getting on with their life, saying, 'Yes, this is the way the world is, but I am going to find a way to advance my career. I'm going to find a way to continue to be innovative, to be entrepreneurial' and that's exactly the kind of attitude that we, the older generation, need to encourage, rather than complaining about whatever is happening around us."
Declaring his optimism about the island's future, Orane said more Jamaicans should adopt a can-do attitude instead of viewing themselves as unsalvageable victims of the recession.
"I believe what we, as Jamaicans, need to do, including in the diaspora, is to say, 'How do we help out individual family members, who are having difficulties to overcome those difficulties within the family. And then when they get back up on their feet, they can help another family member," he offered.
Economic upswing
The GraceKennedy Group CEO challenged business people in the island's capital to follow the example of their counterparts in western Jamaica, where he believes an economic upswing is under way.
He said a two-day stopover in Montego Bay the week before had reinforced his view that decisive action is reaping reward there.
"It is a different world from Kingston and the south coast because the economy is growing over there. People are expanding their business, opening [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]new [/COLOR][COLOR=blue !important]businesses[/COLOR][/COLOR]
.
"So when you go over there, you just get this sense of urgency that things are happening. What we need to do is expand this vibrancy to the rest of Jamaica, and it's very doable in my opinion."
GraceKennedy itself recently opened a new location in the Fairview shopping district where it already operates five companies in one location - First Global [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Bank[/COLOR][/COLOR], First Global Financial Allied Insurance Brokers and Jamaica International Insurance Company Limited, as well as a Rapid True Value store and Hi-Lo supermarket.
Asked about his views on Prime Minister Bruce Golding's recent prediction that Jamaica should start to see tangible signs of recovery from the global crisis by the first quarter of next year, the GraceKennedy CEO, who oversaw the official opening of the 15th supermarket in the Hi-Lo chain on Saturday, at Portmore Pines, chose to focus on the big picture.
"One of the things I say, run your business well ... . In addition to that, be frugal internally, so that we are not wasting money. By doing that, each one of us will come through this particular crisis.
"If we all do that - businesses, individuals, families and the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Government[/COLOR][/COLOR] - then we'll come out of this, and that's when we'll see growth resuming. It is individual actions, one on top of the other, that create economic activities."
christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com
Published: Monday | December 20, 2010 10 Comments and 0 Reactions
Douglas Orane, chairman and chief executive of GraceKennedy Limited. - File
Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer Chairman and CEO of the GraceKennedy Group, Douglas Orane, is confident that Jamaica will rebound from the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]global [COLOR=blue !important]financial [/COLOR][COLOR=blue !important]crisis[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] a much stronger nation.
There are signs already of Jamaicans having recognised the need for concerted action to spur [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]economic [COLOR=blue !important]recovery[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], he told The Gleaner on Saturday.
"I see this crisis as actually bringing us back to the old-time family values of helping each other in order to overcome adversity and to move on to success, and I see our people responding in that way to it, which is very encouraging," he said.
"I also see the younger generation getting on with their life, saying, 'Yes, this is the way the world is, but I am going to find a way to advance my career. I'm going to find a way to continue to be innovative, to be entrepreneurial' and that's exactly the kind of attitude that we, the older generation, need to encourage, rather than complaining about whatever is happening around us."
Declaring his optimism about the island's future, Orane said more Jamaicans should adopt a can-do attitude instead of viewing themselves as unsalvageable victims of the recession.
"I believe what we, as Jamaicans, need to do, including in the diaspora, is to say, 'How do we help out individual family members, who are having difficulties to overcome those difficulties within the family. And then when they get back up on their feet, they can help another family member," he offered.
Economic upswing
The GraceKennedy Group CEO challenged business people in the island's capital to follow the example of their counterparts in western Jamaica, where he believes an economic upswing is under way.
He said a two-day stopover in Montego Bay the week before had reinforced his view that decisive action is reaping reward there.
"It is a different world from Kingston and the south coast because the economy is growing over there. People are expanding their business, opening [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]new [/COLOR][COLOR=blue !important]businesses[/COLOR][/COLOR]
.
"So when you go over there, you just get this sense of urgency that things are happening. What we need to do is expand this vibrancy to the rest of Jamaica, and it's very doable in my opinion."
GraceKennedy itself recently opened a new location in the Fairview shopping district where it already operates five companies in one location - First Global [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Bank[/COLOR][/COLOR], First Global Financial Allied Insurance Brokers and Jamaica International Insurance Company Limited, as well as a Rapid True Value store and Hi-Lo supermarket.
Asked about his views on Prime Minister Bruce Golding's recent prediction that Jamaica should start to see tangible signs of recovery from the global crisis by the first quarter of next year, the GraceKennedy CEO, who oversaw the official opening of the 15th supermarket in the Hi-Lo chain on Saturday, at Portmore Pines, chose to focus on the big picture.
"One of the things I say, run your business well ... . In addition to that, be frugal internally, so that we are not wasting money. By doing that, each one of us will come through this particular crisis.
"If we all do that - businesses, individuals, families and the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Government[/COLOR][/COLOR] - then we'll come out of this, and that's when we'll see growth resuming. It is individual actions, one on top of the other, that create economic activities."
christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com
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